Starting QBs with highest career Week 1 completion percentage may surprise you

Week 1 of the NFL season arrived on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles kicking off their title defense with a 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, highlighted by an ugly second half from star wideout CeeDee Lamb.

While both Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott played well, the focus now shifts to which signal-callers can lead their teams to victory as Week 1 rolls on. 

The last two NFL MVPs, Josh Allen (64.6%) and Lamar Jackson (67.3%), will square off on Sunday night. Each has been phenomenal in their careers, but surprisingly, they are not among the QBs with the highest career completion percentage in Week 1.

Top three active QBs with highest Week 1 completion percentage are surprising

According to Stats Perform, Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith (71.7%), New York Giants QB Russell Wilson (69.5%) and Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (69.2%) are the top three active NFL QBs with a minimum of five games played in Week 1 during their careers.

While Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is tied with Darnold for third on the list, it's a shocking trio, to say the least. 

Smith has made five Week 1 starts in his career. He has topped 82% twice (2014, 2022) and most recently, completed 72% of his throws in a Week 1 win last season over the Denver Broncos.

In Wilson's 12 Week 1 starts, the veteran has eclipsed 70% completions six times, including a career-high 88.6% in an opener against the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Darnold is coming off a career-high 66.2% completion rate in 2024 and has posted at least a 68.3% rate in four of his six Week 1 appearances, including a personal-best 79.2% against the Giants last season.

For comparison, Mahomes has completed 75% or better in three of his seven Week 1 games, but still finds himself trailing Smith and Wilson and in a tie for third with Darnold despite the consistency.

Wilson is the only one of the three ahead of Mahomes who has won a Super Bowl (XLVIII), so that Week 1 success has not entirely translated to postseason glory. Last season, Darnold and the Vikings won 14 games but were blown out by the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round, while Smith and the Seahawks failed to make the playoffs.

There is no doubt the three have had exceptional accuracy during their careers, specifically in Week 1. Although the opening week success hasn't translated to season-long glory, there is no reason to believe Week 1 will not be superb for them once again.