The young quarterbacks finally took flight in Week 3. Bo Nix led a stunning throttling of the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, Caleb Williams and the Bears lost to the Colts, but he went for over 350 yards through the air, and Jayden Daniels capped the action with a magnificent showing against the Bengals on “Monday Night Football.”
After a dismal start for the rookies, they rebounded in a big way in Week 3.
A grand total of seven quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes saw considerable playing time during an upset-filled Week 3.
Let’s dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account. At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which will come out weekly on Tuesdays.
Week 3 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: Unequivocally a step in the right direction for Nix after a ghastly starting. Operating within Sean Payton’s scheme as well as he did, against a previously 2-0 team on the road was impressive. Did he make a litany of high-caliber throws or plays in the resounding win? Not really.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: C-
Week 3 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: The Bears defense is no joke, but Richardson was shaky throughout in this contest. His accuracy was as bad as I’ve seen it, and he seemed to rush far too make of his 22 pass attempts in this one. His longest run was an 8-yard scramble, so the supreme physical/athletic side of his game didn’t move the needle in Week 3.
Grade: F
Season Grade: C-
Week 3 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: The vaunted Brian Flores scheme strikes again. It kept the lid on Stroud and the Texans offense throughout this smooth-sailing victory for the Vikings at home. Plenty of checkdowns from Stroud, and he took many sacks in this contest. It wasn’t a catastrophic performance from the second-year quarterback; he simply couldn’t get going at any point in Minnesota.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C
Week 3 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: Levis had flashed some impressive tosses on challenging asks through two weeks. This game didn’t feature those throughout. The Titans offensive front had significant problems against the Packers deep pass rush, and Levis mostly settled for underneath throws when he wasn’t getting hit. The interceptions also very much sink this grade.
Grade: D+
Season Grade: C-
Week 2 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: The Bears asked Williams to drop back 56 times in a low-scoring but wild affair against the Colts in Week 3. While the sacks are still too prevalent, and the No. 1 overall pick hasn’t settled enough to make pinpoint throws deep on a regular basis like he did in college, there were more examples of anticipation and a few impressive throws with either major velocity or ideal touch deep. Williams’ offensive front is doing him minimal favors, although some of the pressure is on him.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: D+
Week 2 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: Sensational performance for Daniels, against one of the game’s finest defensive coordinators on the road. He took what the defense gave him, threw with pinpoint accuracy, flashed some athleticism, and threatened Cincinnati’s defense at all three levels.
Grade: A+
Season Grade: B-
Week 3 stats
High-caliber throws/plays
Low-caliber throws/plays
Summary: This mop-up duty from O’Connell appeared very similar to the O’Connell we saw a season ago. Assertive, pocket passer with minimal movement skills and an average-at-best arm. Some quality throws and a few instances in which his athletic and arm limitations pop.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C
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