AFC most disappointing players: Jets’ Aaron Rodgers, these three QBs letting teams down

Several AFC teams are suffering from subpar play at quarterback — we’re looking at you New York Jets (2-5), Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) and Tennessee Titans (1-5) — and their records reflect it.

And although the Indianapolis Colts are 4-3, they have achieved that record largely despite the play of second-year QB Anthony Richardson, who is completing less than 50% of his passes.
Ahead of Week 8, Yardbarker NFL writers identify the most disappointing player on each AFC team.

AFC East 

BUFFALO BILLS | WR Curtis Samuel | Samuel joined Buffalo on a three-year deal in free agency and expected to be a key weapon for QB Josh Allen, but he’s been a non-factor, which probably won’t change now that the team has traded for star wideout Amari Cooper. Through seven games, Samuel — who has dealt with turf toe and a shoulder injury — has 12 receptions for 92 yards and rushed for six yards on three carries.

MIAMI DOLPHINS | WR Tyreek Hill | Although Hill’s struggles are a direct result of QB Tua Tagovailoa being sidelined with a concussion, he should still be more productive considering he’s a top-three wide receiver in the NFL. After racking up 130 yards and one touchdown in Week 1, the eight-time Pro Bowler has 17 receptions for 164 yards and no TDs over his past five games.

NEW YORK JETS | QB Aaron Rodgers | Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Rodgers experiment in New York will go down as a failure, as it appears the 40-year-old’s age has finally caught up to him — and no former Packers wideout can change that. Despite ranking seventh in passing yards (1,663), Rodgers has a lower completion rate (61.7%) than below-average QBs Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones and has thrown for 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions, the fourth-most picks among QBs.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | WR Ja’Lynn Polk | New England spent the 37th overall pick in April’s draft on the Washington product, hoping he could develop into rookie QB Drake Maye’s top target. He still has the potential to do so, but Polk has started his NFL career in poor fashion, catching just 10 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in seven games while posting a troubling 11.5% drop rate. — Colum Dell

AFC West 

DENVER BRONCOS | WR Marvin Mims Jr. | After Denver dealt WR Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in March, Mims seemed poised to become its No. 2 WR behind Courtland Sutton. However, the second-year wideout only has five receptions for 44 yards and no TDs in seven games.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | TE Travis Kelce | Through his first six games this season, Kelce has yet to catch a touchdown and is averaging a career-low 8.8 yards per reception. The 35-year-old TE recently told The Athletic’s Michael Silver, “I’ve still got a little something left in the tank,” but he’s clearly slowing.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | QB Gardner Minshew | Minshew — who signed a two-year, $25M deal with the Raiders in free agency — isn’t giving Vegas a return on its investment. Through six games, he has thrown more interceptions (eight) than TD passes (four).

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | LB Khalil Mack | Mack recorded 17 sacks in 17 games last season and seemed poised to have another productive year under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Instead, he has regressed, logging 2.5 sacks through his first six games. — Clark Dalton

AFC North 

BALTIMORE RAVENS | DT Nnamdi Madubuike | The Ravens signed Madubuike to a four-year, $98M contract extension in the offseason following a 2023 campaign in which he registered a career-high 56 tackles, 13 sacks and two forced fumbles. However, the 26-year-old has not had the same impact this season (13 tackles and two sacks) through the first seven games.

CINCINNATI BENGALS | RB Zack Moss | It was a bit surprising when the Bengals traded the franchise’s third all-time leading rusher in Joe Mixon (Texans) during the offseason and replaced him with Moss. That remains true months later, as Mixon has rushed for 401 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns this season while Moss ( 231 rushing yards, 3.3 yards per carry, two TDs) may soon be demoted to RB2.

CLEVELAND BROWNS | WR Jerry Jeudy | The Browns put faith in Jeudy when they traded for him during the offseason and signed him to a three-year, $58M contract extension, but he only has 21 catches for 266 yards and one TD in seven games this season. Cleveland traded five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Bills last week, pushing Jeudy into the No. 1 wide receiver role. He finished Week 7’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with just one catch on five targets for 18 yards.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS | WR Van Jefferson | The Steelers have reiterated their confidence in their wideouts all season, but receivers not named George Pickens have combined for just 24 catches for 320 yards. Jefferson (10 catches for 77 yards) has held onto the No. 2 WR job thus far, but that might not last much longer as Pittsburgh continues to look for a more reliable option before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. — Aaron Becker

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS | WR Tank Dell | Expected to take a second-year leap after posting 47 receptions, 709 yards and seven TDs as a rookie, Dell has yet to find his groove. Through six games, the 2023 third-round pick has 20 catches for only 194 yards and a touchdown. Questions about his reliability continue to grow after a catch-less outing (four targets) in the Texans’ 24-22 Week 7 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | QB Anthony Richardson | After having his rookie season cut short by injury, there was plenty of excitement surrounding Richardson entering his second professional season. However, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has missed two games because of injury and played poorly when healthy, completing only 48.5 percent of his passes (49-of-101) and recording more turnovers (seven) than total touchdowns (four) over five games.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | WR Gabe Davis | The Jaguars signed the ex-Bills wideout to a three-year, $39M deal in the offseason, believing he would be a key weapon for QB Trevor Lawrence. Instead, Davis has under-performed, averaging 2.1 catches for 28.6 yards (six games), excluding his Week 6 performance (five catches, 45 yards, two TDs).

TENNESSEE TITANS | QB Will Levis | The 2023 second-round pick hasn’t come close to playing up to expectations and his production over five games shows regression more than anything else. Sidelined with a right-shoulder sprain, Levis missed Week 7, but through six weeks, he sported the worst passer rating in the NFL (70.7) and ranked 30th in passing yards (699). He has 10 turnovers (seven interceptions, three fumbles) and only five TD passes. — Mike Santa Barbara