Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson's Week 2 progress
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Brianna Williams, ESPN
Week 2 is in the rearview mirror and some of the NFL’s youngest signal callers made strides in their second NFL showing.
Top overall pick Bryce Young got his first taste of primetime NFL football with the Carolina Panthers on Monday night, while C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson faced off on Sunday when the Houston Texans hosted the Indianapolis Colts.
After their second week of action, only one quarterback in the trio earned their first win.
Here’s how each rising star fared in Week 2:
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
2023 draft selection: Round 1, Pick 1
Game result: 20-17 loss vs. New Orleans Saints
Stat line: 22-for-33, 153 passing yards, one passing TD, 0 INT, 60.7 QBR
Young’s home debut was marred by a stingy Saints’ defense that pressured the young signal caller early and often.
Still, he provided an offensive spark on a 26-yard scramble that led to Carolina’s first score of the fourth quarter.
Bryce was outta there ✌️ pic.twitter.com/BKtm4EvHuI
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 19, 2023
On the following drive, he led the Panthers to their sole touchdown of the game and also connected with Adam Thielen on the 2-point conversion.
Gave it his all 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Qe9dFeORaE
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 19, 2023
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
2023 draft selection: Round 1, Pick 2
Game result: 31-20 loss vs. Colts
Stat line: 30-for-47, 384 passing yards, two passing TDs, 0 INTs, 50.2 QBR
Despite the loss, Stroud found himself in elite company after an impressive showing. His 384 passing yards trail only Matthew Stafford‘s 422 yard effort in 2009 as the second-most by a player 21 or younger since the 1970 merger, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Houston fell short of completing a comeback in the fourth quarter, but Stroud’s arm was on display as he put up 190 passing yards and tossed the quarter’s only touchdown.
Read more: Loss overshadows Stroud’s historic day for Texans
.@CJ7STROUD‘s 384 passing yards are the most by an Ohio State QB in league history 🎯 pic.twitter.com/NNdZkxQlID
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 18, 2023
.@CJ7STROUD ➡️ @Tankdell4 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mj7nl1hwkt
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 17, 2023
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
2023 draft selection: Round 1, Pick 4
Game result: 31-20 win at Texans
Stat line: 6-for-10, 56 passing yards, 0 passing TDs, two rushing TDs, 0 INTs, 91.7 QBR
Richardson, who exited the game in the second quarter after suffering a concussion, was still responsible for half of the Colts’ touchdowns in their first win. He reached the end zone twice in the game’s first six minutes, becoming the third quarterback in the last 50 years with three rushing touchdowns in his first two career games.
Anthony Richardson has two rushing TDs less than six minutes into the game!
📺: #INDvsHOU on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/QfJYDVcoD2
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023
Read more: Richardson in protocol after self-reporting concussion
He is in the concussion protocol and his status for Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens has not been determined.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.
