Well, we are a quarter of the way through the NFL season and we have seen a good amount of play from the rookies. Some of it has been very positive and some of it not so much. Certain first year QBs are rising to the top while others clearly have some way to go. As week five of the NFL season begins, let’s take a look at how our rookie passers performed last week.
Robert Griffin III, Washington. Final grade: B
Not for the first time this season, Griffin tops the class. He lead his Washington team to a close fought victory over the Bucs and threw for 323 yards, completing 26 out of 35. He might not have thrown a touchdown pass, but he didn’t turn the ball over, and he did rush for one TD. That’s what makes Griffin so dangerous. He really is a dual threat, he’ll beat you throwing the ball and running it.
Come the end of the year, barring any injuries, he could be a contender for rookie of the year.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins. Final grade: C-
The kid can flat-out throw the football. He has a strong arm and he demonstrated it against the Cardinals in a game they narrowly lost.
Tannehill completed 26 of 41 passes for an impressive 431 yards. He was helped out immensely by wide receiver Brian Hartline, who had a huge game also. The rookie QB threw one TD and two interceptions to finish the game with a pretty decent 82.7 passer rating.
The Dolphins aren’t quite as bad as many though they would be and a lot of this has been down to the play of Ryan Tannehill. Keep it up, rook!
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns. Final grade: D
In a losing effort to the Baltimore Ravens, Weeden attempted more passes than any of the rookies this week. He completed just 25 of his 52 passes for 320 yards. No touchdowns were thrown, and he was intercepted once. Weeden finished the game with a rating of 59.8 and his passer rating on the year is just 60.4.
It’s been said before that he doesn’t have the greatest supporting cast in Cleveland and for now I will say that’s the main reason he seems to be constantly near the bottom of the class. Must do better.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks. Final grade: E
Another player who must do better, Wilson threw 3 interceptions and no touchdowns this past week as the team lost out to the St. Louis Rams. He threw for just 160 yards and ended up with a miserable 45.8 passer rating.
He is also last in the NFL in terms of yards per game with an embarrassingly low 149. Wilson did well to beat out Matt Flynn for the starting job, but how long will it be before he loses that position. Stay tuned to find out.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts. Did not play. Team was on a bye week.