How NFL Rookie Quarterbacks Have Performed in Their Week 1 Debuts

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is set to make his NFL debut on Sunday when Cincinnati squares off against the Chargers at 4:05 p.m. ET. The former Heisman Trophy winner's debut will mark the 12th straight season in which at least one rookie QB has begun the season as his team's starter. 

Plenty of first-round quarterbacks have starred in NFL debuts that took place Week 1, such as 2011 No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton, 2012 No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III and 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. 

Prior to the 2020 No. 1 pick's debut, here's a look at how some notable recent rookie quarterbacks played in their Week 1 debuts.

• Matt Ryan, Falcons (No. 3 pick, 2008): Ryan threw just 13 pass attempts in his NFL debut and completed nine of them, including one touchdown strike. While he totaled merely 161 yards, the Falcons knocked off Detroit, 34-21.
• Matthew Stafford, Lions (No. 1 pick, 2009): Stafford has remained the Lions' starter since taking over as a rookie. In his first-ever game with the club, Stafford threw three interceptions and completed just 16 of his 37 pass attempts. Detroit lost 45-27 to the Saints.
• Sam Bradford, Rams (No. 1 pick, 2010): Bradford threw 55 passes in his NFL debut, completing 32 of them for 253 yards and one score. He also added three interceptions in St. Louis' 17-13 loss to Arizona. 
• Cam Newton, Panthers (No. 1 pick, 2011): Newton's Panthers lost 28-21 to the Cardinals in the future league MVP's NFL debut. But the Heisman Trophy winner threw for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 18 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the defeat. 
• Robert Griffin III, Washington (No. 2 pick, 2012): Both Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck had relatively successful NFL debuts. Luck threw for 309 yards in his first game, but the Colts struggled and lost to the Bears 41-21. But it was Griffin III who had the more impressive start. The Heisman Trophy winner was 19-of-26 for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 42 yards as Washington knocked off the Saints, 40-32.
• Jameis Winston, Buccaneers (No. 1 pick, 2015): Winston struggled in his NFL debut completing just 16 of his 33 pass attempts for 210 yards. He also added two touchdowns and two interceptions in Tampa Bay's 42-14 defeat to the Titans.
• Marcus Mariota, Titans (No. 2 pick, 2015): Across the sideline from Winston, Mariota starred in his NFL debut. He was an efficient 13 -of-15 for 209 yards and added four passing touchdowns as Tennessee cruised to victory. 
• Carson Wentz, Eagles (No. 2 pick, 2016): Wentz and the Eagles overpowered the Browns 29-10 in the North Dakota State product's debut. Wentz threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in his first game. 
• Deshaun Watson, Texans (No. 12 pick, 2017): The future Pro Bowl QB struggled in his first NFL start. Watson threw for just 102 yards and tossed both a touchdown and interception in Houston's 29-7 opening day loss to the Jaguars. 
• Sam Darnold, Jets (No. 3 pick, 2018): Darnold made his NFL debut on Monday Night Football, thriving on one of the league's biggest stages. The USC product tossed two touchdowns and one interception—which came on his first pass of the game—in his debut, finishing the 48-17 win with just under 200 yards passing. 
• Kyler Murray, Cardinals (No. 1 pick, 2019): Murray finished his debut last year with 308 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. In the fourth quarter, he rallied the team from a 16-point deficit, but the Cardinals ended up tying the Lions 27-27.