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The Jets benched starting quarterback Justin Fields for backup Tyrod Taylor early in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Fields completed 6 of 12 passes for 46 yards and took three sacks while adding 22 yards on four rushes.

"We all have our different opinions," Fields said. "... It's not my decision. I'm here to be the best teammate I can be. I'm here to be the best person I can be. So, like I said, it's not up to me. Of course I wish things would've went a little bit different not only for me but for this team."

New York (0-7) made the change at the third quarter's 10:40 mark and trailing Carolina (4-3) 13-3 after Ryan Fitzgerald's 29-yard field goal. Gang Green lost, 13-6.

"I understand the nature of the quarterback change and, listen, we needed a spark at that time," said Jets coach Aaron Glenn. "I felt it was the right time to do it. Obviously, it was a tough situation for both of those guys. But it was my call. It was my call, and I felt it was the right time to do it.

"So, when it goes into next week, I'm not ready to sit here and say what's going on with our quarterbacks. But I will say this -- that's something I have to look at."

The 26-year-old Fields, whom the Jets signed in March to a two-year contract for $40 million, entered Week 7 having completed 80 of 123 passes for four touchdowns through five games.

He missed New York's Sept. 21 game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 29-27 loss, with a concussion.

"A little bit," Fields said when asked if he was surprised by his benching. "But at the same time, I can't be mad at the decision. I understand why. It's just life. It's football. I've learned to not take anything personal. Coach A.G., I think he wanted to see if there was a spark.

"... As far as my job here, I'm going to be the same. I'm going to come to work the same. I'm going to lead the same."

Taylor started and completed 26 of 36 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns to one interception.

In relief of the injured Fields Sept. 14, during the Jets' 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Taylor was 7-for-11 passing with 56 yards and one touchdown.

Taylor, 36, is in his second season with the Jets. He was New York's backup in 2024 behind former starter Aaron Rodgers.

Taylor finished Sunday with 10 of 22 passes completed for 126 yards and two interceptions.

"I just felt like it was time," Glenn said. "Our team needed a spark. And I thought we did move the ball fairly well -- obviously not enough to give ourselves a chance to win."

"He just said he was going to throw Tyrod in there for a drive, and I can't blame him," Fields said of Glenn's halftime message. "We only scored, what, three points in the first half? It is what it is, and that's life. That's life."

The Jets head to Cincinnati for Week 8 with next Sunday's 1 p.m. game at the Bengals (3-4).

"We've got to improve," Glenn said. "We have to improve in this situation because now you see what they're doing against the run -- they're loading the box against the run. Sometimes they're putting nine people in the box.

"So, in order to loosen guys up, you have to be efficient to some degree in the passing game and that's something that hasn't shown up in the last two games and I have to take a look at that and put a lot of fault on me. As the head coach of this team, I have to make sure that we do whatever we have to do to get our passing game going."

Glenn defended Fields after Week 6 and not benching him following last Sunday's 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London.

"You don't want to have that kind of mindset, going into the game," Fields said of if he entered Sunday with the thought that his leash could be short. "You kind of got that feeling after that last two-minute drive ... but, like I said, everything in this life happens for a reason and just going to keep working and keep going."

Fields was 9-of-17 passing with 45 yards against Denver.

"It's always a tough situation," Glenn said. "It's always a tough decision. But as the head coach, you have to take a look at the team and see what is best for you to put yourself in position to win the game, and that's the only thing that's going through my mind when I was walking in.

"And I just told the offense staff, and then I went and told Justin and Tyrod exactly what I was going to do and made the decision."

Glenn added that he would decide on a starter for the Jets' next game after consulting with his offensive staff.

"Well, ultimately, I make the call," Glenn said. "But there's a lot of conversations I've got to have with myself to see what can I do to make sure that we give us a chance to win.

"And then, obviously, I'm going to talk to the offensive staff and see what their thoughts are also. But we'll make the right decision. Whatever the decision is, I'm going to go with it and we're going to move forward."

Either way, Glenn did not rule out the idea of a move back to Fields.

"It's always the question that's always asked, and that's always something that you have to really look at," Glenn said of potentially starting Taylor and what that would mean for Fields going forward.

"I don't ever think that that's something you could positively say -- that, if we go with another guy, you can't go back to the other guy. Man, this is the NFL. It's ebbs and flows with how things go. To me, I'm trying to put the guys that's going to give us the best chance to win -- whoever that may be, at that specific time, that's what I'm going to do."

