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Youngest starting quarterbacks since 1970
Sam Darnold will be the youngest QB to start a season opener since the 1970 merger. Michael Vick and Alex Smith also started at the age of 21. Take a look at how these young quarterbacks performed in their first start compared to their career stats.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith started in a season opener against the Indianapolis Colts in 2005. Smith had an 8.5 passer rating and resulted in a loss for the San Francisco 49ers. He is entering his 13th NFL season and has a career passer rating of 87.4.
New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe started in a season opener against the Buffalo Bills in 1993. Bledsoe had a 69.9 passer rating and resulted in a loss for the Patriots. He played for 14 seasons and had an career passer rating of 77.1.
Denver Broncos quarterback Tommy Maddox started in a season opener against the Oakland Raiders in 1992. Maddox had a 60.9 passer rating and resulted in a loss for the Denver Broncos. He completed 9 NFL seasons and had a career passer rating of 72.4.
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford started in a season opener against the New Orleans Saints in 2009. Stafford had a 27.4 passer rating and resulted in a loss for the Lions. He is now entering his 10th NFL season and has an 88.3 career passer rating.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick started in a season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in 2001. Vick had a 1-0 TD-INT and resulted in a win for the Atlanta Falcons. He played for 13 NFL season and had a career 133-88 TD-INT ratio.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) started in a season opener against the Tennessee Titans in 2015. Winston had a 2-2 TD-INT and resulted in a loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is now entering his 4th NFL season and has a career 69-44 TD-INT ratio.
