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The days of rookie quarterbacks having to wait their turn to take over the team are long gone. For the third time in four years, three rookie quarterbacks will start the season opener.
No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams was awarded the contract for Chicago, No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels for Washington and No. 12 pick Bo Nix for Denver, meaning that half of the six quarterbacks selected in the first round in April (which sets a record) immediately became starters.
This follows Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones in 2021 and Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson last season as years with three rookie QBs starting in Week 1. This has only happened once before since the 1970 merger, when five rookie quarterbacks started in the 2012 season opener.
After this week, 32 of the 55 rookie quarterbacks who started the opening game will have done so in the past 19 seasons, with only 23 doing so in the first 38 years after the AFL-NFL merger.
Rookie QBs have a 16-35-1 record in their opening games, including a 0-7-1 record over the past five seasons. The last rookie QB to win a Week 1 start was Sam Darnold for the New York Jets against Detroit in 2018.
Williams will try to become the first No. 1 quarterback to win a season opener as a rookie since David Carr did it for the Houston Texans against Dallas in 2002. No. 1-picked quarterbacks since then are 0-8-1 in Week 1, with Kyler Murray tying the record for Arizona in 2019.
The only other first-round quarterbacks to win an opening game as rookies were Jim Plunkett for New England in 1971 and John Elway for Denver in 1983.
Williams’ goal this season is also to give the Bears something the franchise has never had in its long history: a 4,000-yard passer.
Chicago is the only franchise that does not have a player who has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in a season. Erik Kramer’s 3,838 yards in 1995 are the Bears’ single-season record.
Twenty-eight of the other teams have had at least one 4,000-yard passer in game 17 in the last 13 seasons, and an era of passing enthusiasm has made reaching that milestone routine. Of the 227 4,000-yard seasons in history, 189 (more than 83%) have come since 2000.
The only other franchises without a 4,000-yard passer since 2011 are the Titans, who last did so in 1991 with Warren Moon when they were still known as the Houston Oilers, the Browns (Brian Sipe, 1980) and the Jets (Joe Namath, 1967).
Revolving door
Daniels will be the eighth different starting quarterback for Washington in Week 1 in the last eight seasons, setting a record for the Super Bowl era.
Indianapolis’ streak of seven Week 1 starters in seven seasons ends with Richardson expected to get the nod for the second straight year. The Commanders hope Daniels will end their streak, which began in 2017 with Kirk Cousins, followed by Alex Smith, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell.
The only other teams to do this seven years in a row were Cleveland (2013–19), Baltimore (1997–2003) and the Chargers (1987–93).
Matchday 1
Matthew Stafford has never sat out an opening game in his career, and when the Los Angeles Rams face Detroit on Sunday night, he will be scheduled to make his 16th Week 1 start in 16 seasons.
The only other quarterback to start the opening game in his first 16 seasons since records began in 1950 was John Elway. Only two other quarterbacks have started more than 16 consecutive opening games at any point in their careers: Brett Favre did it 18 years in a row from 1993 to 2010 and Fran Tarkenton did it 17 years in a row from 1962 to 1978.
Russell Wilson is expected to start Pittsburgh’s Week 1 game against Atlanta for the 13th consecutive time, tying him with Peyton Manning and Warren Moon for the fifth-longest streak.
Division Activities
Teams rising from last place to first in the division are not uncommon in the NFL. Houston accomplished the feat last season, marking the 19th time in the last 21 seasons that at least one team has accomplished this.
The teams looking to go from having the worst record in a division to becoming champions this season are New England, Cincinnati, Tennessee, the Chargers, Washington, Carolina, Arizona, Minnesota and Chicago.
Kansas City enters the season with eight consecutive AFC West titles – just three shy of New England’s record from 2009-19. The only other teams to repeat as division champions entering this season are Buffalo (four in a row), Tampa Bay (three in a row) and San Francisco (twice in a row).
The NFC East hasn’t had a division champion in two decades, last doing so from 2001-2004. Dallas will look to end that streak this season after finishing first last year.
First thoughts
Coach Jim Harbaugh has returned to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers after a nine-year college stint at Michigan, which culminated in a national championship title last season.
Harbaugh’s .695 winning percentage in four seasons with San Francisco from 2011-14 is second only to John Madden among the 163 coaches with at least 50 games since the merger. Harbaugh will try to join Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer and Pete Carroll as the only coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college championship; he lost the NFL title game after the 2002 season to his brother John’s Ravens.
Harbaugh has a 4-0 record in season openers, tying Raymond Berry as the only coach with a 5-0 or better record in season openers. Berry won all five of New England’s games from 1985-89.
As for current winning streaks, the Saints are coming off a five-game winning streak to start the year, the longest active losing streak. Tennessee and New England have both lost three games in a row, the longest losing streak.
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