With so much coverage of this year’s promising class of budding quarterbacks, it’s easy to overlook the historical aspect of this past weekend. Five rookie starters – Chicago’s Caleb WilliamsWashington’s jayden danielsNew England’s drake mayof denver bo nix And New Orleans’ spencer rattler -Combined for 12 touchdown passes.
That’s as many as he threw through the first five weeks of this season combined, and it’s also the most touchdown passes ever thrown by a rookie quarterback in an NFL weekend. The old record was 11, set in week 16 of 2019 Daniel Jones there were five for veteranDwayne Haskins had two for Washington and four others for Arizona kyler murrayof detroit david blowof denver drew lock and jacksonville Gardner Minshew – One pair each.
Last weekend, Williams had four, Mays had three, Daniels and Nix had two each and Rattler had one. It marked only the second time four rookies have thrown multiple touchdown passes in the same weekend. The second time came in 2011 when Carolina’s Cam Newton, Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert, Minnesota’s Christian Ponder and Houston’s TJ Yates accomplished the feat.
The individual success of this year’s rookie QB has been magnified by his team’s success. Daniel’ commanders Are 4-2 and are the surprise leaders at the top of the NFC East and Williams Bear Same 4-2 score to almost the same blowout. of the knicks broncos The standings are 3-3, and the rest of the bracket is still looking for consecutive wins.
Will this be a historic class of rookie quarterbacks? He’s headed for 68 touchdown passes, which would be one fewer than last year’s rookie season led Houston. CJ Stroud (23 TD passes). The record for a rookie class of quarterbacks is 101 touchdowns, set by a group led by Seattle in 2012. Russell WilsonAndrew Luck of Indianapolis and Robert Griffin III of Washington. And success as rookies doesn’t mean they’ll become legends: The 2019 class had 90 touchdowns as rookies, including Jones and Jacksonville trevor lawrence Possibly the only NFL starters left from that group as of Sunday.
There used to be a generational class of quarterbacks that might not have shown up at all as a rookie. The 2004 draft included three of the top 11 quarterbacks of all time in career passing yardage, the Giants’ Eli Manning. chargers‘Philip Rivers and steelers‘Ben Roethlisberger, but that rookie class only had 36 total touchdowns. Manning had six as a rookie, Rivers had only one.
Chargers step up vs. rookie Broncos
Which NFL team had the most offensive/defensive snaps by rookies in Week 6? It was the Chargers who scored 28–3 against six rookies in their win over the Broncos. first round tackle joe alt A mainstay, second-round receiver lad mcconkey Is in the top six in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns and even a third-round linebacker junior colson (who followed Jim Harbaugh michigan) Has eight tackles in three games.
The surprise impact Sunday came from three late-round selections. corner of the fifth round still good And cam heart Both started and played 105 of 110 defensive snaps and the running back was taken in the sixth round Kimani VidalMaking his NFL debut, he caught a 38-yard touchdown pass Justin Herbert,
Fourth-round back shines as injury replacement
Last week, it was the giants Tyrone Tracy Jr. and this dolphin, jaylen wright Who stepped in as an injury replacement and helped his teams win. In Week 6, there were three more such spot-start rookie stars.
– of buffalo ray davisfourth round selection kentuckystepped in for the injured James Cook On Monday, he ran 20 times for 97 yards and caught three passes for 55 yards in a close win. jetDavis had six carries for 48 yards on the opening drive and added a 42-yard catch to set up another touchdown.
– San Francisco isaac guerendeaufourth round selection louisvilleshined with Christian McCaffrey Still sidelined and filled Jordan Mason In and out during Thursday’s win against Seattle. Guerredo had a 76-yard run in the final two minutes – the second-longest in the NFL this season. seahawks Was back within five points. He gained 99 yards on 10 carries and missed the century mark after losing a yard on his final carries of the night.
– Tampa Bay bucky irvingfourth round selection oregongot his first NFL start Ratched White Was sidelined and was part of the Bucs’ 277-yard day, rushing 14 times for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 51–27 loss. saintsIrving also passed Washington’s Daniels to take the NFL rookie rushing lead with 328 yards.
cooper degen finally gets to make an impact
eagles Second-round corner Cooper Dejean logged only eight defensive snaps before making his first start as Philadelphia’s slot corner on Sunday. he played well against BrownsLogging six tackles and even sharing in a sack deshaun watsonDeJean also made an impact on special teams, handling punt returns and gaining 51 yards on his four returns.
tykie smith Key Bucs Defense vs. Saints
Only two rookies have both an interception and a forced fumble this season, and Bucs third-round nickel Tyke Smith had both in Tampa Bay’s win over the Saints on Sunday. His forced fumble was caught by safety Antoine Winfield for a touchdown, and his interception was part of a dominant fourth quarter as the Bucs pulled away. Smith picks up Rattler for the second year in a row, having had an interception last year when he Georgia and the rattler was there South Carolina,
Is the second rookie with an interception and forced fumble this season PACKERS Security evan williamsFourth rounder from Oregon.
NFC North: Division of first-year kickers
The entire NFC North has had impressive starts, all 4-2 or better, but there is an unheard of common thread in the division: first-year kickers.
Minnesota’s rookie kicker, Will Reichardtsixth round selection AlabamaIs 25 of 25 this year, making all nine field goals and 16 extra points. green bay brayden nervesNot drafted nc stateAlready has 12 field goals, and Detroit has a first-year kicker jake batesWho is 25 of 26 to start his NFL career. The NFC North has three first-year kickers, while the rest of the NFL has a total of two.
Greg Auman is an NFL reporter for Fox Sports. Before that he spent a decade covering it buccaneers For Tampa Bay The Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter @gregauman,
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