| Tannehill was good on Sunday, but not quite good enough. (US Presswire) |
Andrew Luck, Colts vs. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: If the playoffs had started before Week 9’s game began, Miami and Indianapolis would have earned wild card berths into the postseason, a mind-blowing fact because both were so bad last year and because both are starting rookies at quarterback. And while Luck has been battling with Robert Griffin III for a potential offensive rookie of the year honor, Tannehill has played nearly as well in rejuvenating a Miami franchise that has struggled to find a quarterback since Dan Marino. With the two facing off, both teams battled in a highly-enjoyable game that featured solid performances from the two rookie signal-callers.
As CBSSports.com’s Will Brinson already wrote, it was a record-setting day for Luck, who threw for a rookie mark of 433 yards while completing 30 of 48 passes with two touchdowns. Tannehill was pretty good as well, completing 22 of 38 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown. Both quarterbacks’ stats could have been even better. Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton dropped a sure touchdown pass, and early in the fourth quarter, with Miami in the red zone, Tannehill was done in by two bad drops. Ultimately, Tannehill’s ascent this season has been more surprising, but Luck again showcased why he was the No. 1 pick in the draft. Luck’s grade: A; Tannehill’s grade: B+
Russell Wilson, Seahawks QB: Once again, Wilson was solid and didn’t make many mistakes, going 16 for 24 for 173 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Vikings. On fourth down with Seattle trying to run out the clock, Wilson hit Michael Robinson on a play-action pass to seal the game for the Seahawks, who are 4-0 at home this season. Grade: B+
Brandon Weeden, Browns QB: He had some nice moments, but all day long Weeden came up short. Cleveland kicked five field goals, and though the Browns took a 15-14 lead vs. the Ravens in the fourth quarter, Baltimore scored the final 11 points of the day to deny Weeden what would have been his biggest win as a pro. He was 20 of 37 for 176 yards and two interceptions. Clearly, he just didn’t do enough to win. Grade: C
Robert Griffin III, Redskins: It’s not that Griffin was terrible. He just wasn’t very good, and again, he didn’t get very much help from his teammates. Although he and Alfred Morris are the first set of rookies to run for 500 yards apiece since 1976 (via ESPN Stats, it was Tony Galbreath and Chuck Muncie for the Saints), a loss to what has been a struggling Panthers squad is probably the worst of the year for the Redskins. They are now on a three-game losing streak. Grade: C
Other notable performances:
Doug Martin, Buccaneers RB: Though we’ve focused much of our rookie running back attention on Washington’s Alfred Morris, Martin was ridiculous vs. the Raiders on Sunday, gaining 251 yards on 25 carries with four touchdowns. Martin, tied for the third-best rushing game for a rookie, was fairly good on this day.
T.Y. Hilton, Colts WR: Though he had six catches for 102 yards, he dropped a blatant touchdown catch that would have given Indianapolis a lead (the Colts had to settle for a tie at that point in the game). Of course, Hilton later caught a 36-yard touchdown pass that helped the Colts beat the Dolphins.
DeAngelo Tyson, Ravens DE: Tyson, a seventh-round draft pick, made two-straight key tackles on Browns rookie running back Trent Richardson. It matched a career high in tackles that Tyson had set the week before.
Harrison Smith, Vikings CB: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch made himself well known to Smith after ramming him early in the third quarter and dragging him for probably five more yards on a run that required at least three Minnesota defenders to drag down the Seahawks running back.
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