By Lydia Jane Allison

Below are teams and players that can set historic marks or reach career milestones in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season, including:

• Miami (Tua Tagovailoa & Tyreek Hill)
• Seattle-Detroit (highest-scoring game from last season & Jared Goff)
• Indianapolis-Houston (Anthony Richardson & C.J. Stroud)
• Washington (Sam Howell)
• Rookie receivers (Puka Nacua & Zay Flowers)
• San Francisco (Brock Purdy)
• Rushing quarterbacks (Justin Fields & Russell Wilson)
• L.A. Chargers (Austin Ekeler)
• N.Y. Jets (Jordan Whitehead)

DOLPHINS HAVE CHANCE FOR HISTORIC OFFENSIVE START TO SEASON

The MIAMI DOLPHINS totaled 536 yards of offense in their Kickoff Weekend victory over the Chargers, the most offensive yards by any team in a Week 1 game since Baltimore in 2019.

Miami travels to New England to face the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 2 (8:20 PM ET, NBC) and can become the fourth team in NFL history to record at least 500 total yards of offense in each of their first two games of a season, joining New England in 2011, San Francisco in 1998 and Buffalo in 1991.

Quarterback TUA TAGOVAILOA recorded 466 passing yards and three touchdown passes in last week’s victory – the fourth-most passing yards in a season-opening game in NFL history – and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

With 356 passing yards on Sunday night, Tagovailoa will move into the top-five for most passing yards ever by a player through his team’s first two games of a season.

The players with the most passing yards in their team’s first two games of a season in NFL history:

Tagovailoa’s top target last week was wide receiver TYREEK HILL, who totaled 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns last week, the third-most receiving yards in a season-opening game in NFL history. With 115 receiving yards against New England, Hill will move into the top-five for the most receiving yards ever by a player through his team’s first two games of a season.

The players with the most receiving yards in their team’s first two games of a season in NFL history:

Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON recorded 150 receiving yards last week and both he and Hill can join Pro Football Hall of Famers TIM BROWN (1997), CHARLIE JOINER (1981) and JAMES LOFTON (1983), as well as STEVE SMITH (2011) as the only players since 1970 to record at least 150 receiving yards in each of the first two weeks of the season.

SEAHAWKS, LIONS SET FOR REMATCH OF HIGH-SCORING SHOOTOUTS

In each of the past two times the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS and DETROIT LIONS have met, the clubs combined for at least 80 points.

In Week 4 of last year, Seattle defeated Detroit, 48-45, marking the most combined points (93) and yards of offense (1,075) in any NFL game last season. In Week 17 of the 2021 season, Seattle defeated Detroit, 51-29.

No two teams in NFL history have ever combined for at least 80 points in three consecutive meetings.

In Detroit’s Week 1 victory over Kansas City, quarterback JARED GOFF completed 22 of 35 attempts for 253 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Goff has now recorded 359 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the third-longest such streak in NFL history.

The players with the most consecutive pass attempts without an interception in NFL history:

RICHARDSON & STROUD FACE OFF IN HISTORIC MEETING

When ANTHONY RICHARDSON and the Colts travel to face C.J. STROUD and the Texans, it will mark the second game in NFL history featuring two starting quarterbacks both under the age of 22. Each quarterback is currently 21 years old. The only other such matchup was when Tampa Bay’s JAMEIS WINSTON met Tennessee’s MARCUS MARIOTA in Week 1 of the 2015 season.

Stroud was selected with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, while Richardson was selected with the fourth. Sunday’s meeting will also mark the seventh game since 1950 featuring two rookie starting quarterbacks that were each selected in the top five of the NFL Draft.

Stroud completed 28 passes on Kickoff Weekend, tied for the fourth-most ever by a quarterback in his NFL debut, and tied for the fifth-most completions among all quarterbacks last week. With 27 completions, Stroud can move into the top five for most completions ever by a player in his first two career games.

The players with the most pass completions in their first two career games in NFL history:

Richardson recorded 223 passing yards and had both a passing and rushing touchdown last week. At 21 years and 111 days old, he became the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to record both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game.

With both a passing and rushing touchdown on Sunday, Richardson will become the fifth player ever to do so in each of his first two career games, joining JAKE DELHOMME (1990=9), SAM HOWELL (2022-23), CAM NEWTON (2011) and Pro Football Hall of Famer BOB WATERFIELD (1945).

HOWELL CAN MAKE HISTORY

Washington quarterback SAM HOWELL led the Commanders to a Week 1 victory in his second-career start, totaling 202 passing yards with both a passing and rushing touchdown. Howell also recorded both a passing and rushing touchdown in his NFL debut in Week 18 of last season, a victory over Dallas.

With both a passing and rushing touchdown at Denver on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Howell will become the first player ever to record a passing and rushing touchdown in each of his first three career games.