After back-to-back weeks of lighting the fantasy football world on fire, all eyes were on Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle with starter Chuba Hubbard back from injury. The Panthers entered the week with a good setup against a New York Jets team that was (and remained) winless on the season. We knew Carolina would get Hubbard back into the mix, but to what degree? And how would that impact production for Dowdle, who was looking like a player who could unlock the potential of your fantasy team. Let's take a look at how touches shook out for the Panthers and other key backfield splits in Week 7. 

Carolina Panthers

This was a pretty clean split in Week 7 with Hubbard back, which is what we had expected. We also figured that Dowdle would continue to play well while Hubbard may need a few games to get back up to speed. Dowdle was the more explosive back and it was apparent with the two rotating series early in the game. Hubbard had a weak series and Dowdle came in legs-a-blazing. Neither player got into the end zone. Overall, the Panthers stuck with Hubbard, who saw more snaps and ran more routes. 

So how do we approach this moving forward? If you don't have any other options, you kind of have to ride the wave. It's good that each back is getting plenty of touches. Dowdle may not give you 30+ fantasy points or 200+ yards (not even 100+ yards) again this season. But as long as the Carolina passing game is mid, expect both backs to get plenty of work. Hubbard appears to be the passing-down back, which is a positive for PPR formats. One potential issue is the Panthers schedule is pretty brutal — the team will likely be favorites in one of its next six games. It could force Carolina to throw more or it could mean the running game gets shut down. 

For now, it's tough to trust either back outside of a flex play until we gather more info on the split the next few weeks. It appears QB Bryce Young has a sprained ankle. If Andy Dalton is going to see any run under center, that could end up being a plus for the running game and both Hubbard and Dowdle. 

Kansas City Chiefs

This was a gong show of a game so it's hard to take much out of the backfield split. The Chiefs jumped on the Raiders early and never looked back in a 31-0 shellacking of the Raiders. Kareem Hunt appeared to injure his ankle or lower leg early in the contest but was able to return briefly. It didn't seem like he saw much work after the injury, however. It's something to monitor moving forward. 

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Pacheco was the clear leader on the ground for most of the contest but Smith had some notable work in the passing game. Once Kansas City was up big, Pacheco took a backseat to Smith, who saw a lot of garbage-time carries. Pacheco scored to give the Chiefs a 28-0 lead and that was about it for him, finishing with 11.9 fantasy points. Smith would end his day in double digits with just over 10 FP. 

Again, see what the deal is with Hunt. If he's banged up, Smith becomes the clear backup to Pacheco and we could see more of a split in competitive games. Smith also appears to be the passing-down back, which is a plus. The rookie could have some flex appeal in deeper formats. It also isn't like Pacheco is lighting up the box score. Smith feels like a strong stash if you can afford the bench spot.  

New England Patriots

This may be the official end for the TreVeyon Henderson hype train. The rookie saw his fewest touches in a game all season. Meanwhile, the Patriots are clearly OK with Stevenson's fumbling issues and will just live with it. For what it's worth, the veteran has lost a fumble just once in the past four games since that two-fumble performance against the Steelers earlier in the season. 

We can retire the Patriots from this article series for the time being. This is Stevenson's backfield until an injury happens. You can comfortably start Stevenson as a decent RB2/3 option in most formats. The running game should remain secondary to the passing game with Drake Maye playing out of his skull. Plus, Maye had eight carries for 62 yards in Week 7 vs. the Titans. Also, shoutout to Terrell Jennings (?), a second-year back out of Texas A&M. He had five carries for 18 yards in garbage time for New England. Something to note. 

Tennessee Titans

The Titans aren't a very good football team, which is never helpful for fantasy football. Yet, in a season with plenty of injuries, we have to always consider our options. So while it feels gross, you may still need to rely on Pollard or Spears on your team. 

Pollard actually got you there in full PPR formats thanks to the catches. This is a bit odd because Spears had been the pass-down specialist. We're not sure if that will continue to be the case. There's just no way we can expect much from Pollard or Spears on the ground with a passing game this bad. Similar to the Panthers up top, the Titans have a brutal schedule the rest of the season. Tennessee may struggle to win a game the rest of the way let alone put up any significant points. 

You can't feel good playing either back. But you can still roster them with hopes something could turn around. It isn't likely, but crazier things have happened. One good thing is Cam Ward should continue to target his RBs as a safety valve. So if you're desperate in deeper PPR formats, Pollard and/or Spears can maybe be OK flex plays. Maybe ...