Tracking the Rookie Quarterbacks: Week 15

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on Tuesday, 18 December 2012 20:55. Posted in Washington Redskins

Below is our week 15 evaluation of all the rookie quarterbacks starting in the NFL this season. Below that is how we have evaluated all the rookie quarterbacks over the course of the 2012 season. We have a surprise winner of the weekly award and the season-to-date order has been shuffled a bit for the first time in weeks.

Week 15

PLAYER	COMP %	YARDS	TD/ INT	AVG PER PASS	RUSH YARDS	TD	PASS RTG	W/L
Kirk Cousins	70.3	329	2/1	8.9	22	0	104.4	W, 38-21
Nick Foles	48.5	182	1/1	5.5	5	0	62.2	L, 13-34
Robert Griffin	DNP	Injury	-	--	--	-	--	DNP
Ryan Lindley	67%	104	0/1	5.0	8	0	58.4	W, 38-10
Andrew Luck	48.1	186	2/0	6.9	10	0	95.6	L, 17-29
Ryan Tannehill	78.6	220	2/0	7.9	52	0	123.2	W, 24-3
Brandon Weeden	60.0	244	1/2	7.0	9	0	72.4	L, 21-38
Russell Wilson	60.0	209	1/0	8.9	92	3	104.4	W, 50-17

Kirk Cousins -- The 4th rounder shined in his first NFL start, with the Skins scoring a season-high 28 points in the second half and trouncing Weeden and the Browns in Cleveland. Cousins overcame early struggles and a pick to absolutely demolish a decent Browns defense the rest of the game, expertly using an array of rollouts and bootlegs to baffle the opposition. He was tough against pressure and accurate on short passes and downfield. Cousins also displayed more quickness and athleticism than he has previously.

Nick Foles -- He was under pressure constantly from Cincinnati's talented defensive line and it showed. Foles was antsy in the pocket, missed on some throws he should have nailed and was generally inaccurate. Didn't make a lot of big mistakes [his running back and special teams took care of that], but he didn't make any big plays for his team either.

Robert Griffin III -- DNP - knee sprain

Ryan Lindley -- It wasn't a good game, but it was easily his best game and the Cardinals ended their nine game losing streak. Lindley took the caretaker role to new extremes, focusing almost exclusively on not making any mistakes. He still made a few, but not many and he was more accurate than in past games. At least he didn't look completely lost on the field.

Andrew Luck -- Wasn't accurate against a suspect Houston pass defense, but he was under a lot of pressure because his offensive line could not handle JJ Watt and the Texans defensive line. Avoided turnovers for once and threw two TD passes -- both while being blitzed. Oddly, he was otherwise terrible against the blitz all day.

Ryan Tannehill -- The best game of his pro career, though, admittedly, it came against a bad Jaguars team. Tannehill was accurate, made plays down field and ran well when required. He threw no picks, though he did lose a fumble.

Brandon Weeden -- Took a step back on Sunday against a poor Redskins pass defense. Was not accurate, made only one big play, when the game was already out of reach, and threw numerous bad passes. Two of those bad passes landed in the hands of Redskins linebackers. Continued his bad habit of staring down receivers and telegraphing his intentions to defenders.

Russell Wilson -- Another terrific game for the diminutive rookie, who ran like RG3 against a horrid Bill defense. Passed for one TD, rushed for 3 more and racked up over 90 yards with his legs. Did a nice job of getting the ball downfield and he hasn't fumbled in more than a month.

Weekly Winner: Russell Wilson

(Photo: AP Photo)

2012 Season To Date

PLAYER	COMP %	YARDS	TD/ INT	AVG PER PASS	RUSH YARDS	TD	PASS RATING	W/L
Kirk Cousins	68.8	466	4/3	9.7	22	0	101.6	1-0
Nick Foles	59.4	1356	5/4	6.2	32	1	77.7	1-4
Robert Griffin	66.4	2906	18/4	8.3	748	6	104.2	7-6
Ryan Lindley	51.1	611	0/6	4.3	7	0	45.0	1-2
Andrew Luck	54.6	3978	20/18	7.1	233	5	75.5	9-5
Ryan Tannehill	58.7	2929	10/12	6.9	159	2	75.9	6-8
Brandon Weeden	57.2	3281	14/17	6.6	107	0	72.4	5-9
Russell Wilson	62.9	2697	21/9	7.6	402	3	95.5	9-5