During the offseason, plenty of quarterbacks ended up on new teams via draft, trade, or free agency. These include Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and many others. How did these Quarterbacks fare during the first week of the NFL season?
Derek Carr:
After a disappointing season in Vegas, Carr signed a 4-year deal with the Saints through free agency despite the Raiders wanting a trade. He faced the Titans in what was a tight game with little scoring. But New Orleans won thanks to a blocked punt, setting up great field position, in a final score of 16-15. Despite the low score, Carr played pretty well. 305 yards, a touchdown pass, an interception, and completed 69.6% of his passes. Carr threw for 305 yards while only scoring 16 points because he was confident in throwing the ball deep, but took too much time to throw the ball, resulting in 4 sacks. His play was not spectacular by any means but it was good enough for a win. And every win counts in an NFC South where nine wins will likely win the division.
Aaron Rodgers:
This is typical Jets' luck. Because getting a 4-time MVP quarterback to make your team contenders was just too good to be true. A blockbuster trade involving Rodgers moving from Green Bay to East Rutherford made a solid Jets team into bonafide Super Bowl contenders. But on the Jets' first drive, the quarterback they paid a king's ransom for went down with an ankle sprain and is out for the season. We didn't see nearly enough from Rodgers during the game to evaluate his play, and we won't until next season. But on the bright side for Jets fans, their team still won the Monday night game against the Bills in a 22-16 overtime victory.
C.J Stroud:
We weren't exactly expecting Stroud to play exceptionally well in his NFL debut, but it was a bit disappointing. Especially because, unlike the other two rookie quarterbacks, he did not throw a touchdown pass, losing to the Ravens in a score of 25-9. Stroud also threw plenty more passes than he should or needed to, as Damien Pierce is one of the league's most explosive running backs. His 44 attempted passes were not very efficient, only completing 54% of those 44 passes and still not throwing a touchdown pass. He was also reluctant to throw the ball deep which is understandable for a rookie, as he averaged just 3.7 per play. Stroud's performance was not ideal, but it's not time to panic after only one game, especially with a rookie. There will be some growing pains with the Texans' new quarterback.
Bryce Young:
Bryce Young was another rookie quarterback who struggled in his NFL debut. Young primarily had problems with accuracy, completing 20 of 38 passes for only 146 yards. On pivotal third downs, the Falcons blitzed, yet Young failed to get the ball out quick enough, resulting in two sacks. His main target was Hayden Hurst, who caught 5 of Young's passes and scored Young's only touchdown pass. It was surprising that Young didn't target the team's No. 1 wideout Adam Theilen very often, and he probably should have thrown more balls his way. The no.1 overall pick will endure some growing pains during his first season, and we had to witness that on television.
Anthony Richardson:
If there's any takeaway from this list, no quarterback on a new team will play spectacularly well in the first week. Even Tom Brady struggled during his first game with the Bucs. But Anthony Richardson played the best out of all three rookie quarterbacks. With a shallow backfield, Richardson had to throw 37 passes in his debut, completing 24 of them. The lack of quality rushers caused him to also league the team in rushing, with 40 yards on ten carries and running into the end zone once. Despite Bryce Young being advertised as the best-rushing quarterback in the draft, Richardson had by far the best running performance in week one. His main target was Michael Pittman Jr., whom which he threw to for 97 yards, eight catches, and a touchdown. Unlike the other rookie quarterbacks, Richardson looked confident in the pocket but got the ball out quickly. He has the potential to be a top-tier quarterback but it won't be easy without any quality receivers outside of Michael Pittman Jr. and a depleted rushing game without the injury-prone Jonathan Taylor.
Jimmy Garapolo:
The Raiders are treating Garapolo as a replacement for Derek Carr, despite Carr throwing over 4,000 yards for four straight seasons, and Garapolo never throwing 4,000+ yards once. Jimmy Garapolo is a game manager, so he isn't exactly fun to watch but gets the job done. His 20-26, 200 yards, and one interception performance was far from perfect, but it was enough to edge out their division rival Broncos in a 17-16 victory. However, it was notable that he was reluctant to throw to his no.1 wideout, Davante Adams, and instead completed nine passes to Jakobi Myers, including a touchdown. Garapolo was hesitant to throw out wide, thus Adams getting targeted less often.
Baker Mayfield:
Similarly to Garapolo, Baker Mayfield is a game manager, but he is more interesting, as this season is pivotal after varied results through his past six seasons. But his play on the field was similar to Garopolo's, as it wasn't necessarily out of this world, but it was good enough to edge out a 20-17 upset win in Minnesota. He only threw for 173 yards and 21-34, but didn't turn the ball over, which is the main perk of game managers. Nevertheless, Mayfield came in the clutch when his team needed it, but he certainly would have had to be more clutch if his defense had not forced 3 Vikings turnovers.
Bonus: Jordan Love
Jordan Love is not on a new team, but his performance is worth mentioning. After three years of sitting behind Aaron Rodgers, he finally got a chance to prove himself in a divisional game against the Bears. Even without the No.1 receiver Christian Watson, Love managed to find other targets, throwing for 245 yards, a touchdown pass, and zero interceptions. His first half was sluggish, but gave the ball to Aaron Jones in the second half, who was his primary rushing and receiving target. Love also got help from a rock-solid Packers offensive line, only getting sacked once in a 38-20 demolition of their historic rivals. Many NFC North fans don't want to hear this, but Jordan Love is a good quarterback and will make a solid Green Bay roster playoff contenders this season.
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