NEW YORK –– Sept. 8, 2024 –– 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 8, the first week of the 2024 season.
- For the first time in 45 years, three teams trailed by at least 14 points and came back to win in Week 1: Chicago (17 points), Buffalo (14) and Miami (14). The 2024 season tied the 1960 and 1979 seasons for the most such comeback victories on Kickoff Weekend in NFL history.
At least one team has overcome a deficit of 14-or-more points in Week 1 in 10 of the past 12 seasons (2013-24).
With two games remaining in Week 1, nine games have been decided by one score or less (eight points) and 10 games were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter.
Six teams that missed the postseason in 2023 won in Week 1: Chicago, the Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans and Seattle.
- With the introduction of the dynamic kickoff and with two games remaining in Week 1, teams have registered an average of 26.9 yards per kick return. Only three weeks since 1970 have had a league-wide kickoff return average of 27-or-more yards: Week 17 of the 2022 season (28.8 yards per kickoff return), Week 17 of the 2023 season (27.7) and Week 1 of the 2020 season (27.2).
There have been 1,451 kick return yards so far on Kickoff Weekend, more kick return yards than any week last season.
Arizona’s running back DeeJay Dallas recorded a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, marking the first kick-return touchdown in a season-opening game since 2018 (Miami’s Jakeem Grant and Tennessee’s Darius Jennings). - Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen totaled four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) with a 137.7 rating in the Bills’ 34-28 victory over Arizona in Week 1.
Allen has four career games with at least two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young (four) for the most such games in NFL history.
Allen has 10 career games with at least two rushing touchdowns and joined Jalen Hurts (12) and Cam Newton (10) as the only quarterbacks all-time with at least 10 such career games.
Allen has 20 career games with at least two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown and joined Cam Newton (22 games) and Aaron Rodgers (20, entering Monday night) as the only players all-time with at least 20 such career games.
Allen has 37 career games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown, tied with Cam Newton (37) for the most such games by a player in his first seven seasons in NFL history. - Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill recorded seven receptions for 130 yards, including a career-long 80-yard touchdown reception, in the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over Jacksonville.
Hill has 12 career touchdowns of at least 75 yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell (12 touchdowns) for the third-most touchdowns of 75-or-more yards in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Devin Hester (14) and Ollie Matson (13) have more.
Hill has 22 career games with at least 125 receiving yards and a touchdown reception, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson (22 games) and Randy Moss (22) for the third-most such games by a player in his first nine seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Lance Alworth (25 games) and Jerry Rice (25) have more. - Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield recorded four touchdown passes with no interceptions for a 146.4 rating in Buccaneers’ 37-20 win over Washington.
Mayfield has four career games with at least four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher, tied with Aaron Rodgers (four) for the third-most such games by a player in his first seven seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (six games) and Kurt Warner (five) have more. - With rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams (No. 1 overall in 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago), Jayden Daniels (No. 2, Washington) and Bo Nix (No. 12, Denver) each starting for their team in Week 1, the 2024 season joined 2012 (five rookie quarterbacks), 2023 (three) and 2021 (three) as the only seasons since 1970 in which at least three rookie quarterbacks started in Week 1.
Williams is the first rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall to start and win his NFL debut in Week 1 since 2002 (Houston’s David Carr vs. Dallas on September 8, 2002).
Daniels rushed for 88 yards, the most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback in a season-opening game in the Super Bowl era and the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback in his first career game in the Super Bowl era, trailing only Kevin Hogan (104 rushing yards on October 23, 2016).
Daniels also rushed for two touchdowns and joined Kenny Pickett (October 2, 2022) as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era with multiple rushing touchdowns in their first career game. - With two games remaining in Week 1, there have been 19 made field goals of 50-or-more yards, surpassing Week 3 of the 2023 season (15 made 50-yard field goals) for the most in a single week in NFL history.
Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell and Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn each made three field goals of 50-or-more yards, becoming the first two kickers all-time to make three 50-yard field goals in a season-opening game. It also marked the first time in NFL history that multiple kickers converted three 50-yard field goals in the same week.
Boswell, with five of his six made field goals coming from at least 40 yards, became the first kicker in NFL history to record multiple career games with five field goals of 40-or-more yards. He also accomplished the feat on December 18, 2016. - Additional notes from Sunday include:
- The New Orleans Saints defeated Carolina, 47-10, the team’s sixth-consecutive Week 1 victory, the longest active streak in the NFL. For the eighth-consecutive season, at least one team has scored 40-or-more points in Week 1.
Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor registered three sacks and joined Rodney Harrison (three sacks in 1998) as the only defensive backs since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with three sacks in a Week 1 game. - Both the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers earned Week 1 victories without scoring an offensive touchdown, marking the first time since Week 7, 2011, (Cleveland and Jacksonville) that multiple teams won in the same week without scoring an offensive touchdown.
- The Denver Broncos became the first team since the Miami Dolphins on December 3, 2017, with multiple safeties in a game and the third team all-time to record multiple safeties in a season-opening contest, joining New Orleans on September 13, 1987, and the New York Giants on September 17, 1950.
- The New Orleans Saints defeated Carolina, 47-10, the team’s sixth-consecutive Week 1 victory, the longest active streak in the NFL. For the eighth-consecutive season, at least one team has scored 40-or-more points in Week 1.
