Andrew Luck was back from his bye week with the Colts, so we had a full house of rookie passers in week five. Let’s see how well they all performed and who’s at the top of class and who needs to stay behind and run some extra laps.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis. Final grade: B+
In what was arguably the biggest upset of the week, Luck and his Colts team overcame the Green Bay Packers by a score of 30-27. The rookie QB attempted a massive 55 passes, completing 31 of them for a hefty 362 yards. He also threw two touchdowns and just one interception.
Along with Robert Griffin III, Luck has looked comfortable and competent from the start and the Colts look set to get their moneys worth as he continues to improve. Luck faces a lacklustre New York Jets team next week, so he could have another good game. If he does, expect him to hold his rank.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland. Final grade: B
Weeden completed 22 of 35 for 291 yards as his Cleveland Browns lost their week five matchup to the New York Giants. He threw two interceptions to go along with two touchdowns and finished the afternoon with an 84.3 passer rating.
His rookie year has not been a great success so far, seeing him throw nine interceptions and completing just over half of his throws. He hasn’t always been helped by his receivers, and next week they face the Bengals in a tough AFC North matchup.
As always seems to be the case with Weeden, he needs to be more consistent.
Russell Wilson, Seattle. Final grade: B
Seattle beat the Carolina Panthers by a score of 16-12 this week to take their record to 3-2. Wilson connected on 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 221 yards, which included one touchdown and two interceptions.
His completion percentage for the year is 63.2 which is pretty good and he has an acceptable passer rating of 75.3.
Wilson has faced some tough defense this season, but next week sees the Seahawks at home to a Patriots team who are 31st in the NFL in terms of passing yards allowed. Hopefully he has the type of performance that demonstrates why he won the starting job to begin with.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami. Final grade: B-
Tannehill didn’t throw any picks this week, nor did he connect on any touchdown passes either. His performance was steady completing 17 of 26 for 223 yards as the Dolphins knocked off the Bengals, 17-13.
He has only thrown two touchdowns this year which comes as a disappointment to the Dolphins’ coaching staff. The young passer has a lot of potential and I think we will see that potential fulfilled in years to come.
Robert Griffin III, Washington. Final grade: C
Difficult one to grade this week for Griffin as he left the game following a big hit from Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Before he was injured, Griffin had completed 10 of 15 pass attempts for 91 yards. His replacement was another rookie, Kirk Cousins, who came in and threw for 111 yards.
Washington lost the game 24-17 to an Atlanta team who remain unbeaten. Perhaps that result would have been different if Griffin remained in the game, who knows?
Griffin is reported to have suffered a mild concussion but has said he wants to play next week against the Minnesota Vikings. I think they would be well advised not to rush him back. They moved heaven and earth to land him in this year’s draft, and would be foolish to jeopardize his future by bringing him back too soon.
How do you think the NFL Rookie Quarterbacks did last week? Let us know in the comments.
