NFL Week 7: Young’s Injury, QB Benchings Define a Shifting Landscape
Week 7 of the NFL season saw pivotal moments for several quarterbacks, ranging from injuries sidelining starters to performance-based benchings sparking uncertainty. Carolina Panthers rookie Bryce Young suffered a right ankle sprain during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, casting doubt on his availability for their Week 8 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Veteran Andy Dalton replaced Young,completing 4-of-7 passes for 60 yards,including a crucial 33-yard connection with Xavier Legette to seal a 13-6 victory.
Elsewhere, quarterback changes dominated the narrative. Pittsburgh steelers’ Kenny Pickett fumbled his first snap after replacing Mitch Trubisky,who was pulled mid-game due to offensive struggles. The New York Jets experienced a similar situation, with justin Fields being benched at halftime for performance reasons, replaced by Tyrod Taylor, who failed to ignite the offense – managing five drives resulting in two punts adn two interceptions with a single field goal. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stated the move was made because the offense “needed a spark,” but offered no commitment to a starter for week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa endured a notably rough outing,throwing three interceptions against the philadelphia Eagles. One interception was returned for a touchdown, and another positioned the Cleveland Browns deep in Dolphins territory. Ultimately, coach Mike McDaniel replaced Tagovailoa with Quinn Ewers in the fourth quarter, whose first pass narrowly avoided an interception.
