New York (Special to ZennieReport.com) – In this NFL Seven For Sunday, The NFL takes a look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, October 27, the eighth week of the 2024 season. What is revealed points to the presentation by Troy Vincent and Jeff Miller at the 2024 NFL Fall League Meeting regarding the record number of close games discovered to that point, in Atlanta.
- With two games remaining in Week 8, 11 games were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter and eight games were decided by seven-or-fewer points.
There have been 66 games decided by seven-or-fewer points and 56 games decided by six-or-fewer points this season, both the most such games through Week 8 in NFL history.
Five teams – Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, New England and Washington – recorded a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation.
Washington defeated Chicago, 18-15, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels found wide receiver Noah Brown for a 52-yard touchdown pass as time expired. It marked the first 50-yard game-winning touchdown pass as time expired since Week 14, 2018 (Miami’s Ryan Tannehill 69-yard touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake).
Daniels became the second rookie quarterback since 1970 to record a 50-yard game-winning touchdown pass as time expired, joining Cleveland’s Tim Couch in Week 8 of the 1999 season (56-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson).
Arizona’s Chad Ryland and Green Bay’s Brandon McManus became the first kickers since Greg Joseph (with Minnesota in Weeks 15-16, 2022) to convert a game-winning field goal on the final play of a game in consecutive weeks.
Kansas City improved to 7-0 and became the seventh reigning Super Bowl champions to win each of their first seven games, joining the 2015 and 2019 New England Patriots, 2011 Green Bay Packers, 2007 Indianapolis Colts, 1998 Denver Broncos and 1990 San Francisco 49ers. - Three rookie quarterbacks – Washington’s Jayden Daniels, New England’s Drake Maye (first-career win) and Denver’s Bo Nix – earned wins in Week 8.
Between Daniels (six wins), Nix (five – the most-ever by a Broncos rookie), Chicago’s Caleb Williams (four) and Maye (one), rookie quarterbacks have combined for 16 wins this season, the second-most by rookie quarterbacks in the first eight weeks of a season since 1950, trailing only 2012 (17).
With Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Washington’s Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 selection, both starting against each of other in Week 8, it marked the sixth time in NFL history that the top two selections in the NFL Draft met as starting quarterbacks in their rookie season.
Nix recorded four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and a 124.2 passer rating in Week 8, becoming the fourth rookie quarterback with at least three touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 120-or-higher in a game since 2000, joining Justin Herbert (Jan. 3, 2021), Cam Newton (Dec. 24, 2011) and Deshaun Watson (Oct. 1, 2017). - The Detroit Lions defeated the Tennessee Titans, 52-14, in Week 8 and have scored 172 points in their past four games (Weeks 4, 6-8), the most points by a team in a four-game span since the 2019 Baltimore Ravens (172 points from Weeks 9-12).
Lions quarterback Jared Goff recorded a 129.9 passer rating on Sunday and became the third player in NFL history with a passer rating of 125-or-higher in four consecutive games (minimum 15 attempts per game), joining Russell Wilson (five straight games in 2015) and Ryan Tannehill (four in 2019).
Goff has 42 career games with a passer rating of 110-or-higher, the second-most such games by a player in his first nine seasons in NFL history. Only Russell Wilson (63 games) has more.
Goff has completed 83 percent of his pass attempts (88 of 106) in his past five games, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning [80.2 percent (105 of 131) from Weeks 13-17, 2008] for the highest completion percentage by a player in a five-game span (minimum 100 attempts) in NFL history.
Detroit wide receiver Kalif Raymond, with 190 punt return yards (including a 90-yard punt-return touchdown and a 64-yard punt return) and a touchdown reception on Sunday, became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 150 punt-return yards, a punt-return touchdown and a touchdown reception in a game, joining Travis Benjamin (Sept. 20, 2015), Jermaine Lewis (Dec. 7, 1997) and Steve Smith Sr. (Dec. 8, 2002). - Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for 276 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 145.9 rating in the Falcons’ 31-26 win at Tampa Bay.
Cousins has 10 career games with at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher, becoming the sixth quarterback in NFL history with at least 10 such career games, joining Tom Brady (21 games), Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (20), Aaron Rodgers (20), Drew Brees (18) and Tony Romo (10).
Cousins had 785 passing yards and eight touchdown passes in two games against Tampa Bay this season, becoming the fourth player since at least 1948 with at least 750 passing yards and eight touchdown passes against an opponent in a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (874 passing yards and eight touchdown passes against the New York Jets in 1988), Joe Montana (874 and eight against Atlanta in 1990) and Y.A. Tittle (761 and 10 against Washington in 1962). - Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 262 yards with two touchdowns and tight end Travis Kelce had 10 receptions for 90 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs’ 27-20 win at Las Vegas.
Mahomes has 81 career regular-season wins and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (80 wins) and Ben Roethlisberger (80) for the third-most wins by a starting quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (86 wins) and Russell Wilson (86) have more.
Mahomes has 96 career wins, including the postseason, and surpassed Russell Wilson (95 wins) for the second-most wins, including the postseason, by a starting quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (100 wins) has more.
