Andrew Luck vs. Robert Griffin III: Breaking Down Top 2 Rookie QBs in Week 1

Well, the top two picks of the 2012 NFL Draft have gotten their proverbial feet wet with their "official" National Football League debuts, and in an era when everyone loves comparisons, it's only natural to want to compare the first games of Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts.

For Griffin, it's hard to find something not to like about his first NFL game. He had one of the best debuts by a quarterback in NFL history, completing 19-of-26 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns while pitching in another 42 yards on the ground in Washington's upset of the New Orleans Saints.

For a rookie quarterback to go into an atmosphere as hostile as the Superdome and not only play well but also lead his team to victory is nothing short of remarkable. Granted, Griffin didn't do it himself, but the poise under pressure and command of the Redskins offense that the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner showed were outstanding.

Griffin's athleticism and arm strength were on display on numerous occasions as well. Granted, the 88-yard touchdown pass that Griffin threw to wide receiver Pierre Garcon is likely the highlight that stands out in many minds, but there were even more impressive examples.

As this NFL.com video shows, on a 2nd-and-9 from just inside New Orleans territory to open the second quarter, Griffin rolled out, escaped pressure and threw back across the width of the field to find tight end Fred Davis for a 26-yard gain. Not only was the youngster able to extend the play with his legs but he kept his eyes down the field and found the open man with a difficult throw.

The drive ended in Griffin's second touchdown pass of the day, and it just doesn't get much better than that.

Things didn't go quite as swimmingly for Andrew Luck against the Chicago Bears. Like Griffin, Luck topped 300 passing yards in a 41-21 loss, but the first overall pick in April's NFL draft also threw three costly interceptions. Two of those interceptions came on underthrown passes that were picked by cornerback Tim Jennings when Luck simply didn't put enough on the ball.

However, it was Luck's second interception of the day that was not only the most costly but also the most indicative of the fact that he's a rookie.

On a 3rd-and-3 from the Chicago 10-yard line in the third quarter, the Colts lined up with an empty backfield. As shown in this NFL.com video, Luck only made a token effort to look off his primary receiver (wideout Reggie Wayne, who was targeted a whopping 18 times Sunday), and then tried to force the ball into coverage.

If you stare down your receiver against a Tampa-2 defense, you're going to be intercepted in the National Football League—and not surprisingly, that was the result.

Mind you, one game hardly means the Colts erred in passing over Griffin for Luck. The Redskins got ahead and pounded the ball. The Colts played from behind much of the afternoon, forcing Luck to attempt nearly twice as many passes as Griffin, which opened the door for the specter of rookie mistakes to rear its ugly head.

That said, if this was a prize fight, there's no denying that the first round went to the young man from Baylor.

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