NFL Week 8 worst QB performances: Cowboys’ Dak Prescott flounders in another high-profile showdown vs. 49ers

Prescott was 25-of-38 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 30-24 loss.

His first interception was on a deep pass intended for wide receiver KaVontae Turpin that hung in the air long enough for 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown to get under the ball and catch it.

He also failed to get enough zip on a pass down the sideline for wideout CeeDee Lamb in the third quarter. 49ers Deommodore Lenoir made the interception, setting San Francisco with a first down at the Cowboys’ 32-yard line.

He had a chance to pull off a come-from-behind win after getting the ball back down six with 3:05 remaining but threw four consecutive incomplete passes to squash the comeback attempt.

Prescott’s struggles against San Francisco are nothing new. With the loss, he fell to 2-4 all-time (including playoffs) against the Niners. But it’s performances like his on Sunday that show why few believe he’s a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback.

The discrepancy in quarterback play on Sunday was widest in the Titans’ 52-14 loss to the Lions.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff continued his recent hot streak with an efficient performance, throwing as many touchdowns (three) as incompletions while going 12-of-15 for 85 yards before being pulled in the third.

Meanwhile, Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph, starting in place of Will Levis (shoulder), was 22-of-38 for 266 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. 

Five of Detroit’s six touchdown drives (it also scored a punt return touchdown) began at the Tennessee 26-yard line or closer to the goal line. Two were a result of Rudolph’s interceptions.

Despite being a five-year veteran, Rudolph made some of the same foolish mistakes the younger, less experienced Levis has become infamous for making.

On Tennessee’s first possession, he erred with a poor pass while being pressured, resulting in an interception by Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske.

He threw another interception in the middle of the field on a pass straight to safety Kerby Joseph, which he returned 33 yards to set Detroit up with a first down at the Tennessee 12-yard line.

Richardson’s accuracy continues to be a problem. In Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Texans, 2023’s No. 4 overall pick was 10-of-32, dropping his completion percentage for the season to an abominable 44.4 percent.

His interception near the end of the first half was due to his poor accuracy. Richardson missed wide receiver Josh Downs badly and was instead picked by Texans safety Jalen Pitre.

As ugly as the second-year quarterback’s final numbers were, we must give him credit. He dared to do what his head coach, Shane Steichen, refused to do and benched himself.

Richardson was sacked following a scramble on a second-and-goal back at the Texans’ 23-yard line, and instead of staying on the field for the next play, Richardson subbed himself out.

Afterward, he told reporters he was tired. “That was a lot of running right there that I did,” Richardson said.

That’s a terrible look for a quarterback who can’t do the minimum required of the position.

As The Ringer’s Austin Gayle noted on social media, his completion percentage (50 percent) ranks 222nd out of 225 quarterbacks since 2000 with at least 250 dropbacks.

Richardson’s one strength is running the ball, but if he’s not in good enough shape to do that consistently, Steichen would be better off starting backup Joe Flacco.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith

The third-year Seahawks starter couldn’t keep pace with Bills quarterback Josh Allen in a 31-10 home blowout loss.

Smith was 21-of-29 for 212 yards. He had critical miscues, including on a fourth-and-goal from Buffalo’s one-yard line when he lost his footing and was tagged down at the seven-yard line to end the possession with a turnover on downs.

His third-quarter interception to defensive lineman Austin Johnson was even worse. Smith threw an errant pass intended for running back Kenneth Walker on a screen while being blitzed and Johnson recorded the easy interception.

Buffalo (6-2) made Seattle (4-4) pay for the mistake with a touchdown seven plays later to take a 24-3 lead.

The Seahawks had an opportunity to assert themselves as the best team in the NFC West with a win over the Super Bowl-contender Bills, but Smith’s frustrating game showed they have a hard ceiling with him at quarterback.

Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener

New Orleans gave us a two-for-one special on Sunday.

Rattler received another start but was benched in the third quarter after failing to ignite the Saints offense in a 26-8 loss. Haener didn’t fare much better as New Orleans lost its sixth in a row for the first time since 2005 when it spent the season displaced due to Hurricane Katrina.

Rattler, selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was held out of the endzone for the second consecutive game and finished 12-of-24 for 156 yards while losing 16 yards on three sacks.

Haener was only marginally better, going 9-of-17 for 122 yards and also losing 16 yards on two sacks in relief.

New Orleans’ eight points were its fewest since scoring seven in a 10-7 loss in Week 18 of the 2022 season against the Panthers. Sunday’s performance might have been even worse than that one, however.

While that game mercifully ended the Saints’ season, they still have 10 more weeks of this trainwreck season before it reaches its final stop.