Quarterback play during NFL Week 1 was all over the place. Baker Mayfield put up a stellar performance as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Washington Commanders going away. Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen was also darn good in a narrow win over the Arizona Cardinals.
But we’re not going to focus on the good of quarterback play. Rather, this is to check in on some absolutely brutal performances from the game’s most-important position during NFL Week 1. From Bryce Young to Deshaun Watson, let’s look at the five worst QB performances from the opening slate of action.
Related: NFL Week 1 QB rankings
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll dodged questions about Daniel Jones’ job status after Sunday’s ugly 28-6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Though, he’s not going to be able to dodge questions moving forward after Jones’ disaster class of a performance in front of the home crowd in Jersey.
Jones completed 22-of-42 passes for 186 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He averaged a net 4.0 yards per attempt. Outside of connecting with rookie Malik Nabers on 5-of-7 targets, Jones was 17-of-35 passing. That’s obviously just not going to cut it. One has to wonder if Drew Lock will get a chance over Jones at some point in the not-so-distant future.
Related: Winners and losers from NFL Week 1
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young was terrible as a rookie last season, throwing 11 touchdowns with a whopping 16 turnovers in 16 games. Carolina had full expectations that the former No. 1 pick from Alabama would turn it around as a sophomore in 2024. Boy, things did not get off to a good start in a 47-10 blowout loss to the division-rival New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Young completed 13-of-30 passes for 161 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. While he did score a touchdown on the ground, it was a brutal all-around performance from the quarterback. Averaging 4.5 net passing yards per attempt is one thing. Turning the ball over at the clip we saw during NFL Week 1 is a completely different thing. Just embarrassing stuff from Young on Sunday.
Read more: NFL Week 1 power rankings
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
The Titans moves on from both Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis this past offseason. They were giving the keys to the proverbial kingdom to this sophomore signal caller. By all accounts, Will Levis looked good during training camp. Could it translate to NFL Week 1 against a good Chicago Bears defense?
Nope. Tennessee blew a 17-0 lead. It culminated in the fourth quarter when Levis threw a pick-six into the hands of Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson. That was pretty much all she wrote for the Titans on Sunday. When all was said and done, Levis completed 19-of-32 passes for a mere 127 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also averaged an awful 3.3 net passing yards per attempt. Just gross.
Related: NFL Week 1 offense rankings
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins noted after Sunday’s 18-10 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that he was disappointed. How does he think Atlanta Falcons fans feel after his embarrassing regular-season debut with the team? It was a disaster class of epic proportions for Cousins and the Falcons.
He threw two interceptions and was involved in another giveaway as the Falcons crapped themselves all over the field. The most telling stat here is that Cousins connected with Drake London and Kyle Pitts to the tune of five receptions for 41 yards. That’s brutal stuff right there.
Read more: NFL Week 1 defense rankings
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Yuck. That’s the best way to describe what we saw from Deshaun Watson. The embattled and high-priced signal caller was brutal from pretty much the get in a lopsided 33-17 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys. We mean brutal. There is no other way to go about it.
Watson was sacked six times. He threw for 137 net passing yards on 45 attempts. Yes, that’s an average of three yards per attempt. He also threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball once. In reality, Watson would have been better off spiking the ball every time he touched it. This has renewed questions surrounding the high-priced quarterback after NFL Week 1. That’s for sure.