One quarterback was a rookie. The other played like one.

Carson Wentz was terrific in his first NFL start in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 29-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Robert Griffin III — making his 36th NFL start, and his first for the Browns — gave little evidence that Cleveland’s new brass made the right call passing on Wentz and signing RG3. Of course, that’s a whole other discussion.

Griffin’s tepid stats (12-for-26 passing, 190 yards, one interception) against a good Eagles defense don’t tell the whole story. A bad snap from center Cam Erving sailed over his head and led to a safety, and that turned into a 9-point parlay when the Browns let Wentz march the Eagles 72 yards for a score on the ensuing possession.

The Browns dropped at least three passes, and Griffin’s interception was a tipped ball. There also were yards-after-the-catch opportunities missed.

The Browns offense we saw in the preseason offered spurts of excitement and hope. But a closer look revealed the all-or-nothing nature of it. There were a lot of big plays; there were few sustained drives. That element was very much in play in this game, too, as Griffin hit on passes of 58 and 44 yards but totaled a mere 88 passing yards on his other 24 passes attempted.

Griffin added a 20-yard scamper in the first half, but the run game was mostly dormant as well until the final, meaningless seconds of the game. Don’t be fooled by 120 yards rushing and gaudy 5.7-yard average — 40 of those yards came on three carries against a prevent defense in the final minute of the game.

Plus, Griffin got hurt. He took a few big shots as the Eagles had three sacks and five QB hits.

There’s little doubt that this is a major work in progress. Griffin did not play great, and his supporting staff was so-so at best. Josh Gordon is sitting out three more games (at least, knowing his history). Head coach Hue Jackson has to understand his personnel better and grow with his players.

But this was not a good first look. Especially not with the guy — Wentz — beating them on the other side of the ball.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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