Preseason rookie QB rankings: Lance shows off talent in Week 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Week 2 of the NFL preseason is officially in the books.
The New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars have all had the chance to evaluate their newest signal-callers.
While preseason success doesn’t always lead to stellar play once the regular season starts, these games are an important factor for teams attempting to decide whether to hand over the keys of a franchise to the newest QB on the team.
Here’s how each of the five first-round quarterbacks have fared so far after two weeks of play:
Trevor Lawrence
Week 2 stats: 14-23, 113 yards, 73.3 rating
2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence started off his second preseason game in the NFL slowly.
The Clemson product only completed two passes in the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints‘ first defensive unit before getting into a groove in the second quarter when the Saints but their backups in.
Lawrence was under duress early, dealing with a relentless Saints pass rush. The pressure clearly affected him as he continues to adjust to the tough, physical game in the pros.
Lawrence finished the first half completing 14-23 passes for 113 yards with a 73.3 rating. He led the Jags to a field goal on his second to last drive.
Urban Meyer might want to get Lawrence some more reps in Jacksonville’s third preseason game against the Cowboys before the Jaguars face the Texans in Week 1.
Week 2 stats: 9-19, 80 yards, 46 rushing yards, 59.1 rating
Fields’ second appearance in a Bears uniform wasn’t as impressive as his preseason debut, but it wasn’t bad. Andy Dalton and Chicago’s first unit struggled mightily against the Bills, leaving Fields with a big deficit to overcome.
The Ohio State product made some questionable throws and took a hard hit on a sack in the third quarter, but showed that he has the ability to extend plays with his legs.
Fields’ performance is a clear step forward for a player who looks destined to be the Bears’ starting QB sooner rather than later.
Week 2 stats: 8-14, 102 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 89.9 rating
Trey Lance struggled in his preseason debut, despite launching an 80-yard rocket for his first NFL touchdown last week.
Lance’s performance in Week 2 against the Chargers was much better. The No. 3 overall pick entered the game in the second quarter after incumbent QB Jimmy Garoppolo took snaps with the first unit.
Lance started off the game shaky, showing hesitancy in the pocket and missing some easy throws. However, Lance’s confidence never wavered as he quickly bounced back and threw his first touchdown of the game to Mohammad Sanu right before the half. Lance returned in the third quarter and fired a laser to Travis Benjamin for his second touchdown of the day.
His lone interception came on a high pass intended for Sanu. Despite starting off slow, Lance showed he possesses the physical talent to excel in today’s NFL, something that Kyle Shanahan will evaluate when he ultimately decides who will start for the 49ers Week 1.
Mac Jones
Week 2 stats: 13-19, 146 yards, 91.1 rating
Mac Jones gave his best Tom Brady impression on Friday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Replacing Cam Newton in the second quarter, Jones looked more than capable of operating Josh McDaniels’ offense against the Eagles’ backups.
Jones started off the game slow as one of his passes was nearly picked off inside the 10-yard line. But Jones showed poise executing on a nice deep ball late in the first half that N’Keal Harry couldn’t haul in.
All in all, Jones looks ready to be the next Patriots starting QB whenever Bill Belichick deems him ready.
Zach Wilson
Week 2 stats: 9-11, 128 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 154.7 rating
Zach Wilson appears to be passing the eye test with flying colors this preseason. While stats before the regular season are usually meaningless, the BYU product produced with efficiency rarely seen from Jets’ QBs in the past.
He delivered some nice passes to the Jets’ new acquisition Corey Davis and displayed the generational arm talent that probably made Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas fall in love with him at No. 2 overall.
Most importantly, Wilson remained calm under pressure and showed an awareness rarely seen from rookie QBs. He has all the tools to make some more magic happen as the season nears in September.