TIM TEBOW in 2010 was the most recent quarterback to record both a passing and rushing touchdowns in each of his first three career starts.

NACUA & FLOWERS MAKE IMPRESSIVE DEBUTS

Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver PUKA NACUA, a fifth-round selection in the 2023 Draft, recorded 10 receptions for 119 yards in the team’s Week 1 victory, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions in his NFL debut.

Baltimore rookie wide receiver ZAY FLOWERS, the No. 22 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, recorded nine receptions for 78 yards in the Ravens’ win last week.

Both players have the opportunity to record the most receptions ever by a player in his first two career games. EARL COOPER currently holds the NFL record with 19 receptions through his first two career games in 1980.

The players with the most receptions in their first two career games in NFL history:

With five receptions, Nacua can also surpass JIM BRIM (14 receptions) and WILL MOORE (14) for the most receptions by a player drafted in the fifth round or later, or undrafted, in his first two career games in the common-draft era.

PURDY LOOKS TO CONTINUE HISTORIC START TO CAREER

San Francisco 49ers quarterback BROCK PURDY became the team’s starter in Week 14 of last season and has not looked back. After leading the 49ers to victory in each of their final five regular-season games in 2022, Purdy recorded 220 passing yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 111.3 rating in San Francisco’s victory over Pittsburgh last week. It marked his sixth consecutive regular-season start with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 95-or-higher.

With two touchdown passes at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, FOX), Purdy will join BILLY VOLEK as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdown passes in each of his first seven career starts. He can also become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era with a passer rating of 95-or-higher in each of his first seven career starts.

Purdy, who will be 23 years and 264 days old on Sunday, can also join PATRICK MAHOMES and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO as the only quarterbacks ever under the age of 24 to record a passer rating of 95-or-higher in seven consecutive starts.

Brock Purdy’s six career regular-season starts:

 FIELDS RUSHING FOR 50, WILSON RUSHING FOR 5,000

Chicago quarterback JUSTIN FIELDS recorded 216 passing yards and 59 rushing yards on Kickoff Weekend, his 13th-career game with at least 50 rushing yards since entering the league in 2021.

With 50 rushing yards at Tampa Bay on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Fields will surpass RUSSELL WILSON (13 games) for the fifth-most games with at least 50 rushing yards by a quarterback in his first three seasons in the Super Bowl era.

The quarterbacks with the most games with at least 50 rushing yards in their first three seasons in the Super Bowl era:

​Wilson enters Week 2 with 4,967 rushing yards, the third-most by a quarterback in NFL history. With 33 rushing yards against Washington on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Wilson will become the third quarterback ever to record 5,000 career rushing yards, joining MICHAEL VICK (6,109 rushing yards) and CAM NEWTON (5,628).

EKELER CLOSING IN ON 400 RECEPTIONS, 7,500 YARDS

Los Angeles Chargers running back AUSTIN EKELER ranked third among all players last week with 164 scrimmage yards (117 rushing, 47 receiving). He now has 7,339 career scrimmage yards since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

With 161 scrimmage yards, Ekeler will become the fourth undrafted running back in the common-draft era to record at least 7,500 career scrimmage yards, joining PRIEST HOLMES (11,134 scrimmage yards), ARIAN FOSTER (8,873) and FRED JACKSON (8,643).

The undrafted running backs with at least 7,500 career scrimmage yards in the common-draft era:

Ekeler also has 393 receptions in his first 90 career games. With seven more receptions, Ekeler will surpass LARRY CENTERS (94 games) as the fourth-fastest running back in NFL history to reach 400 career receptions. Only CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY (66 games), ALVIN KAMARA (79) and ROGER CRAIG (85) reached the mark in fewer games.

The fastest running backs to reach 400 career receptions in NFL history:

Ekeler has 29 career touchdown receptions and can also become the sixth running back in the Super Bowl era with at least 30 career touchdown receptions, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer MARSHALL FAULK (36 touchdown receptions), DARREN SPROLES (32), KEITH BYARS (31), JAMES BROOKS (30) and BRIAN WESTBROOK (30).

The running backs with the most touchdown receptions in the Super Bowl era:

WHITEHEAD LOOKS FOR 4 IN FIRST 2

New York Jets safety JORDAN WHITEHEAD recorded three interceptions in the team’s Monday Night Football victory, becoming the first player with three interceptions in a Week 1 game since SAMMY KNIGHT in 2001.

With an interception at Dallas on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Whitehead can become the fourth player since 1980 to record four interceptions through the first two weeks of the season, joining TERRY KINARD (1987), JEFF NIXON (1980) and DARREN PERRY (1994).

The players with the most interceptions through the first two weeks of the season since 1980:

COURTESY www.almanac.com