NFL News: Seven From Sunday – Week 5, October 8, 2023

By Lydia Jane Allison

​A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 9:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, October 8, the fifth week of the 2023 season.

  • The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 23-14, in Week 5 and advanced to 5-0 for the second-consecutive season. The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-0) can join Philadelphia at 5-0 with a win over Dallas on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC).

    The JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS defeated Buffalo, 25-20, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in Week 5 after earning a 23-7 win over Atlanta at Wembley Stadium in London last week. The Jaguars are the first team ever to win multiple international games in a season.

    The MIAMI DOLPHINS totaled 524 yards of total offense in their 31-16 win over the New York Giants. Miami has 2,568 total yards of offense this season and surpassed the 2000 ST. LOUIS RAMS (2,527 total yards) for the most total yards of offense by a team in their first five games of a season in NFL history.

    The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS defeated Minnesota, 27-20, as head coach ANDY REID earned his 251st career regular season win, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (250) for the fourth-most regular-season wins by a head coach in NFL history.

  • Miami rookie running back DE’VON ACHANE rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown and wide receiver TYREEK HILL registered eight receptions for 181 yards and one touchdown in the Dolphins’ 31-16 win over the New York Giants. Achane (seven scrimmage touchdowns), Hill (five scrimmage touchdowns) and running back RAHEEM MOSTERT (eight scrimmage touchdowns) each have at least five scrimmage touchdowns this season.

    The Dolphins are the second team in NFL history with three players having at least five scrimmage touchdowns each in their team’s first five games of a season, joining the 2011 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLISROB GRONKOWSKI and WES WELKER).

    Miami is the third team in NFL history with two players having at least seven scrimmage touchdowns in their team’s first five games of a season, joining the 1966 DALLAS COWBOYS (Pro Football Hall of Famer BOB HAYES and DAN REEVES) and 1962 DALLAS TEXANS (CHRIS BURFORD and ABNER HAYNES).

    Achane is the second player in NFL history with at least seven touchdowns through his first four career games, joining BILL PASCHAL (eight touchdowns through his first four games in 1943 with the New York Giants).

    Achane is the third player in NFL history with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in three of his first four career games, joining BEATTIE FEATHERS (1934) and Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (2001).

    Hill, who had 215 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in Week 1 and 157 receiving yards with one touchdown reception in Week 3, joins WES WELKER (2011) as the only players in NFL history with at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in three of their team’s first five games of a season.

    Hill has 11 career games with at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown reception, tied with TORRY HOLT (11 games) for the fourth-most such games by a player in his first eight career season in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LANCE ALWORTH (16 games), JERRY RICE (14) and CALVIN JOHNSON (12) have more.

    Hill, who had a 69-yard touchdown reception in Week 5, has 19 career touchdowns of 60-or-more yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (19 touchdowns) for the fifth-most such touchdowns in NFL history. Only DESEAN JACKSON (26), DEVIN HESTER (21) and Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (23) and BOBBY MITCHELL (20) have more.

  • Cincinnati wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE recorded 15 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the Bengals’ 34-20 win at Arizona.

    Chase, who had 11 receptions for 266 yards and three touchdowns in Week 17 of the 2021 season, is the first player in NFL history with multiple games of at least 10 receptions, 150 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions in his first three career seasons.

    Chase, who is 23 years and 221 days old, is the fourth wide receiver in NFL history under the age of 24 to record 15 receptions in a single game, joining KEENAN ALLEN (23 years and 139 days old on September 13, 2015), Pro Football Hall of Famer ISAAC BRUCE (23 years and 44 days old on December 24, 1995) and PUKA NACUA (22 years and 111 days old on September 17, 2023).

    Chase, who had a 63-yard touchdown reception on Sunday, has seven career touchdown receptions of 50-or-more yards, tied with BRANDIN COOKS (seven), BILLY HOWTON (seven) and DESEAN JACKSON (seven) for the third-most such touchdowns by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (11) and ODELL BECKHAM JR. (nine) have more.

    Chase, who has 212 career receptions, reached 200 career receptions in his 34th career game, tied with four other players for the fourth-fewest games to 200 receptions in NFL history. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (30 games), MICHAEL THOMAS (32) and JARVIS LANDRY (33) reached the mark in fewer games.

  • Houston rookie quarterback C.J. STROUD completed 20 of 35 pass attempts for 249 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions in Week 5.

    Stroud has recorded 186 pass attempts without an interception this season and surpassed DAK PRESCOTT (176 pass attempts in 2016) for the most consecutive pass attempts without an interception to begin a career in NFL history.

