64 Statistical Observations From NFL Sunday

NFL Sunday Recap

NFL football is officially back and everyone is excited. Week 1 included many surprises and memorable performances. This article will share 64 statistical observations from Sunday’s Week 1 slate you should know about. 

Seattle Seahawks 21, Cincinnati Bengals 20

• Andy Dalton completed 35 of 51 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Did you know this was the Bengals first 400-yard passing game since Carson Palmer back in 2010? This was a career-high in passing yards in a season opener for the 31-year old quarterback. Dalton’s previous high was back in 2016 in which threw for 366 yards. The Bengals leaned heavily on the passing after running back Joe Mixon left the game with an ankle injury. Were you aware that wide receiver John Ross accounted for 38 percent of Dalton’s passing yards? This performance was surprising considering Dalton was without A.J. Green. He could find himself on the streaming radar as a solid QB2 in Week 2 if Mixon is expected to miss time. 
• John Ross (12) and Tyler Boyd (11) were the only Bengals WRs to see double-digit targets. 
• Chris Carson finished with 21 touches for 81 total yards and two touchdowns. He picked up 21 of his 46 rushing yards on a critical third-down late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Seahawks to run out the clock. Carson had more touches than Rashaad Penny (6) and the team’s coaching staff followed through on using him as a receiver out of the backfield. Carson finished the game with seven targets. He can be viewed as a high-end RB2 moving forward. 
• Tyler Lockett finished the game with only two targets, but quarterback Russell Wilson only attempted 20 passes. 
• D.K. Metcalf’s 89 receiving yards were the most by a Seahawks rookie WR in a debut according to Pro Football Reference. 

Detroit Lions 27, Arizona Cardinals 27 (Overtime)

• Kyler Murray finished the game with 54 pass attempts, only three rushing attempts, and a QBR of 38.5. It was a rough game, but the light bulb finally started to come on for him in the fourth quarter. Murray is shaping up to be a player that will improve every week. He’s worth stashing as a matchup based QB2 with upside. 
• David Johnson’s usage was very encouraging. He finished with 24 touches, 137 total yards, and one receiving touchdown. It was very encouraging to see Johnson’s seven targets accumulate 45 air yards. This means Murray is throwing the football down the field to him as opposed to behind the line of scrimmage. 
• T.J. Hockenson was the eighth tight end since the merger to have 75 or more receiving yards in his NFL debut according to Pro Football Reference. He could himself on the TE1 radar sooner rather than later. 
• Danny Amendola accumulated 13 targets, 104 receiving yards, and 122 air yards. 
• Kenny Golladay finished with nine targets and lead the Lions in air yards with 147

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Indianapolis Colts 24 (Overtime)

• Austin Ekeler accumulated 154 total yards on 18 touches scoring three touchdowns. He forced nine missed tackles according to Pro Football Focus which was more in a single game than Melvin Gordon had last season. The only Chargers player to finish with more targets in Week 1 was Keenan Allen with 10. Ekeler is the fourth player over the last 10 seasons in the season opener with 150 or more scrimmage yards and three touchdowns according to ESPN Stats and Info. Tyreek Hill (2018), Kareem Hunt (2017), and Arian Foster (2010) are the other three. 
• Justin Jackson was only given seven touches. 
• T.Y. Hilton led the Colts in targets (9), receptions (8), receiving yards (87), and air yards (67). He can be viewed as a WR2 with WR1 upside with Jacoby Brissett under center. 
• The Colts coaching staff has commented all offseason that Marlon Mack could carry the load. He did just that finishing the game with 25 rushing attempts. 

Baltimore Ravens 59, Miami Dolphins 10

• Lamar Jackson did what any other elite fantasy QB would do. He took advantage of an inferior matchup to the tune of 324 passing yards and five touchdowns. Jackson produced the best passer rating (158.3) in Ravens history according to Pro Football Reference. He is a must-start against the Cardinals in Week 2. 
• Marquise Brown caught four of five targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Ravens in air yards (91). He became the first player in NFL history with multiple 40-yard touchdowns in his debut according to Pro Football Reference. Brown scored 30.7 fantasy points today which was the most by a WR in their NFL debut since Anquan Boldin (41.7) in 2003 according to NFL Research. He can be viewed as a WR2 against the Cardinals secondary. 
• Mark Andrews’ eight targets suggest he’s the Ravens No. 1 tight end. 
• DeVante Parker led the Dolphins in targets (7) and air yards (163). He has little competition for targets heading into Week 2 with Albert Wilson dealing with a calf injury. 

