WATSON’S WIZARDRY: Houston rookie quarterback DESHAUN WATSON became the first player in NFL history with at least 400 passing yards (402), four touchdown passes (four) and 50 rushing yards (67) in a single game in the Texans‘ Week 8 loss at Seattle.
Watson has passed for at least three touchdowns and recorded a 100+ passer rating in four consecutive games, the longest streak by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. On Sunday, Watson can become the fifth different quarterback in NFL history with at least three touchdown passes and a 100+ passer rating in five consecutive games.
The quarterbacks with the most consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes and a 100+ rating in NFL history:
PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON(S) |
CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH 3+ TD PASSES & 100+ RATING |
|
Tom Brady |
New England |
2007 |
8 |
|
Peyton Manning |
Indianapolis |
2004 |
8 |
|
Russell Wilson |
Seattle |
2015 |
5 |
|
Aaron Rodgers |
Green Bay |
2012-13 |
5 |
|
Peyton Manning |
Denver |
2012 |
5 |
|
Aaron Rodgers |
Green Bay |
2011 |
5 |
|
|
||||
Deshaun Watson |
Houston |
2017 |
4* |
|
*Active streak |
DYNAMIC DUO: Houston wide receivers DE ANDRE HOPKINS (224 yards, one touchdown) and WILL FULLER V (125 yards, two touchdowns) each had at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in Week 8.
Fuller and Hopkins are tied for the NFL lead with seven touchdown receptions each this season. With a touchdown catch by both players against Indianapolis on Sunday, Fuller and Hopkins would become the third pair of teammates in NFL history with at least eight touchdown catches each in their team’s first eight games of a season.
The pairs of teammates with at least eight touchdown catches each in their team’s first eight games of a season:
SEASON |
TEAM |
PLAYER |
TD CATCHES |
PLAYER |
TD CATCHES |
2013 |
Denver |
Wes Welker |
9 |
Julius Thomas |
8 |
1959 |
Baltimore Colts |
Raymond Berry |
8 |
Jim Mutscheller |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2017 |
Houston |
Will Fuller V |
7* |
DeAndre Hopkins |
7* |
*Through seven games |
With three combined touchdown catches on Sunday, Fuller and Hopkins, who have 14 total touchdown receptions this season, would tie for the second-most combined touchdown catches by a pair of teammates through their team’s first eight games of a season in NFL history.
The pairs of teammates with the most combined touchdown catches in their team’s first eight games of a season:
SEASON |
TEAM |
PLAYER (TDS) |
PLAYER (TDS) |
COMBINED TD CATCHES |
|
1942 |
Green Bay |
Don Hutson (14) |
Andy Uram (4) |
18 |
|
2013 |
Denver |
Wes Welker (9) |
Julius Thomas (8) |
17 |
|
2007 |
New England |
Randy Moss (11) |
Wes Welker (6) |
17 |
|
1961 |
Houston Oilers |
Bill Groman (11) |
Charley Hennigan (6) |
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2017 |
Houston |
Will Fuller V (7) |
DeAndre Hopkins (7) |
14* |
|
*Through seven games |
PETERSON GAINS GROUND: Arizona running back ADRIAN PETERSON has 11,983 rushing yards and 99 rushing touchdowns in 11 career seasons.
With 17 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown at San Francisco on Sunday, Peterson would become the seventh player in NFL history with at least 12,000 career rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns. All six of the players with at least 12,000 rushing yards and 100 touchdown runs are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The players with at least 12,000 rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns in NFL history:
PLAYER |
TEAM(S) |
RUSHING YARDS |
RUSHING TDS |
|
Emmitt Smith^ |
Dallas, Arizona |
18,355 |
164 |
|
Walter Payton^ |
Chicago |
16,726 |
110 |
|
LaDainian Tomlinson^ |
San Diego, New York Jets |
13,684 |
145 |
|
Jim Brown^ |
Cleveland |
12,312 |
106 |
|
Marshall Faulk^ |
Indianapolis, St. Louis |
12,279 |
100 |
|
Marcus Allen^ |
Los Angeles Raiders, Kansas City |
12,243 |
123 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adrian Peterson |
Minnesota, New Orleans, Arizona |
11,983 |
99 |
|
^Pro Football Hall of Famer |
JAGUARS ON THE PROWL: The Jacksonville Jaguars, led by defensive ends YANNICK NGAKOUE (2.5 sacks) and CALAIS CAMPBELL (two), recorded 10 sacks in the team’s 27-0 win at Indianapolis in Week 7. Jacksonville enters Week 9 following a bye last week.
