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 19, the second week of the 2021 season.
- With two games remaining, 23 teams have at least one win through the first two weeks of the 2021 season, including seven 2-0 teams: the ARIZONA CARDINALS, CAROLINA PANTHERS, DENVER BRONCOS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, LOS ANGELES RAMS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS and TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS.
Kansas City (1-0) visits Baltimore (0-1) on Sunday Night Football while Green Bay (0-1) hosts Detroit (0-1) on Monday Night Football this week. 25 teams with at least one win through the first two weeks of a season would be tied for the second-most ever, trailing only the 2012 season (26 teams).
With two games left in Week 2, 10 of 14 games (71.4 percent) have been within one score in the fourth quarter while six games have been decided by three-or-fewer points.
Two teams overcame deficits of at least 10 points to win in Week 2: Arizona overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat Minnesota, 34-33, while Tennessee overcame a 15-point halftime deficit and 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Seattle, 33-30, in overtime. 2021 is the first season since 2018 to feature an overtime game in each of the first two weeks of the season.
- Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY threw five touchdown passes, including two to tight end ROB GRONKOWSKI, in the Buccaneers’ 48-25 win over Atlanta. Including the postseason, Tampa Bay has scored at least 30 points and won each of its past nine games, the longest such streak in NFL history.
Brady has 35 career games with at least four touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (35 games) for the second-most such games in NFL history. Only DREW BREES (37 games) has more.
Brady, who threw four touchdown passes on Kickoff Weekend, is the fifth quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least nine touchdown passes in his team’s first two games of a season, joining PATRICK MAHOMES (10 touchdown passes in 2018), DREW BREES (nine in 2009), Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (nine in 2013) and RUSSELL WILSON (nine in 2020).
Brady is the fifth quarterback in NFL history with at least four touchdown passes in each of his team’s first two games of a season, joining DREW BLEDSOE (1997), RYAN FITZPATRICK (2018), PATRICK MAHOMES (2018) and RUSSELL WILSON (2020).
Dating back to Week 16 of the 2020 season, Brady has thrown at least four touchdown passes in four consecutive regular-season games, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (four games in 1984) for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (five consecutive games in 2004) has a longer such streak.
Gronkowski has 19 career regular-season games with at least two touchdown receptions and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (18 games) for the second-most such games by a tight end in NFL history. Only ANTONIO GATES (21 games) has more.
Gronkowski, who also recorded two touchdown receptions in Week 1, joins BEN COATES (1994) and DEE MACKEY (1962) as the only tight ends in league annals with at least two touchdown receptions in each of their team’s first two games of a season.
Buccaneers safety MIKE EDWARDS returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, becoming the first player since ROBERT MASSEY (October 4, 1992) with two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a single game. He is the first player since ZACH BROWN (December 30, 2012) with two interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single game.
Atlanta quarterback MATT RYAN passed for 300 yards in Week 2. Ryan, who has 56,231 career passing yards, surpassed DREW BREES (56,033) for the most passing yards by a player in his first 14 seasons in NFL history.
- Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY passed for 400 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for a 117.6 rating and added a rushing touchdown in the Cardinals’ 34-33 comeback win over Minnesota.
Murray, who had four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown on Kickoff Weekend, is the first player with at least three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first two games of a season in NFL history.
Murray has 12 career games with both a passing and rushing touchdown, surpassing STEVE GROGAN (11 games) for the fourth-most by a quarterback in his first three seasons in NFL history. Only CAM NEWTON (20 games), JOSH ALLEN (16) and DAK PRESCOTT (13) have more.
- Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY totaled 237 scrimmage yards (182 rushing, 55 receiving) and three rushing touchdowns while wide receiver JULIO JONES added 128 receiving yards in the Titans’ overtime win at Seattle.
Henry is the fourth player in NFL history with 10 career games with at least 150 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (13 games), LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (12) and BARRY SANDERS (10).
Jones recorded his 59th career game with at least 100 receiving yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (59 games) for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (76 games) and RANDY MOSS (64) have more.
Jones, who has 13,053 receiving yards in 137 career games, became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 13,000 receiving yards, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (154 games).
Seattle wide receiver TYLER LOCKETT registered eight receptions for 178 yards and one touchdown on Sunday. Lockett, who recorded a 63-yard touchdown reception in Week 2 after registering a 69-yard touchdown catch last week, is the fourth player since 1990 to record multiple touchdown receptions of at least 60 yards in his team’s first two games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers RANDY MOSS (2005) and JERRY RICE (1991), as well as STEVE SMITH SR. (2007).
- Las Vegas quarterback DEREK CARR passed for 382 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 126.2 rating in the Raiders’ 26-17 win at Pittsburgh.
Carr, who passed for 435 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, is the fifth quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least 375 passing yards and two touchdown passes in each of his team’s first two games of a season, joining DREW BLEDSOE (1994), TOM BRADY (2011), RYAN FITZPATRICK (2018) and PATRICK MAHOMES (2019).
- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 338 yards in Week 2.
Herbert registered his 10th career game with at least 300 passing yards, tied with PATRICK MAHOMES (10 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (10) for the most such games by a player in his first two seasons in NFL history.
- Six rookie quarterbacks – Chicago’s JUSTIN FIELDS, New England’s MAC JONES, San Francisco’s TREY LANCE, Jacksonville’s TREVOR LAWRENCE, Houston’s DAVIS MILLS and the New York Jets’ ZACH WILSON – have attempted a pass this season, tied with the 1971 season (six) for the most rookie quarterbacks to attempt a pass in the first two weeks of a season since 1970.
Cincinnati rookie wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE recorded a 42-yard touchdown reception in Week 2.
Chase, who had a 50-yard touchdown reception in his NFL debut last week, is the second player since 1970 to record a touchdown reception of at least 40 yards in each of his first two career games, joining SAMMY WHITE (1976).
