NFL’s 5 best throws from Week 1, starring Dak Prescott, Anthony Richardson, and more

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is officially in the books. A week that began with the Kansas City Chiefs knocking off the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Championship Game rematch came to a close with the San Francisco 49ers opening up their title defense in the NFC with a win over the visiting New York Jets.

While much of the discussion since Sunday has focused on teh state of the passing game in the NFL, thanks to passing statistics taking a dip during Week 1, that does not mean there was a lack of great moments from quarterbacks this weekend.

Let’s look at what we consider to be the five best throws from the weekend.

We start late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s scramble for six cut Seattle’s lead to 26-20 with time winding down. With the touchdown taking place before the two-minute warning, and Denver holding a pair of timeouts, the Broncos kicked it deep and hoped to get one more stop.

Geno Smith and Tyler Lockett made sure that Nix never had a chance.

Facing 3rd and 6 the Seahawks dial up a mesh concept, and Smith drills a throw into Lockett in one of the tightest windows you will see on an NFL Sunday:

It does not get much better than this:

Beyond just the accuracy is the situation, and the status of the pocket around Smith as he lets this go. An incompletion here and the clock will stop, after which the Broncos will get the ball back with one timeout and a chance to win. In addition, the pocket is collapsing around him and he is dragged to the turf right after he lets this go.

But he gets up with a chance to kneel out the game. A tremendous throw in in a clutch spot.

There is an adage about quarterback play: “Never throw late across the middle.”

However, when you have the kind of arm that C.J. Stroud has, and the vision to spot open receivers at all levels of the field, you can break that kind of unofficial rules:

Facing 3rd and 14 near midfield, Stroud is flushed from the pocket and takes off in a dead sprint toward the right sideline. But he spots Nico Collins working open in a soft spot of the Indianapolis Colts’ Cover 3 coverage. Then, in a throwing motion that best resembles a shortstop throwing to first from deep in the hole, Stroud gets enough on this pass to move the chains on first down.

Kids, do not try this at home. Unless you have this kind of arm.

Great throws sometimes result from great pre-snap execution.

This touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Brandin Cooks is one such example.

Facing 3rd and 5 against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Prescott identifies before the snap that the Browns are bringing pressure. There are several indicators that the blitz is coming, including defenders walked up in blitz posture and the alignment of the defensive backs, so Prescott adjusts the protection before the play, keeping the tight end in to help with protection, while also changing the route concept.

The Browns still get a free runner at the quarterback, but Prescott hangs in the pocket in the face of that pressure — never an easy thing to do — and throws a perfect corner route to Cooks for the touchdown:

One last aspect of this throw? The anticipation. Look at the state of play when Prescott lets this go:

Tremendous execution. For more on this play I would highly recommend this breakdown from former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel.

Throws like this one from Trevor Lawrence to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. deserve the full breakdown treatment, which we covered yesterday.

But to keep things simple, if you thought the previous throw from Prescott to Cooks was a great example of anticipation, just look at this from Lawrence to Thomas:

With the Miami Dolphins in Cover 2, Lawrence sees the safety to the left side of the offense flat-footed on another route, so he knows that Thomas can break open in the back corner of the end zone. He then “throws him open” to perfection, dropping in an incredibly placed throw to the back corner of the end zone.

Perhaps the best angle of this play came courtesy of Mike Renner, who posted another angle on social media Monday:

High-level execution from Lawrence.

But the best throw of the week? That came from Anthony Richardson in the Colts’ loss to the Texans, a throw that got its own special treatment on SB Nation.

Richardson lets this fly from the Colts’ 33-yard line after stumbling, with pressure in his face, and the inability to step into the throw.

And it gets all the way to the Houston 3-yard line, where Alec Pierce is waiting.

Simply sublime.

During the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, I was in Lucas Oil Stadium, that same building, when Richardson put on a show, making throws like that in a t-shirt and shorts.

But doing it on an NFL Sunday with pressure in his face?

That is something different.