    Stroud has 1,461 passing yards this season and is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,400 passing yards and no interceptions in his team’s first five games of a season, joining PATRICK MAHOMES (1,831 passing yards in 2019), DREW BREES (1,658 in 2018) and RUSSELL WILSON (1,409 in 2019).

    Stroud is the only quarterback ever with no interceptions in his first five career starts (minimum 30 attempts in each start).

  • Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS totaled 375 yards (303 passing, 72 rushing) and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in the Eagles’ Week 5 win at the Los Angeles Rams.

    Hurts has five career games with at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, tied with RUSSELL WILSON (five) for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (eight) and JOSH ALLEN (seven) have more.

    Hurts has 2,104 rushing yards in 50 career games and surpassed CAM NEWTON (2,058) for the fourth-most rushing yards by a quarterback in his first 50 career games in the Super Bowl era. Only LAMAR JACKSON (3,185), MICHAEL VICK (2,563) and BOBBY DOUGLAS (2,148 rushing yards) have more.

    Hurts has 30 career rushing touchdowns and became the third quarterback ever with at least 30 rushing touchdowns in his first four career seasons, joining CAM NEWTON (33 rushing touchdowns) and JOSH ALLEN (31).

  • Jacksonville running back TRAVIS ETIENNE totaled 184 scrimmage yards (136 rushing, 48 receiving) and had two rushing touchdowns in the Jaguars’ Week 5 win and became the first player ever with at least 175 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in an international game.

    Etienne, who recorded 162 scrimmage yards at Wembley Stadium in Week 8 last season, is the first player ever with at least 150 scrimmage yards in multiple international games.

    Etienne’s 184 scrimmage yards are the third-most scrimmage yards in an NFL game played outside of the United States, trailing only COOPER KUPP (220 scrimmage yards in London on October 27, 2019) and FRED JACKSON (194 scrimmage yards in London on October 30, 2011).

  • Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. WATT registered two sacks and a fumble recovery in the Steelers’ 17-10 win over Baltimore.

    Watt, who had three sacks and a fumble recovery in Week 1 and one sack with one fumble recovery in Week 2, is the first player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with a sack and fumble recovery in three of his team’s first five games of a season.

    Watt, who has 25 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries in 92 career games, is the third player since 2000 with at least 25 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries in his first 100 career games, joining ROBERT MATHIS and OSI UMENYIORA.

  • Additional notes from Sunday include:
    • Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN recorded his 41st career rushing touchdown in Week 5 and surpassed JACK KEMP (40 rushing touchdowns) for the third-most by a quarterback in NFL history. Only CAM NEWTON (75) and Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (43) have more.
    • Appearing in his 150th career game, Tennessee wide receiver DEANDRE HOPKINS registered eight receptions for 140 yards on Sunday.

      Hopkins is the fourth player in NFL history to register a catch in each of his first 150 career games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers MARVIN HARRISON (first 190 career games) and MARSHALL FAULK (first 158) as well as KEYSHAWN JOHNSON (first 167).

    • Los Angeles Rams wide receiver PUKA NACUA recorded seven receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown on Sunday.

      Nacua has 46 receptions this season, the most by a player in his first five career games in NFL history.

      Nacua is the third player in NFL history with at least five receptions in each of his first five career games, joining TERRY GLENN (1996) and CEEDEE LAMB (2020).

      Nacua is the sixth player ever with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his first five games, joining JA’MARR CHASE (2021), TERRY GLENN (1996), CEEDEE LAMB (2020), EARL MCCULLOUCH (1968), and TERRY MCLAURIN (2019).

    • Detroit rookie tight end SAM LAPORTA registered three receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ 42-24 win over Carolina.

      LaPorta has 25 receptions this season and is third tight end ever with at least 25 receptions in his first five career games, joining KEITH JACKSON (29 receptions in 1988 with Philadelphia) and JORDAN REED (26 in 2013 with Washington).

    • New York Giants safety JASON PINNOCK recorded a 102-yard interception-return for a touchdown in Week 5 after Carolina safety SAM FRANKLIN registered a 99-yard interception-return for a touchdown in Week 4.

      The 2023 season is the first season since 2012 that there were multiple 99-or-more yard interception returns for a touchdown and it marks the fourth time in NFL history that there was an interception returned for a touchdown of 99-or-more yards in consecutive weeks, joining Weeks 13-14 in 1977, Weeks 9-10 in 2004 and Weeks 4-5 in 2006.

COURTESY NFLmedia.com

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