Bryce Young, Will Levis shine in victories

October 31, 2023 ndowd

Oct 31, 2023, 11:00 AM ET

With ten weeks to go in the NFL season, rookie quarterbacks are starting to get a taste of what winning feels like.

Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers secured their first win of the season over C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, snapping their six-game losing streak. Will Levis had an impressive debut for the Tennessee Titans, but Tyson Bagent‘s performance couldn’t lift the Chicago Bears over the Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, Tommy DeVito was able to get his feet wet in his first minutes of NFL action.

Here’s what the NFL’s leaders of the new school did in Week 8:

2023 draft selection: Round 1, Pick 1
Game result: 15-13 win vs. Texans
Stat line: 22-for-31, 235 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 42.4 QBR

In the first quarter, the Panthers offense responded to a Texans touchdown when Young connected with Tommy Tremble to get on the board.

Bryce Young with excellent placement to Tommy Tremble for six!

📺: #HOUvsCAR on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/I1wJOBbxoF

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023

The nine-yard play was Carolina’s sole touchdown of the game, but wasn’t the only time Young helped to put the team in scoring position.

The rookie showed his poise on a 15-play, 86-yard drive that set up Eddy Pineiro‘s go-ahead, 23-yard field goal that earned the Panthers their first win of the season and Young’s first career victory.

Up next: Young and the Panthers will look to duplicate their execution in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).

2023 draft selection: Round 1, Pick 2
Game result: 15-13 loss vs. Panthers
Stat line: 16-for-24, 140 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INT, 72.2 QBR

Stroud and the Texans’ offense struggled against Carolina, but he still managed to reach the end zone.

7️⃣ giving us what we need 🫡 pic.twitter.com/y2uQ1Xey2v

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 29, 2023

His first career rushing touchdown came on a fourth and goal conversion that gave the Texans a lead they retained for most of the second half.

Stroud still holds the most yards among rookie signal callers through Week 8 with 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns.

Up next: Stroud and the Texans will attempt to bounce back on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

2023 draft selection: Round 2, Pick 33
Game result: 28-23 win vs. Atlanta Falcons
Stat line: 19-for-29, 238 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, 60.9 QBR

Levis’ NFL debut started on a positive note with a 47-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins to mark his first NFL touchdown.

First NFL TD pass for @will_levis and first Titans TD catch for @DeAndreHopkins!

📺: Watch #ATLvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/rya3lHnon2

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 29, 2023

Entering Week 8, the Titans only had three passing touchdowns, which was the least by any team in the NFL. In his first showing under center, Levis matched and surpassed the team’s total in touchdowns. He also became the fifth player in NFL history to have his first three career touchdowns go to the same receiver in the same matchup.

FOURTH TD OF THE DAY @will_levis

📺: Watch #ATLvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/Lp2xarvRDA

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 29, 2023

Up next: If Ryan Tannehill isn’t able to take the field, Will Levis will start on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

2023 draft selection: Undrafted free agent
Game result: 30-13 loss vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Stat line: 25-for-37, 232 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 23.0 QBR

The Bears’ offense had a rough night against the Chargers. Bagent fumbled and threw an interception during the same drive, which allowed the Chargers to take an early 17-0 lead.

On a positive note, Bagent had a 67.6% completion rate and scored a rushing touchdown in one of his four carries.

.@tysbagent sneaks in for 6

📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC pic.twitter.com/6PzzQuEaol

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 30, 2023

Up next: Bagent and the Bears will take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

2023 draft selection: Undrafted free agent
Game result: 13-10 loss vs. New York Jets
Stat line: 2-for-7, -1 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 15.2 QBR

The path for DeVito’s debut came in the second quarter, when Giants QB Tyrod Taylor, who was filling in for Daniel Jones, left the game with an apparent injury to his rib cage.

Trailing the Jets, 7-3 in the third quarter on third and goal, DeVito faked a handoff to Saquon Barkley for a six-yard rushing touchdown to give the Giants the lead. DeVito became the first Giants QB with a rushing touchdown in his NFL debut since 1950.