Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler flashed in their NFL debuts but ultimately didn't make enough plays to emerge victorious in their first games as professional starters.
In Week 6, Bo Nix came back to Earth after a stellar effort in his last time out, Jayden Daniels played mostly quality football, as did C.J. Stroud, and Will Levis struggled connecting with well-covered receivers in a narrow defeat at the hands of the division-rival Colts.
Oh, and Caleb Williams had his finest game to date for the Bears. Stellar performance across the pond against the Jaguars.
There were a whopping eight quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time during a tightly contested Week 6. 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 comes out weekly on Tuesdays.)
Week 6 stats
- 19 of 33 for 216 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Midway through the third quarter, Nix literally dipped his way out of a sack, reversed his field and scampered 21 yards.
- In the fourth, without being able to step into the throw, Nix threw with anticipation on a dig run by Courtland Sutton that went for 20 yards.
- On a fourth-and-5 in the fourth quarter, Nix outran a free outside rusher and demonstrated his speed on a six-yard scramble to get the first down.
- While Sutton's catch was more spectacular, the back-of-the-end zone score to the veteran receiver late in the game was gorgeously placed, only where his target could conceivably make a play on the ball.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His first throw of the game wasn't an atrocious interception but tipped off the hands of the intended target because it was high and away.
- Later in the first, he skipped an in-breaking route to Sutton.
- With under 30 seconds to go in the half, reasonably deep in his own end, Nix rolled left, then threw too high on a pass to his right underneath. Very dangerous.
- He missed Sutton on a deep sideline comeback in the fourth.
Summary: The game started awfully for Nix, and while he really didn't provide any semblance of competence through the air until late in the third quarter, his play improved from then until the late stages of this mini comeback that just ran out of time. His athleticism is helping him get by when he doesn't like what he sees, but Nix still needs to improve his ball placement to all levels of the field. This was a clear step back from his "A-" last week, but not a drastic one.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C
Week 6 stats
- 20 of 33 for 243 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Maye dropped a pass into the bucket on Derek Stingley Jr. right before the end of the first half for a touchdown.
- He demonstrated his speed to turn the corner and accelerate on a 15-yard fourth-quarter scramble.
- With under eight minutes to go in the fourth, Maye got through his reads and connected on a throw through layers of coverage on a corner route for 13 yards.
- He made a defender miss in space and dove for a first down on a fourth-quarter fourth-and-5.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His third throw of the game featured a high toss at the intermediate level that was intercepted.
- Maye threw behind Austin Hooper on a shallow cross on first-half third down.
- While the pass was completed, Maye threw behind DeMario Douglas on a crosser that could've been a touchdown had the ball been delivered in stride.
- He took a bad sack in the fourth when he passed on two open underneath targets and attempted to scramble before being taken to the turf from the back side.
- With under two minutes to go in the game, while on the run, he airmailed an easy throw near the sideline.
Summary: There were flashes from Maye in his NFL debut, but they were few and far between. More than anything else, as the game progressed, he seemed a bit jittery against one of the league's better pass-rushing units, and missed on some layups that could've kept the Patriots ahead of the sticks. He was not a deer in headlights, though, as the arm talent that made him the No. 3 overall pick was on display in Week 6. Plus, the offensive scheme provided many easy completions.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-
Week 6 stats
- 20 of 31 for 192 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- On an early third-and-5, Stroud demonstrated his amazing anticipatory gifts on a sideline throw to Diggs that was perfectly placed for the first down.
- The short touchdown to Tank Dell was pinpoint accurate.
- His final throw of the game converted a third-down on an in-breaker against air-tight coverage.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In the second quarter, he stepped into the pocket and airmailed an over-the-middle throw to Dell.
- He missed a checkdown in the flat on a third-quarter sack.
Summary: Stroud has provided better, flashier games in his NFL career to date, but he displayed his ultra-quick release and exquisite ball placement on more than one occasion on the road against a reasonably stingy defense in a convincing win.
Grade: B
Season Grade: B-
Week 6 stats
- 23 of 29 for 226 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Late in the first half, he squeezed a throw on a slant to Keenan Allen through a closing, already-tiny window.
- Williams shrugged off a defender and demonstrated his speed on a 19-yard scramble in the final minute before the half.
- On a third-and-8 in the third quarter, Williams fired a fastball between two zone defenders that moved the sticks.
- Later in that quarter, his back-shoulder touchdown to Allen down the seam was gorgeously placed.
- The fade touchdown to Allen to begin the fourth was another ideally located pass directly over the cornerback but not too out in front that it dragged the veteran receiver out of bounds.