Mahomes is the third quarterback ever to record three career winning streaks of 12-or-more games, including the postseason, joining Tom Brady (five such streaks) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (three).
Mahomes has 30,075 passing yards in 103 games and surpassed Matthew Stafford (109 games) as the fastest player to reach 30,000 career passing yards in NFL history.
Mahomes recorded his 70th career game with at least two touchdown passes and became the fourth player in NFL history with 70 such games in his first eight career seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (74 games) and Dan Marino (72) as well as Russell Wilson (72).
Kelce recorded his 75th career regular-season touchdown reception and surpassed Jason Witten (74) for the fifth-most touchdown receptions by a tight end in NFL history. Only Antonio Gates (116 touchdown receptions), Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (111), Rob Gronkowski (92) and Jimmy Graham (89) have more.
Kelce had 10 receptions in Week 8, his 11th career game with at least 10 receptions, tied with Zach Ertz (11 games) and Jason Witten (11) for the second-most such games by a tight end in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (15 games) has more.
- ·Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts totaled four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) and a 132.5 rating while running back Saquon Barkley recorded 111 scrimmage yards (108 rushing, three receiving) in the Eagles’ 37-17 win at Cincinnati.
Hurts, who had two rushing touchdowns and a 119.3 rating in Week 7, is the first player in NFL history with multiple rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in consecutive games.
Hurts became the second player in NFL history with three rushing touchdowns, a touchdown pass and a passer rating of 130-or-higher (minimum five pass attempts) in a game, joining Greg Landry (Oct. 1, 1972, with Detroit).
Hurts recorded his third-career regular-season game with three rushing touchdowns, surpassing Daunte Culpepper (two games), Johnny Lujack (two) and Tobin Rote (two) for the most such games by a quarterback in NFL history.
Barkley is the third player in NFL history with at least 110 scrimmage yards in six of his first seven games with a team, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (with the Los Angeles Rams in 1983) and Kareem Hunt (with Kansas City in 2017). - Las Vegas rookie tight end Brock Bowers had five receptions for 58 yards in Week 8.
Bowers has 52 receptions this season, tying Eddie Royal (52 receptions) for the third-most receptions by a player in his first eight career games in NFL history. Only Puka Nacua (61 receptions) and Saquon Barkley (58) had more.
Bowers has 535 receiving yards this season, becoming the third tight end ever with 500 receiving yards in his first eight career games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (581 receiving yards) and Kyle Pitts (546). - Additional notes from Sunday include:
- The Baltimore Ravens scored 24 points with 387 yards of offense on Sunday, becoming the fourth team in NFL history to score at least 20 points and record at least 375 total yards in each of their first eight games of a season, joining the 2013 Denver Broncos, 2007 New England Patriots and 2000 St. Louis Rams.
Baltimore, with 1,600 rushing yards this season, are the fourth team since 1980 with at least 1,600 rushing yards in its first eight games of a season, joining the 1984 Chicago Bears (1,677 rushing yards), 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,641) and 2019 Baltimore Ravens (1,639). - Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson totaled 335 yards (289 passing, 46 rushing) with two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 101.8 rating on Sunday.
Jackson has 501 rushing yards this season, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 500 rushing yards in seven consecutive seasons and the second quarterback ever with at least 500 rushing yards in seven career seasons, joining Cam Newton (seven).
Jackson is the second quarterback ever to record at least 40 rushing yards in each of his team’s first eight games of a season, joining Michael Vick in 2006. - Baltimore running back Derrick Henry rushed for 73 yards and recorded his 99th-career rushing touchdown in Week 8, becoming the first player in NFL history with a touchdown in each of his first eight games with a team.
- In his 60th career game, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow connected with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a first-quarter touchdown on Sunday.
Burrow has 112 touchdown passes and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas (111 touchdown passes) as well as Andrew Luck (111) and Deshaun Watson (111) for the fourth-most touchdown passes by a player in his first 60 games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (145 touchdown passes), Patrick Mahomes (144) and Justin Herbert (114) had more.
Chase, who has seven touchdown receptions this season, became the fourth player in NFL history with at least seven touchdown receptions in each of his first four career seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Bob Hayes and Randy Moss as well as Joey Galloway. - Arizona tight end Trey McBride had nine receptions for 124 yards in the Cardinals’ 28-27 comeback victory at Miami in Week 8 and became the third tight end in NFL history with at least five receptions in eight consecutive road games, joining Travis Kelce (10 consecutive road games from 2019-20) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (nine from 2004-05).
- Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney had his league-leading sixth interception of the season in the Packers’ 30-27 win at Jacksonville.
McKinney is the fifth player since 2000 with an interception in six of his team’s first eight games of a season, joining Corey Chavous (2003 with Minnesota), Trevon Diggs (2021 with Dallas), Doug Evans (2001 with Carolina) and Brian Russell (2003 with Minnesota).
- The Baltimore Ravens scored 24 points with 387 yards of offense on Sunday, becoming the fourth team in NFL history to score at least 20 points and record at least 375 total yards in each of their first eight games of a season, joining the 2013 Denver Broncos, 2007 New England Patriots and 2000 St. Louis Rams.