NFL Player News

Mayfield completed 21 of 34 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and added eight carries for 11 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-17 win over the Vikings on Sunday.

Officially beginning his tenure as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback, Mayfield displayed impressive poise during a mistake-free performance in a tough road environment. The 2018 first overall pick unsurprisingly leaned on Mike Evans and Chris Godwin the most, with 11 of his completions, 117 yards and one of his touchdowns ending up in the hands of the duo. Mayfield connected with seven different targets overall, and in addition to his 28-yard scoring toss to Evans just before halftime, he also hit rookie Trey Palmer for a seven-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. With a solid start to the season under his belt, Mayfield will look to build on it in his Week 2 home debut against the Bears.

Watson completed 16 of 29 passes for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 24-3 win over the Bengals. He also rushed five times for 45 yards, one rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Neither offense produced any first-quarter points in slick conditions, but Watson led a scoring drive that put the Browns up 3-0 early in the second quarter, then found the end zone from 13 yards out on a designed quarterback run with 17 seconds left in the first half. While Watson was effective as a runner, he struggled to generate much through the air and was intercepted in the third quarter, though he bounced back with a three-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Bryant in the fourth quarter. Joe Burrow threw for only 82 yards, so Watson's passing struggles can be chalked up at least in part to the inclement weather. Watson should be sharper through the air on Monday Night Football in Week 2 against a Steelers team that got pummeled 30-7 by the 49ers.

Cousins completed 33 of 44 passes for 344 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while adding three rushes for seven yards in the Vikings' 20-17 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also lost two fumbles.

The Vikings' day was essentially an ongoing contradiction between the stat sheet and the scoreboard, and Cousins' performance was a fitting microcosm of such. The veteran signal-caller was highly efficient while averaging 7.8 yards per attempt, and his passing yardage total was more than those from all but three of his games from last season. However, Cousins' pair of first-quarter fumbles were each damaging, with the first short-circuiting a drive that had reached the Buccaneers' 26-yard line and the second coming at his own 21-yard line and leading to a Tampa Bay field goal. Cousins did encouragingly connect with rookie first-round pick and new No. 2 receiver Jordan Addison for a 39-yard touchdown among his two scores, but he'll have an uphill battle to replicate his performance with a Week 2 Thursday night road matchup against the Eagles on tap.

Richardson relayed following Sunday's 31-21 loss to the Jaguars that he bruised his left knee late in the contest but will be fine, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Gardner Minshew closed out the game at QB for the Colts, and while Richardson's Week 2 status doesn't appear to be in any danger, it remains to be seen if his practice participation is impacted at all. Prior to giving way to Minshew (who logged two passing attempts), Richardson completed 24 of his 37 passes for 223 yards, a TD and a pick, to go along with 10 carries for 40 yards and a rushing score. The Colts face 0-1 Houston on the road next Sunday.

Stroud completed 28 of 44 passes for 242 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed four times for 20 yards in the Texans' 25-9 loss to the Ravens on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.

The rookie finished with some very serviceable numbers despite relatively sparse preseason playing time, and the fact he did it against such a formidable defense was especially impressive. Stroud's one turnover did lead to three Ravens points, although Houston was already down 13 in the fourth quarter at the time. The rookie second overall pick connected with nine different targets overall, which may have been one of the most encouraging aspects of his performance. With the seal now officially broken on his pro career, Stroud will aim to build on his early success against the Colts in a Week 2 home matchup.

Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in Sunday's 31-21 win over the Colts. He also added 21 rushing yards on seven carries.

Jacksonville was down 21-17 heading into the fourth quarter, as Lawrence's offensive line had trouble containing DeForest Buckner and the Indy pass rush, but the third-year quarterback caught fire down the stretch and led the Jags on back-to-back TD drives with less than six minutes left on the clock. Lawrence had a fairly narrow target tree in Week 1, as four Jaguars (Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones, Evan Engram and Travis Etienne) accounted for 23 of his 24 completions. Lawrence will take some momentum into a potential Week 2 barnburner against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in an AFC Divisional Round Game rematch from last season.

Purdy completed 19 of 29 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 30-7 win over the Steelers. He also rushed three times for 20 yards and committed two fumbles, losing one.

Purdy compiled an eight-game winning streak prior to his ill-timed UCL tear in the NFC Championship Game, and he picked up right where he left off to begin his second NFL season. On San Francisco's first drive, Purdy converted a 4th-and-1 with an 11-yard pass to George Kittle before finding Brandon Aiyuk for an eight-yard touchdown three plays later. He extended the lead to 17-0 with a 19-yard touchdown to Aiyuk in the second quarter, and the 49ers were content to rely primarily on their elite defense and Christian McCaffrey-led running game after that. Purdy's numbers don't jump off the page, but he operated with the efficiency and savvy of a seasoned veteran, with the exception of a third-quarter fumble on a T.J. Watt strip sack. There are no lingering doubts about Purdy's spot atop San Francisco's quarterback depth chart heading into a Week 2 road game against the Rams.

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and rushed six times for 38 yards in the Ravens' 25-9 win over the Texans on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one.

Jackson was certainly efficient, but the offseason talk of the Ravens being more pass-oriented never really came to fruition with Baltimore mostly in control from the middle of the third quarter onward. When he did put the ball up, Jackson displayed impressive chemistry with rookie Zay Flowers, who he connected with on a team-high nine occasions. Jackson also hit Odell Beckham and Rashod Bateman for another five completions, but his target pool was significantly narrow otherwise. With No. 1 running back J.K. Dobbins feared to have torn his Achilles in Sunday's game, it remains to be seen if Jackson will take to the ground more often beginning with a Week 2 road matchup against the Bengals, despite repeated declarations from the coaching staff the highly mobile signal-caller would run less this season.

Young completed 20 of 38 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and added three carries for 17 yards in the Panthers' 24-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.

The rookie first overall pick naturally had the spotlight on him in the season-opening divisional matchup, and Young unsurprisingly delivered somewhat uneven results. The Falcons compressed the field significantly for Young, holding him to a meager 3.8 yards per attempt while also sacking him and picking him off two times apiece. The pair of interceptions led to 10 total points for Atlanta, while his one scoring toss went to tight end Hayden Hurst. Young did connect with eight different targets overall on the afternoon and was missing DJ Chark (hamstring), supporting the notion better days could soon be ahead. However, Young will run into another unenviable matchup in his second career start, as he'll take on a vaunted Saints defense that picked the Titans' Ryan Tannehill off three times Week 1.

Burrow completed 14 of 31 passes for 82 yards and rushed once for minus-1 yard in Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Browns.

Burrow looked rusty after missing the entire preseason due to a calf injury, failing to lead the Bengals to any first-half points while throwing for a paltry 36 yards in slick Cleveland conditions. Cincinnati finally got a field goal in the third quarter, but things didn't get any better for Burrow, who failed to crack the 100-yard mark before being removed from the game when Cincinnati waved the white flag in the fourth quarter. Burrow will look to get over this disastrous season opener in the Week 2 home opener against a Ravens defense that just held the Texans without a touchdown.