Some very good performances from the NFL Rookie Quarterbacks this week, so let’s jump right in and hand out the grades for their week nine performances.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis. Final grade: A
An outstanding showing from Luck as his Colts teams were victorious over AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins.
Luck completed 30 of his 48 pass attempts for a mammoth 433 yards. This included two TD passes and remarkably, no interceptions. He finished his day with an attractive 105.6 passer rating.
Luck has been everything the Colts were looking for in Peyton Manning’s replacement, but he doesn’t stand in the shadow of the former Colt. He is quietly carving out his own place in Indianapolis, and all in his first year in the NFL.
Russell Wilson, Seattle. Final grade: A-
Once again, Wilson recovers from a poor display last week, to put in an excellent game this time round. In a winning effort against the Vikings, Russell was 16 of 24 for just 173 yards. He connected on three touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over once, ending with a 127.3 rating.
The Seahawks face the Jets next week, and this could be another opportunity for Wilson to have a good game. Seattle still has to be happy with what he has managed to achieve in his first year.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami. Final grade: B
It was the battle of the rookie QBs as Tannehill and the Dolphins lost out to Andrew Luck and the Colts on Sunday.
Tannehill had a nice game, completing 22 of 38 for 290 yards and one touchdown. The knee injury that saw him leave last week’s game seems to be a thing of the past, and if he can stay healthy, he should remain the Dolphins quarterback of choice moving forward.
He faces the Titans next week who just gave up 51 points to the Chicago Bears. Granted, not all of those points were scored by the Bears offense, but Tannehill should be able to have a good day, all the same.
Robert Griffin III, Washington. Final grade: C
A pretty mediocre performance from the Baylor rookie this week, as Cam Newton reminded us that he was still capable of having a good game this season.
RG3 completed 23 of his 39 passes for 215 yards. He didn’t throw any interceptions, but also failed to complete a touchdown pass, either.
He again contributed on the ground, chalking up 53 yards rushing. Griffin is undoubtedly having an excellent year, but I think the Redskins will be looking for a little more consistency as they try to build their franchise around him.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland. Final grade: D
Weeden and the Browns lost out to AFC North colleagues, the Baltimore Ravens, and the rookie QB did not have one of his best days. He threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, as he completed 20 of 37 passes for just 176 yards.
It’s been a tough year for Weeden and he has done his best with a weak set of receivers. He has shown what he is capable of this season, and if the Browns can surround him with some serious weapons, he could develop into a pretty serviceable NFL quarterback. For this week though, he’s bottom of the class.