NFL News: Seven From Sunday – Kickoff Weekend

A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, September 11, the first week of the 2022 season.

  • With two games remaining in Week 1, there have been five games decided by a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, tied for the third-most such games in Week 1 all-time. There hasn’t been more such games on Kickoff Weekend in 20 years (six games in 2002).

    Additionally, seven games have been decided by one score or less (eight points) and 10 games have been within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter.

    For the third time in the past four years, multiple Kickoff Weekend games went to overtime as Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati, 23-20, while Indianapolis and Houston tied, 20-20, marking the fourth Week 1 tie since 1970.

    Four teams – Indianapolis (17-point deficit), New Orleans (16), the New York Giants (13) and Chicago (10) – overcame deficits of at least 10 points to win or tie in Week 1. There haven’t been more such comebacks to win or tie on Kickoff Weekend in 20 years (five in 2002).

    2022 marked the fourth time ever that multiple teams overcame a deficit of at least 16 points to win or tie in Week 1, joining 2019 (three teams), 2020 (two) and 1999 (two). It also marked the second time in the past three seasons that a team overcame a deficit of at least 16 points in the fourth quarter to win on Kickoff Weekend (Chicago overcame a 17-point deficit to win in Week 1, 2020).
  • Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 360 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions for a 144.2 rating and tight end TRAVIS KELCE had eight receptions for 121 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs’ 44-21 win over Arizona.

    Kansas City became the sixth team in the Super Bowl era to win eight consecutive season-opening games, joining the 1966-81 DALLAS COWBOYS (16 consecutive wins), 1992-2002 MIAMI DOLPHINS (11), 2004-13 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10), 1984-92 CHICAGO BEARS (nine) and 2003-10 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (eight).

    Mahomes recorded his sixth career game with at least five touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (six) and BEN ROETHLISBERGER (six) for the fourth-most such games all-time. Only DREW BREES (11), TOM BRADY (nine) and Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (nine) have more.

    Kelce recorded his 30th career game with at least 100 receiving yards and joined ROB GRONKOWSKI (32 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (31) as the only tight ends with at least 30 such games in NFL history.
  • Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 279 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 129.4 rating in the team’s 24-19 win over Las Vegas.

    Herbert has 14 career games with at least three touchdown passes, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING (13 games) and KURT WARNER (13) for the third-most such games by a player in his first three career seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (18 games) and PATRICK MAHOMES (15) have more.

    Herbert has nine career games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tied with PATRICK MAHOMES (nine) for the most such games by a player in his first three career seasons all-time.
  • Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON recorded nine receptions for a career-high 184 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 23-7 win over Green Bay.

    Jefferson, who has 205 receptions in 34 career games, tied ANQUAN BOLDIN (34 games) and REGGIE BUSH (34) as the fourth-fastest player ever to reach 200 career receptions. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (30 games), MICHAEL THOMAS (32) and JARVIS LANDRY (33) reached the mark in fewer games.

    Jefferson recorded his fifth-career game with at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown reception, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (five) and VICTOR CRUZ (five) for the second-most such games by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (six) has more.
  • Making his 50th career start, Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON recorded three touchdown passes in the Ravens’ 24-9 win over the New York Jets.

    Jackson compiled a 38-12 record in his first 50 career starts, tied with TOM BRADY (38 wins) and DANNY WHITE (38) for the third-most wins by a quarterback in his first 50 career starts since 1970. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (40 wins) and Pro Football Hall of Famer KEN STABLER (40) had more.
     
  • Making his 20th career start, Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS totaled 333 yards (243 passing, 90 rushing) and a rushing touchdown in the Eagles’ 38-35 win over Detroit.

    Hurts recorded his 14th career rushing touchdown, tied with JOSH ALLEN (14 rushing touchdowns) and STEVE GROGAN (14) for the second-most ever by a quarterback in his first 20 career starts. Only CAM NEWTON (17) had more.

    Detroit wide receiver AMON-RA ST. BROWN recorded eight receptions in Week 1 and became the fifth player ever to record at least eight receptions in seven consecutive games, joining ANTONIO BROWN (eight consecutive games in 2014), MICHAEL THOMAS (eight in 2019), ANQUAN BOLDIN (seven in 2005) and TRAVIS KELCE (seven in 2020). St. Brown recorded at least eight receptions in each of his final six games of the 2021 season.
  • Cleveland defensive end MYLES GARRETT registered two sacks and a forced fumble and rookie kicker CADE YORK kicked a game-winning 58-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining in the Browns’ 26-24 win at Carolina.

    Garrett, appearing in his 69th career game, has 60.5 career sacks and became the fifth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least 60 sacks in his first 70 NFL games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers REGGIE WHITE (79) and DERRICK THOMAS (61), as well as T.J. WATT (62) and J.J. WATT (61).

    York’s 58-yard game-winning field goal marked the second-longest game-winning field goal by a rookie in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime in NFL history, trailing only JAKE ELLIOTT (61-yard field goal with no time remaining on September 24, 2017).
  • Other notable performances from Sunday include:
    • Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW passed for 338 yards in Week 1. He has 7,637 passing yards in 27 career games, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (27 games) as the third-fastest player to reach 7,500 career passing yards in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (24 games) and JUSTIN HERBERT (26) reached the mark in fewer games.
    • Indianapolis quarterback MATT RYAN passed for 352 yards with one touchdown in the team’s 20-20 tie at Houston.

      Ryan, who ranks eighth in league history with 60,087 passing yards in 223 games, surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (226 games) as the second-fastest player ever to reach 60,000 career passing yards, trailing only DREW BREES (215).

      Ryan has 74 career games with at least 300 passing yards, surpassing PHILIP RIVERS for the fourth-most such games in NFL history. Only DREW BREES (123 games), TOM BRADY (108 entering Sunday Night Football) and Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (93) have more.
    • Pittsburgh safety MINKAH FITZPATRICK recorded a 31-yard interception-return for a touchdown and linebacker T.J. WATT recorded his fifth-career interception in the Steelers’ 23-20 overtime win over Cincinnati.

      Fitzpatrick, who had one interception return for a touchdown in each of his first three career seasons (2018-20), became the fourth player ever with at least one interception-return for a touchdown in four of his first five career seasons, joining NATE CLEMENTS, Pro Football Hall of Famer KEN HOUSTON and DEION JONES.

      Watt, who also registered his 73rd career sack since entering the NFL in 2017, became the first player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to record at least 70 sacks (73) and five interceptions (five) in his first six career seasons.
    • Jacksonville rookie linebacker TRAVON WALKER, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, recorded a sack and interception in his NFL debut in Week 1 and joined AUNDRAY BRUCETOM COUSINEAUSTEVE EMTMAN and MYLES GARRETT as players selected first overall in the NFL Draft to record a sack in their first career games since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Walker is the first top-pick to record both a sack and interception in his first-career game since 1982.

COURTESY NFLmedia.com

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