A look at seven statistical highlights from NFL games the first week of the 2013 season.
There were five individual 350-yard passing performances so far in Week 1, the most ever on Kickoff Weekend.
The five quarterbacks to pass for at least 350 yards to start the 2013 season: Denver's Peyton Manning (462), San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick (412), Baltimore's Joe Flacco (362), New Orleans' Drew Brees (357) and Detroit's Matthew Stafford (357).
New England quarterback Tom Brady passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 23-21 win at Buffalo. Brady improved to 11-1 (.917) in season openers, the best record among quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era.
With the victory, the Patriots have now won 10 consecutive games on Kickoff Weekend, tied with the Detroit Lions / Portsmouth Spartans (1930-39) for the third-longest streak in NFL history.
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed for 357 yards in the Saints' 23-17 win over Atlanta. The performance marked Brees' sixth consecutive 300-yard passing game, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (1998) and KURT WARNER (2000) and RICH GANNON (2002) for the second-longest streak in NFL history. Brees (2011-12) also holds the NFL record with nine consecutive 300-yard passing games.
Indianapolis quarterback ANDREW LUCK passed for two touchdowns and rushed for the game-winning TD with 5:20 remaining in the fourth quarter in the Colts' 21-17 win over Oakland. Luck has now led his team to eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since he entered the league as a rookie in 2012. That total is the most through a player's first 17 games by any quarterback that began his career since the 1970 merger.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver ANQUAN BOLDIN had 13 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 34-28 win over Green Bay. There have been only three 10+ catch, 200+ yard receiving performances on Kickoff Weekend in NFL history and Boldin has two of them. In his NFL debut with the Arizona Cardinals in 2003 (September 7), Boldin had 10 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns. The only other player with such a game on Kickoff Weekend is Dallas' FRANK CLARKE, who had 10 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns on September 16, 1962.
Minnesota's ADRIAN PETERSON had a 78-yard touchdown run and Detroit's REGGIE BUSH had a 77-yard TD reception in the Lions' 34-24 win over Minnesota. It marked the first time since 1971 (September 19) that opposing players had 75+ yard scrimmage touchdowns on Kickoff Weekend when Dallas' BOB HAYES and Buffalo's MARLIN BRISCOE accomplished the feat.
Bush had 101 receiving yards and 90 rushing yards in the Lions' win. He is the first player with at least 100 receiving yards and 90 rushing yards in his first game with a new team since San Diego's CID EDWARDS in 1972 (October 1).
Peterson rushed for a 78-yard touchdown on his first carry of the season. That is the longest touchdown run on a player's first carry of a season since the 1970 merger.
Peterson finished the game with 93 rushing yards and has 8,942 yards in his career. That total is the third-most by a player in the first 90 games of a career. Peterson trails only Pro Football Hall of Famers ERIC DICKERSON (9,915) and JIM BROWN (9,322).
New York Jets rookie quarterback GENO SMITH threw for 256 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' 18-17 win over Tampa Bay. Smith, who led the team on a 50-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining, is the first rookie quarterback drafted in the second round or later to pass for at least 250 yards and win on Kickoff Weekend since the 1970 merger.
NFL 2013 Kickoff Weekend - A Look Back
Out of the Blocks
The Chicago Bears, who defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 on Kickoff Weekend, have won 54 season openers, the most wins all-time on Kickoff Weekend. The teams with the most wins on Kickoff Weekend are the Chicago Bears (54), Green Bay Packers (52), New York Giants (49), Detroit Lions (45), Pittsburgh Steelers (40), and Washington (40).
The Dallas Cowboys, who defeated the New York Giants 36-31 on Sunday Night Football, improved their NFL-best record in season openers to 36-17-1 (.679).
The teams with the highest winning percentage on Kickoff Weekend:
| Team | Kickoff Weekend Record | Win Pct. |
|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL (Ties prior to 1972 did not count in winning percentage) | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 36-17-1 | .679 |
| Denver Broncos | 34-19-1 | .642 |
| Chicago Bears | 54-35-5 | .607 |
| New York Giants | 49-35-5 | .583 |
| San Diego Chargers | 31-23-0 | .574 |
Streaking Pats
The New England Patriots, who defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-21, have won 10 consecutive games on Kickoff Weekend, the longest current streak in the NFL. The Patriots tied the Detroit Lions/Portsmouth Spartans (1930-39) for the third-longest streak in NFL history.
The most consecutive games won all-time in season openers:
| Team | Years | Streak |
|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL *Active streak | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 1965-1981 | 17 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1992-2002 | 11 |
| Detroit Lions | 1930-1939 | 10 |
| New England Patriots* | 2004-2012 | 10 |
| Chicago Bears | 1984-1992 | 9 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1955-1962 | 8 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2003-2010 | 8 |
On The Fast Track
New England quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 23-21 win at Buffalo. Brady improved to 11-1 (.917) in season openers, the best record among quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era.
