Jadarian Price, our guy from Notre Dame, officially kicked off his NFL career in Wednesday’s opener, getting the starting nod in the Seahawks’ backfield. That was huge for the Emerald City! But just five plays into our game against the Patriots on Sunday, a gut punch hit Lumen Field: our quarterback, Sam Darnold, went down early. It was a chaotic start to Week 1 for our Hawks, a moment that could have derailed everything. But here’s the unbelievable truth: despite the immediate upheaval, Price walked away with an A- grade for his debut.
You know our coaches, Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury, had to shift their entire approach five plays into the game against the Patriots after Darnold got sidelined. Talk about baptism by fire for the whole squad! With Sam out, the focus easily could have spiraled, but our rookie running back stepped up big time. The team wasn’t going to put too much on Price’s plate in his very first NFL game, especially after such a wild start, but the former Notre Dame standout still delivered an A- performance. It’s exactly the kind of gritty start you want to see from fresh talent, especially when another rookie, De’Zhaun Stribling, had the bad luck to exit early in his debut with an ankle injury. Price, however, proved he’s built for this.
Across the league, other rookies also got their first taste of NFL action this past weekend, but none faced the kind of immediate, high-pressure chaos our Jadarian did. Take Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick playing for the Cardinals. His debut earned a C+ grade. While the Cardinals did pull off an upset over the Chargers on the road, Love’s impact was pedestrian. He scored an early touchdown and ripped off a nice 21-yard run, which was exciting. However, outside of that single run, he only managed 20 yards on 10 carries and made only a minimal impact as a pass-rusher. Tyler Allgeier got six more touches than Love in that game, and he struggled with efficiency too. You just know usage will be a major storyline for Love going forward, but Price’s A- in a much tougher spot really stands out.
Then there’s Carnell Tate for the Titans, who snagged a B. Their offense looked like more of the same old story in Week 1, with quarterback Cam Ward under constant pressure from the Jets’ defense and not getting much time to work. Still, Tate made the most of it, leading the team in receiving with 38 yards. He got himself open for a bad miss by Ward and gained some key separation from Brandon Stephens to haul in his first NFL catch. Over with the Commanders, Sonny Styles had an up-and-down debut, earning a B-. He wasn’t an every-down player, but he delivered perhaps the best highlight of any rookie in Week 1: absolutely blowing up Saquon Barkley to get to Jalen Hurts on his way to two tackles for loss! While he was less effective in coverage, Washington has to be buzzing about Styles’ raw skillset.
So, what does Jadarian Price’s A- debut, especially with Darnold’s uncertain status after that early exit, mean for our Hawks? It means we have a young player who can handle the big moments, right from the jump. This early in the regular season, that kind of resilience from a rookie is exactly what the 12s want to see. We need our fresh talent to step up, and Price just announced his arrival with authority. Keep your eyes on this kid; he’s just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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