| Weeden's performance was somewhere in between Week 1 and Week 2. (Getty) |
Robert Griffin III, Redskins: When left tackle Trent Williams went out with a leg injury, Griffin’s chances for success got much slimmer. Left tackle replacement Jordan Black had a hard time stopping the pass rush, and the Bengals defense was stifling in the first half. The Redskins had success with Griffin (21-34, 221 yards, one touchdown, 85 rushing yards) running a triple option in the second half and they did tie the game, but the Redskins defense didn’t help much in the effort. Grade: B
Andrew Luck, Colts: Are we to the point that we should expect Luck to beat a bad Jaguars team at home? Yes, I think so. Not that it was all his fault (the 80-yard Jaguars touchdown with 45 seconds to play after the Colts kicked a go-ahead football was pretty brutal), but Luck (22 of 46 for 313 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) also didn’t do enough in the middle of the game to help win it. Grade: B-
Brandon Weeden, Browns: He made the biggest improvement of any quarterback from Week 1 to Week 2, and in Week 3, Weeden wasn’t as good as he was in Week 2 or as bad as he was in Week 1 (does that make sense?). Either way, the Browns didn’t get the win (again), and Weeden finished 27 of 43 passing for 237 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. At this point, Weeden doesn’t seem like a worst choice than Colt McCoy. Grade: C
Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: The Dolphins had so many chances to beat the Jets on Sunday, and Tannehill simply couldn’t help his team do so (though, as one Twitter follower pointed out, his 41-yard pass to Brian Hartline late in the fourth quarter was big-time). He finished 16 of 36 for 196 yards and an interception that was turned into a pick-6 by LaRon Landry, and clearly, Miami was a different offense when Reggie Bush left the game with an injury. With the way that Weeden is improving, it appears that Tannehill is struggling the most of any of the rookie quarterbacks. Grade: C-
| This is a receiver throwing a touchdown pass. (Getty) |
Other notable rookie performances:
Mohamed Sanu, Bengals: He had exactly zero catches coming into Sunday, but on the first play of the game, he took the snap as the Wildcat quarterback and launched a 73-yard pass to A.J. Green for the touchdown.
Trent Richardson, Browns: After his standout performance in Week 2, Richardson had one highlight -- a six-yard touchdown run. Aside from that scamper, he had 11 carries for 21 yards. It’s doubtful Jim Brown was impressed.
Mitchell Schwartz, Browns: Cleveland’s right tackle, the team’s second-round pick of 2012, got beat by Buffalo’s Mario Williams that allowed the $100 million defender to rack up his first sack in a Buffalo uniform.
Stephen Hill, Jets: With New York down 10-0 to the Dolphins, Hill dropped what should have been a sure touchdown pass on third down. He later left with a hamstring injury.
Blair Walsh, Vikings: He blasted a 52-yard field goal to help Minnesota upset the 49ers and continue his amazing rookie season. So far, he’s 7-for-7 with 50-plus yard kicks in each of his first three games -- the first time that’s happened in club history.
T.Y. Hilton, Colts: He had a drop or two. He had a couple of nice plays. He recorded 113 receiving yards, and he caught a touchdown pass.
Michael Floyd, Cardinals: With a tipped pass and two Eagles taking the other out of the play while trying to intercept it, Floyd caught his first career pass with a ball that fell delicately into his arm and turned it into an eight-yard touchdown.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter.For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.