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Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix played like rookies. Several established quarterbacks weren’t much better.
There were more shaky performances than superlative ones on Sunday.
Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr and Josh Allen excelled while leading their teams to victories. C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa and Sam Darnold also posted decent stat lines in wins.
But Kirk Cousins was rusty in his return from a torn Achilles tendon. Deshaun Watson played like someone who was starting his 13th game in four years. Joe Burrow seemed out of synch.
Will Levis made a crucial mistake that gave away the game. Trevor Lawrence had a poor second half. Justin Fields didn’t seem comfortable. Kyler Murray started strong and faded in the second half. Daniel Jones and Bryce Young were disasters.
Overall, 17 quarterbacks have thrown for less than 200 yards with one game remaining, the most since 18 didn’t reach that number in Week 1 in 2008. Considering that most starters barely play in the preseason, sloppiness should be expected during opening weekend.
Still, there were exciting finishes, close games, three 14-point comebacks and an overtime battle.
Even success didn’t equal satisfaction for some coaches.
“We want to be better than that,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said following a 37-20 victory over Washington. “It was great for the first game just to get out and get our feet wet, but we have some things to work on there and we’ve got to be better.”
Mayfield threw four touchdown passes and had a 146.4 passer rating, continuing his resurgence in Tampa Bay. Up 16 late in the fourth quarter, he escaped a sack, scrambled, lowered his shoulder and took a hard hit.
Mayfield got up and emphatically signaled first down with a smile.
“Tried to juke out Bobby Wagner earlier. It didn’t work out. I really don’t have it even though I think I do,” Mayfield said. “Later on, if it’s a guy coming from the side, just a couple extra yards but yeah, ultimately, protect myself. Have to be smart.”
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick behind Williams, had more yards rushing than passing through 2 1/2 quarters. He finished 17 of 24 for 184 yards with 88 yards rushing and two TDs on the ground.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to try to win the football game,” Daniels said about his rushing.
Williams was victorious in his debut thanks to Chicago’s defense and special teams. He was just 14 of 29 for 93 yards but the Bears got scores on an interception return and blocked punt in a 24-17 win over Tennessee.
Nix showed flashes in Denver’s 26-20 loss at Seattle. He ended up 26 of 42 for 138 yards and two picks. Nix ran for 35 yards and one score.
Cousins, who got $100 million guaranteed from Atlanta, struggled against Pittsburgh’s fierce defense in an 18-10 loss. He was jittery at times under pressure and threw two careless interceptions.
Meanwhile, Browns fans are still waiting for Watson to resemble the superstar he was in Houston. Micah Parsons and the rest of Dallas’ defense roughed him up in a 33-17 loss at home. Watson threw two picks, got sacked six times and had a 51.1 passer rating.
“We’re not the type of people that make excuses,” Watson said about the lack of work with his receivers in training camp. “So some people can say that can contribute a lot, you know, my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the field, you just gotta, execute. And, we didn’t do that overall. And yeah, it showed.”
Burrow was so-so in Cincinnati’s 16-10 upset loss to the Patriots, who were the biggest underdogs in Week 1. Burrow and the Bengals were out of synch on offense even though Ja’Marr Chase played while Tee Higgins was sidelined.
It wasn’t all bad Sunday.
Hours after becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player, Dak Prescott led Dallas to a 33-17 romp in Cleveland. He wasn’t spectacular but efficient, passing for 179 yards and one score.
Allen carried the Bills to a 34-28 win over Arizona. He threw for 232 yards and two TDs and ran for two scores.
Carr was almost flawless in a 47-10 win against Carolina. He completed 19 of 23 for 200 yards and three TDs.
Now, those who performed well have to stay consistent. That’s their challenge.
AP Pro Football Writers Josh Dubow and Mark Long contributed.