The quarterbacks with the best records in season-opening NFL games in the Super Bowl era (minimum 10 starts) are Tom Brady (11-1, .917), John Elway (12-4, .750), Dan Fouts (9-3, .750), and Peyton Manning (11-4, .733).
Manning's Dozen
The Broncos have won 12 consecutive regular-season games, the longest active streak in the NFL. With the Broncos' victory against the Baltimore Ravens, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win at least 12 consecutive regular-season games three separate times in a career.
Peyton Manning's win streaks of at least 12 regular-season games:
| Team | Streak Date | Streak |
|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL | ||
| Indianapolis Colts | 9/11/2005 - 12/11/2005 | 13 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 11/2/2008 - 12/17/2009 | 23 |
| Denver Broncos | 10/15/2012 - Present | 12 |
Mr. MVP
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 93 yards in a 34-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. Peterson now has 8,942 yards in his career. That total is the third-most by a player in the first 90 games of a career. Peterson trails only Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson (9,915) and Jim Brown (9,322).
The running backs with the most rushing yards through 90 career games in NFL history are Eric Dickerson (9,915), Jim Brown (9,322), Adrian Peterson (8,942), Barry Sanders (8,780), and Edgerrin James (8,747)
NFL Football News & Analysis [...]
- NFL 2013 Week 3 Preview
- Five AFC Teams Look to Stay Perfect
- Passing Stats on the Rise as NFL Enters Week 3
- Chiefs Travel To Philadelphia to Face Eagles in Thursday Night Contest
- Browns Trade Trent Richardson to Colts for Draft Pick
- Bucs Safety Dashon Goldson Escapes Suspension
- Broncos sign Winston Justice with Ryan Clady out for season
- Darrelle Revis Unhappy with Bucs Coach Greg Schiano
- NFL 2013 Week 2: AFC Players of the Week
- NFL 2013 Week 2: NFC Players of the Week
- Jaguars fans rally, call on team to sign Tim Tebow
- Fourteen NFL Team Owners on Forbes Richest List
- Four 49ers Starters Leave Game With Injuries Against Seahawks
- Alex Smith Tosses Two TD Passes to Lift Chiefs over Cowboys
- Joe Flacco Leads Ravens over Browns
- NFL 2013 Week 2: A Look Back at the Week that Was
- NFL 2013 Week 2 - Seven from Sunday
- Colts Vick Ballard out for season with torn ACL
- Clay Matthews Insists He's Not a Dirty Player
- Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald: Calvin Johnson is Best Wideout in the NFL
- Jets QB Mark Sanchez Likely Out for Season
- Patriots Edge Jets Despite Tom Brady's Struggles
- After Exciting Kickoff Week, Here Comes NFL 2013 Week 2
- NFL 2013 Week 2: Brandon Jacobs Back with Giants
- Lions Tackle Ndamukong Suh Fined $100K for Illegal Hit
- NFL Clears Giants of Accusations about Faking Injuries
- NFL 2013 Week 1: AFC Players of the Week
- NFL 2013 Week 1: NFC Players of the Week
- The Week That Was - NFL Kickoff Weekend 2013
- NFL 2013 Week 1: Seven from Sunday
- Cowboys Force Six Turnovers, Down Giants
- Colin Kaepernick Tosses Three TDs as 49ers Edge Packers
- Ryan Tannehill Leads Dolphins Past Browns
- Peyton Manning Tosses Seven TDs as Broncos Dump Ravens
- Team-By-Team Look at the 2013 QBs in the AFC
- Team-By-Team Look at the 2013 QBs in the NFC
- EJ Manuel Gets Nod as Bills Starting Quarterback
- Texans Give Brian Cushing Six-Year Extension Worth $55.6M
- Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Says Back Isaac Redman to Start
- Tom Brady Enjoyed Time with Tim Tebow
- Player Milestones: What to Look For in 2013
- Double-Threat Running Backs
- The NFL's Undrafted Stars
- High-Profile Small-School Stars in the NFL Today
- Joe Flacco: Calm and Cool
- Adrian Peterson: Rushing into the Record Books
- Big Play Excitement in the NFL
- Excitement Abounds as New Coaches Take Over NFL Teams
- The NFL's Big-Time Wide Receivers
- Megatron Makes History: Calvin Johnson Sets Receiving Record
- Tom Brady is Tom Terrific
- Cool Brees: QB Drew Brees Leads Saints
Article: Copyright ©, iHaveNet.com
NFL 2013 Week 1: Seven from Sunday