As the NFL season continues to take shape, the 2021 rookie class of quarterbacks continues its development.
NFL QB Trevor Lawrence
The top pick in the NFL draft added two more interceptions on Sunday against the Broncos, taking his total up to five for the season. In his entire season at Clemson in 2020, he threw five interceptions.
Trevor Lawrence continues to show flashes of inspiration as he did throw another touchdown. But as expected, against a superior Denver secondary, all of his numbers were down from Week 1. He threw for just 118 yards after going for 332 yards in Week 1. His quarterback rating on Sunday was just 37.2, and he completed just 42.4 percent of his passes.
Lawrence’s biggest problem at the moment is the team he’s on. The Jags look just as bad as last season, and head coach Urban Meyer is begging the fan base not to give up.
“Hang in there with us. We’re going to get better.”
Fans and bettors will be expected to hang through many more games with the Jags lined as home underdogs. This Sunday, they host the Arizona Cardinals who enter as 7½-point favorites according to the BetUS Sportsbook’s Week 3 NFL odds.
Zack Wilson
As if losing to Sam Darnold in Week 1 wasn’t bad enough for Jets fans looking to be excited about their new signal-caller, Zack Wilson’s first home game was against New York’s old nemesis Bill Belichick, who is known for being rather rough on rookie QBs.
He was this Sunday as well, as Wilson threw four interceptions total, and at halftime, had completed three passes to Jets players and three passes to the Patriots. And it wasn’t just that he threw interceptions. Some of his interceptions had no discernable intended receiver. And others came on bad passes that he threw with very little pressure from the New England pass rush.
Patience is needed with Wilson, but based on the many boos at MetLife Stadium, that’s going to be a tough sell. Wilson and the Jets escape from the boos and hit the road to travel to Denver, where they are posted as 11-point underdogs to the Broncos based on the BetUS Sportsbook’s NFL point spread odds.
Mac Jones
Making matters worse for the Jets, and Wilson, was the quarterback on the other sideline, getting his first career win with a 25-6 victory. Mac Jones wasn’t a world-beater, but he was steady and efficient, completing 22-of-30 passes for 186 yards. Most importantly, no turnovers.
As members of the same draft class and AFC East, Jones and Wilson will be linked together for as long as they are with their respective teams. Recognizing that connection, Jones spoke about Wilson’s day.
“Our defense is really good. It’s a tough defense to go against. I go against them in practice and probably throw a lot of picks, too.”
Justin Fields
A knee injury to Andy Dalton has kick-started the Justin Fields era, maybe. Considering the way head coach Matt Nagy has favored Dalton in the quarterback competition unless the injury turns out to be significant, it’s easy to envision that Dalton keeps the job.
In his place, Fields looked like a talented quarterback with a bright future, but one who isn’t quite ready yet. It’s that readiness that keeps him from starting, according to his head coach.
Fields made a bad interception late in the game, keeping the Bengals in the game. But on the next possession, he had an important first down scramble that helped burn the clock and seal the 20-17 victory.
Fields finished the game, completing 6-of-13 passes for 60 yards, the one interception, and 31 yards rushing. The most exciting moment for Bears fans came when Fields threw a beautiful deep ball to Allen Robinson — just as they’ve been dreaming about since the Fields pick — but Robinson dropped it.
NFL QB Davis Mills
A much less talked about rookie quarterback is the Texans Davis Mills, a third-round pick out of Stanford. He was forced into action on Sunday because of a hamstring injury to Tyrod Taylor.
Mills was serviceable against a good Browns defense, going 8-of-18 for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But you could definitely see a drop-off in production for the Texans offense.
Mills wasn’t bad, but he just doesn’t make the plays like Taylor. Mills will, however, start on Thursday night in place of the injured Taylor, so he will get his chance, albeit with a short week of practice.
Trey Lance
After getting a touchdown pass in his first game at Detroit, Trey Lance did not see the field in Week 2 at Philadelphia. Jimmy Garoppolo took every snap on Sunday and is now 2-0 this season.
