Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs shakes hands with Ben Roethlisberger. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – Courtesy of NFL Communications, a look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 16, the second week of the 2018 season.
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Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES completed 23 of 28 attempts (82.1 percent) for 326 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions for a 154.8 passer rating in the Chiefs’ 42-37 win at Pittsburgh.
Mahomes, who threw four touchdown passes in Week 1, has 10 touchdown passes in two weeks, the most by a quarterback in NFL history through his team’s first two games of a season. The previous record of nine touchdown passes was held by PEYTON MANNING (2013), DREW BREES (2009) and CHARLEY JOHNSON (1965). Manning’s 2013 Denver Broncos and Brees’ 2009 New Orleans Saints advanced to the Super Bowl in their respective seasons.
Mahomes, who started the final game of the 2017 season and the first two games of this season for the Chiefs, has 10 touchdown passes in his first three career games. His 10 touchdown passes are the most by a player in his first three career games in NFL history, surpassing MARCUS MARIOTA (eight) and MARK RYPIEN (eight).
At 22 years, 364 days old, Mahomes is the youngest quarterback in NFL history with at least six touchdown passes in a single game. The previous record was held by NICK FOLES (24 years, 287 days), who threw seven touchdown passes on November 3, 2013.
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Tampa Bay quarterback RYAN FITZPATRICK completed 27 of 33 attempts (81.8 percent) for 402 yards with four touchdowns and one interception for a 144.4 passer rating in the Buccaneers’ 27-21 victory over Philadelphia.
Fitzpatrick, who threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1, joins PATRICK MAHOMES (2018) and DREW BLEDSOE (1997) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least four touchdown passes in each of their team’s first two games of a season.
Fitzpatrick connected on 75-yard touchdown passes to wide receiver DE SEAN JACKSON and tight end O.J. HOWARD in the contest. He has four touchdown passes of at least 50 yards this season, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE NAMATH (four in 1972) for the most 50+ yard touchdown passes through a team’s first two games of a season in NFL history.
Jackson, who has 23 career touchdowns of at least 60 yards, tied Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (23) for the most such touchdowns in league annals.
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Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints catches a touchdown. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
New Orleans wide receiver MICHAEL THOMAS had 12 catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints’ 21-18 win against Cleveland.
Thomas, who had a franchise-record 16 catches in Week 1, has 28 receptions in the Saints’ first two games of 2018 and surpassed ANDRE RISON (26 catches in 1994) for the most by a player in his team’s first two games to start a season in NFL history.
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Tennessee safety KEVIN BYARD threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to rookie defensive back DANE CRUIKSHANK on a fake punt in the first quarter of the Titans’ 20-17 win against Houston.
Byard’s 66-yard touchdown pass was the longest by a defensive player in the Super Bowl era, surpassing the previous long of 18 yards set by Los Angeles Rams defensive back ED MEADOR on November 19, 1967.
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Indianapolis kicker ADAM VINATIERI converted all three of his extra-point attempts in the Colts’ 21-9 victory at Washington.
Vinatieri, who has 2,501 career points in 23 career seasons, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer MORTEN ANDERSEN (2,544) as the only players in NFL history with at least 2,500 career points.
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The MINNESOTA VIKINGS and GREEN BAY PACKERS played to a 29-29 tie at Lambeau Field. Sunday’s game marked the second consecutive week with a tie (Cleveland-Pittsburgh in Week 1). This is the first season to feature a tie in each of the first two weeks since 1971, which saw Miami and Denver tie 10-10 in Week 1 and Atlanta and the Los Angeles Rams tie 20-20 in Week 2.
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Other notable performances from Sunday’s games:
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Miami running back FRANK GORE rushed for 25 yards in the Dolphins’ 20-12 win at the New York Jets. Gore, who has 14,112 career rushing yards, surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer CURTIS MARTIN (14,101) for the fourth-most rushing yards in NFL history.
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Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER completed 39 of 60 attempts (65 percent) for 452 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 104.3 passer rating in the Steelers’ loss to Kansas City. Roethlisberger has 51,852 career passing yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY (51,475) for seventh place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage leaderboard.
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Quarterback Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Denver rookie running back PHILLIP LINDSAY had 111 scrimmage yards (107 rushing, four receiving) in the Broncos’ 20-19 win against Oakland. Lindsay, who had 102 scrimmage yards (71 rushing, 31 receiving) in his NFL debut last week, became the first undrafted player in NFL history to record at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of his first two career games.
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Oakland quarterback DEREK CARR completed 29 of 32 for a 90.6 completion percentage in the Raiders’ loss at Denver. Carr’s 90.6 completion percentage was the fourth-highest in a single game in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts in a game.
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Among quarterbacks with at least 20 passing attempts, Carr’s 288 passing yards are the most by a quarterback who completed at least 90 percent of his attempts in a single game in NFL history. He is the only quarterback with at least 30 pass attempts and a 90+ completion percentage in a single game.
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