- While not a challenging throw necessarily, Williams demonstrated awesome elusiveness and burst avoiding multiple defenders in the pocket before dumping it to Cole Kmet for a large gain later in the fourth.
- Williams' final throw of the contest was a laser on a fourth-and-3 slant to Allen that moved the chains against tight coverage.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His second-quarter interception had far too much air under it, which allowed the safety to range over to make a play on the football.
Summary: Williams shredded a low-level defense in London. His arm strength and pinpoint accuracy were on display often, as was his ability to evade defenders inside the pocket, then mash the turbo button to create space for himself to throw the football. His only noticeably bad play was the deep interception in the first half.
Grade: A-
Season Grade: C+
Week 6 stats
- 24 of 39 for 269 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs
High-caliber throws/plays
- With a defender in his face while rolling right, Daniels threw with impeccable zip on a 15-yard completion to Noah Brown.
- On a third-and-6 in the first half, Daniels placed the football perfectly to the outside shoulder on a Terry McLaurin completion against air-tight coverage.
- The touchdown to McLaurin was made with gorgeous placement in the back of the end zone.
- There was a gorgeous toss as he was being hit on a deep over to Zach Ertz that went for 24 yards.
- In the red zone, Daniels threw with anticipation on a dig to Ertz for 12 yards.
- The second touchdown to McLaurin on a fourth down couldn't have been handed to the veteran receiver any better near the boundary.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Daniels threw behind a shallow cross on an early third down that fell incomplete.
- In the third, while rolling right, Daniels overthrew a long toss to Brown that should've been intercepted but was dropped.
Summary: Daniels held his own on the road against the Ravens defense in a slugfest; he just couldn't deliver the huge, dynamic, game-altering play down the field through the air or with his legs, but he very much looked like a veteran quarterback in this tightly contested game against a quality opponent.
Grade: B+
Season Grade: B
Week 6 stats
- 10 of 20 for 94 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- O'Connell delivered a dime down the sideline against double coverage late in the third.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Late in the first half, O'Connell missed a throw into the flat.
- He missed Hunter Bryant over the middle on a high throw.
- The fourth-quarter interception was a force and overthrown into coverage.
- Late in the game, he threw late in the flat that was nearly picked.
Summary: This was a vintage game from O'Connell on the lower end of his capabilities. The game plan was extremely conservative, and he made a few ill-advised throws in the second half.
Grade: D
Season Grade: C
Week 6 stats
- 22 of 40 for 243 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the first quarter, he connected with Bub Means on a tight-window throw against man coverage near the sideline. The pass had to be made with anticipation and pinpoint accuracy.
- Late in that opening stanza, he demonstrated his speed and cutting skill on a 21-yard scramble up the middle.
- Rattler's touchdown to Means was a second-reaction play that featured ideal ball placement near the sideline in the end zone.
- With about five minutes to go in the first half, Rattler rolled right and squeezed another pass to Means near the sideline with minimal space against his coverage defender.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Midway through the first, he missed Means on an easy out-breaking route underneath.
- He held the ball a tick too long late in the second quarter, took a hit, and nearly was intercepted as he heaved a ball deep downfield well past his intended target.
- Early in the third, he missed behind on a throw to Means that came on a bootleg.
- To start the fourth, Rattler was intercepted when he underthrew a deep over to Rashid Shaheed.
- The late fourth-quarter interception was a brutal read. There was a defender directly positioned underneath the sideline route toward which he threw the football.
Summary: Rattler's NFL debut began with plenty of pop. During the first half, he was in sync with his receivers, looked like a veteran throwing on the run and the accuracy was on-point. Not so much in the second half, although his misses weren't drastic. Importantly, the same confidence Rattler played with in college remained in this outing against the Buccaneers.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-
Week 6 stats
- 10 of 20 for 94 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- There was quality touch and reasonably good anticipation on a throw to a flag route run by DeAndre Hopkins for 23 yards.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Midway through the second, he woefully underthrew a deep shot, within a collapsing pocket, that should've been intercepted.
- Early in the third, Levis was nearly picked by an underneath linebacker.
- His fourth-quarter interception was an ill-advised loft down the right sideline that was easily picked by the safety.
Summary: This game featured an overwhelming amount of throws to covered receivers. Some of that is on Levis, some of it on the scheme, some of it on Tennessee's wideouts. It was an ugly, disjointed passing effort altogether, and Levis still took too many risks in this one.
Grade: F
Season Grade: D+
Who's the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after six weeks? It seems to be a two-man race between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Check out the latest odds over at FanDuel sportsbook.