By Dean Michaels, NFL Writer

Scores Galore

NFL teams combined to score 791 points on Kickoff Weekend 2012, the second-most for any week in league history and the most-ever during a season's first week.

The NFL's highest scoring weekends all time and on Kickoff Weekend:

Season Week Total Points
Source: NFL
2008Week 12837
2012Kickoff Weekend791
2007Week 17788
2004Week 13788
2002Kickoff Weekend788

 

Kickoff Weekend Season Total Points
Source: NFL
2012791
2002788
2011752

 

More Scores Galore

Five teams -- ATLANTA (40), BALTIMORE (44), CHICAGO (41), the NEW YORK JETS (48), and WASHINGTON (40) -- scored 40 or more points in their season opening games, the most on Kickoff Weekend in league annals. The most prior to 2012 was four, which occurred in 1920, 1947 and 1954.

Including DENVER (31), HOUSTON (30), NEW ENGLAND (34), NEW ORLEANS (32), and SAN FRANCISCO (30), 10 clubs scored 30 or more points, tied for the third-most to begin a year in NFL history.

The most teams to score 30 or more points and 40 or more points on Kickoff Weekend:

Season Teams to Score 30+ Points
Source: NFL
198612
200211
201210
199910
20119

 

Season Teams to Score 40+ Points
Source: NFL
20125
19544
19474
19204

 

Young Guns at Quarterback

The average age of the 32 starting quarterbacks on Kickoff Weekend was 27-years, 354-days old, the youngest such group to open a season in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).

Five rookie quarterbacks -- ROBERT GRIFFIN III of the Washington Redskins, ANDREW LUCK of the Indianapolis Colts, RYAN TANNEHILL of the Miami Dolphins, BRANDON WEEDEN of the Cleveland Browns and RUSSELL WILSON of the Seattle Seahawks -- started on Kickoff Weekend, the most rookie quarterbacks to start a team's opening game since at least 1950 (three in 1968 and 1969).

Griffin, who became the first quarterback born in the 1990s to start a game at the position, completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1 percent) for 320 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 139.9 passer rating in the Redskins' 40-32 win at New Orleans. He is the only player in NFL history to pass for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception in his NFL debut.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback ANDREW LUCK (309 passing yards) also recorded a 300-yard passing game to match the previous total in NFL history of rookie quarterbacks to pass for 300 or more yards on Kickoff Weekend (PEYTON MANNING, 302 yards in 1998; CAM NEWTON, 422 yards in 2011).

The youngest average starting age of Kickoff Weekend quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era:

Season Avg Age of Starting QBs
Source: NFL
201227 years, 354 days
198728 years, 56 days
196828 years, 102 days
198828 years, 157 days
198628 years, 177 days
197828 years, 194 days

 

100+ Passer Rating Club

Twelve quarterbacks recorded a passer rating of at least 100 (min. 20 attempts) on Kickoff Weekend, the most ever on the opening weekend of a season since 1970.

The NFL quarterbacks with a 100+ passer rating (min. 20 attempts) on Week 1 2012:

Player Passer Rating
Source: NFL
Robert Griffin III, Redskins139.9
Matt Ryan, Falcons136.4
Tony Romo, Cowboys129.5
Peyton Manning, Broncos129.2
Joe Flacco, Ravens128.4
Alex Smith, 49ers125.6
Mark Sanchez, Jets123.4
Tom Brady, Patriots117.1
Christian Ponder, Vikings105.5
Sam Bradford, Rams105.1
Matt Schaub, Texans102.4
Philip Rivers, Chargers102.0

 

The most quarterbacks with a 100+ passer rating (min. 20 attempts) in season openers since 1970:

Season QBs with 100+ Passer Rating
Source: NFL
201212
201111
200711
200210
199910

 

Manning The Offense

Denver quarterback PEYTON MANNING completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1 percent) for 253 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 129.2 passer rating in the Broncos' 31-19 win over Pittsburgh. Manning (401) joined BRETT FAVRE (508) and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (420) as the only players in NFL history to record 400 career touchdown passes.

Manning reached the mark in the fewest games (209) in NFL history.

Manning recorded his 400th passing touchdown on the Broncos' first drive of the third quarter when he connected with Broncos wide receiver DEMARYIUS THOMAS for a 71-yard score to give the team a 14-13 lead.

Peyton Manning's milestone touchdown passes

TD Pass TD Recipient TD Length Game Result No. of NFL Players
to Reach Milestone
Source: NFL
No. 1WR Marvin Harrison6 yards9/6/98: Ind. vs. Mia., L 15-241,218
No. 50RB Edgerrin James2 yards12/12/99: Ind. vs. NE, W 20-15186
No. 100WR Marvin Harrison11 yards11/11/01: Ind. vs. Mia., L 24-27116
No. 150WR Reggie Wayne25 yards10/12/03: Ind. vs. Car., L 20-2376
No. 200WR Reggie Wayne35 yards11/21/04: Ind. at Chi., W 41-1031
No. 250TE Bryan Fletcher2 yards10/1/06: Ind. at NYJ, W 31-2815
No. 300RB Joseph Addai19 yards12/9/07: Ind. at Bal., W 44-206
No. 350RB Joseph Addai15 yards11/15/09: Ind. vs. NE, W 35-343
No. 400WR Demaryius Thomas71 yards9/9/12: Den. vs. Pit., W 31-193

 

Super Starters

History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive toward a possible Super Bowl championship is to win in Week 1. The 46 Super Bowl winners have a 37-8-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons.

Ed Reed Returns

In Baltimore's 44-13 win over Cincinnati, Ravens safety ED REED registered a 34-yard interception-return touchdown. With the score, Reed (1,497) surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer ROD WOODSON (1,483) for the most career interception-return yards in NFL history.

Player Interception-Return Yards
*Active Source: NFL
Ed Reed*1,497
Rod Woodson1,483
Darren Sharper1,412

 

Kickers' Elite Feet

San Francisco 49ers kicker DAVID AKERS totaled 12 points on three field goals (40, 43, 63) and three extra points in the 49ers 30-22 victory at Green Bay.

Akers (1,503 points) became the 17th player in league history to score 1,500 points, surpassing the milestone on an NFL record-tying 63-yard field goal (TOM DEMPSEY, JASON ELAM and SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI) as time expired in the first half.

The 15-year veteran reached 1,500 points in his 206th game to become the second-fastest player to achieve the feat (Elam, 197).

The players to reach 1,500 career points in the fewest games:

Player Fewest Games to Reach 1,500 Points
*Active Source: NFL
Jason Elam197
David Akers206
Adam Vinatieri207
Ryan Longwell208

 

Extended Play

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23 in the first regular-season game to feature modified sudden death rules, which were extended to cover all NFL contests in 2012. The league installed the system for the 2010 and 2011 postseasons.

Minnesota, which elected to receive in overtime, kicked a 38-yard field goal on the extra period's opening drive and forced a defensive stop on the ensuing Jaguars' possession to claim victory.

In the modified sudden death system, teams have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in the extra period unless the team that receives the overtime kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession. The changes are meant to aid competitive fairness.

NFL 2012 Week 1: The Week That Was The Week That Was