With seven sacks on Sunday against Cincinnati, Jacksonville, who leads the NFL with 33 sacks and ties for third in the league with 10 interceptions, would become the second team in the Super Bowl era with at least 40 sacks and 10 interceptions in its first eight games of a season. The 1967 Oakland Raiders, who advanced to Super Bowl II, are the only other team to accomplish the feat in the Super Bowl era.
The teams with at least 40 sacks and 10 interceptions in its first eight games of a season in the Super Bowl era:
TEAM |
SEASON |
SACKS |
INTERCEPTIONS |
Oakland |
1967 |
52 |
14 |
|
|
|
|
Jacksonville |
2017 |
33* |
10* |
*Through seven games |
|
LANDMARK FOR LANDRY: Miami wide receiver JARVIS LANDRY ranks second in the NFL with 50 catches this season.
With five catches against Oakland on Sunday Night Football, Landry, who has 338 receptions since entering the league in 2014, would surpass ANQUAN BOLDIN (342) for the most catches by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history.
The players with the most receptions in their first four seasons in NFL history:
PLAYER |
TEAM |
RECEPTIONS IN 1ST 4 SEASONS |
|
Anquan Boldin |
Arizona |
342 |
|
Jarvis Landry |
Miami |
338* |
|
Larry Fitzgerald |
Arizona |
330 |
|
A.J. Green |
Cincinnati |
329 |
|
Brandon Marshall |
Denver |
327 |
|
*In fourth season |
DOMINANT DEMARCUS: Dallas defensive end DEMARCUS LAWRENCE recorded a sack in the Cowboys‘ 33-19 win at Washington in Week 8.
Lawrence, who leads the NFL with 10.5 sacks, has recorded a sack in all seven of Dallas‘ games this season. With a sack against Kansas City on Sunday, Lawrence would become the fourth player to record a sack in each of his team’s first eight games to start a season since the individual sack became an official statistic in 1982.
Minnesota’s EVERSON GRIFFEN, who is on a bye in Week 9, has recorded at least one sack in each of the Vikings‘ first eight games of the 2017 season.
The players to record a sack in each of their team’s first eight games of a season since 1982:
PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON |
Everson Griffen |
Minnesota |
2017^ |
Dwight Freeney |
Indianapolis |
2009 |
Robert Mathis |
Indianapolis |
2005 |
Demarcus Lawrence |
Dallas |
2017* |
*Has sack in each of first seven games |
||
^Has bye in Week 9 (Active streak) |
SOARING EAGLE: Philadelphia quarterback CARSON WENTZ passed for two touchdowns in the Eagles‘ 33-10 victory over San Francisco last week.
With 26 completions against Denver on Sunday, Wentz, who has 540 completions in 24 career games, would surpass MATTHEW STAFFORD (565) for the most completions in NFL history by a quarterback in their first 25 career games.
The quarterbacks with the most completions in their first 25 career games in NFL histor
PLAYER |
TEAM |
COMPLETIONS IN 1ST 25 GAMES |
Matthew Stafford |
Detroit |
565 |
Marc Bulger |
St. Louis |
553 |
Derek Carr |
Oakland |
551 |
Carson Wentz |
Philadelphia |
540* |
Carson Palmer |
Cincinnati |
537 |
*Through 24 career games |
###