Kansas City Chiefs 40, Jacksonville Jaguars 26

• Patrick Mahomes finished with the second-most passing yards (378) and the second-highest passer rating (143.2) of his career according to Pro Football Reference. 
• Sammy Watkins led the Chiefs with 11 targets, nine receptions, 198 receiving yards, 99 air yards, 141 yards after the catch, and three touchdowns. He’ll be the Chiefs No. 1 receiver while Tyreek Hill recovers from a shoulder injury. 
• Rookie Mecole Hardman only finished the game with one target. This will change in Week 2 due to Hill’s injury. 
• Rookie Gardner Minshew replaced an injured Nick Foles. He completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. The rookie threw one interception. According to Elias Sports, his streak of 13 consecutive completions to begin his career is the longest streak by a player to start their career who debuted over the last 40 years. The previous longest over the last 40 years was nine by Brad Johnson in 1994.
• Dede Westbrook finished the game with six targets, five receptions, 30 receiving yards, five air yards, and one touchdown. He was intriguing player heading into fantasy drafts this summer because of Foles tendency to pepper slot receivers with targets. This will change with Minshew under center. 
• Chris Conley finished with seven targets, six receptions, 97 receiving yards, 83 air yards, and one touchdown.
• D.J. Chark led the entire team with 106 air yards and 40 yards after the catch. He caught all of his four targets for 146 receiving yards. 
• Game flow was not on Leonard Fournette’s side in Week 1, but he did finish the game with 13 rushing attempts and six targets. The usage as a receiver out of the backfield is encouraging. 

Philadelphia Eagles 32, Washington Redskins 27

• The addition of DeSean Jackson this offseason helped the entire Eagles offense. The team had just 24 receptions of 20 or more yards last season which was the fourth worst in the NFL.
• According to Elias Sports Jackson scored his 30th career touchdown of at least 50 yards in Week 1. He now has the second most 50 yards or more touchdowns of all-time passing Randy Moss. The only other WR with more than Jackson is Jerry Rice (36). The last player with two receiving touchdowns of 50 pls yards in a single game was Odell Beckham back in Week 6 of the 2016 season according to Pro Football Reference. 
• Chris Thompson led the Redskins with 10 targets.
• Terry McLaurin led Washington with 125 receiving yards and 143 air yards. 

Dallas Cowboys 35, New York Giants 17

• Dak Prescott completed 78 percent of his passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns. He set a Cowboys record for passing yards in a season opener according to Pro Football Reference. The previous record was held by Hall of Famer Troy Aikman (362 passing yards). Prescott finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He is the third player in Cowboys history with multiple 400 or more passing yard games according to Pro Football Reference. Tony Romo had five and Don Meredith had 2. 
• Michael Gallup led the Cowboys with 158 receiving yards and 76 yards after the catch. 
• Amari Cooper led the team with 106 air yards. 
• Saquon Barkley averaged 9.26 yards per touch. 
• Cody Latimer finished with eight targets, three receptions, 74 receiving yards, and 164 air yards. This type of volume is likely to be short-lived with Golden Tate expected to return after serving a four-game suspension. 
• Evan Engram led the Giants with 14 targets. He caught 11 of them for 116 receiving yards.  

Tennessee Titans 43, Cleveland Browns 13

• Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes in the second. One to Derrick Henry and two to Delanie Walker. After a dire first half, Mariota completed all six passes in the second for 140 yards. 
• Derrick Henry finished the game with 20 touches. 
• Dion Lewis only had six touches. 
• No Titans player accumulated more than 60 air yards. A.J. Brown led the way with 54. 
• Nick Chubb finished the game with 20 touches. 
• Odell Beckham led the Browns with 11 targets and 116 air yards. 
• Jarvis Landry finished with seven targets and 98 air yards. 

San Francisco 49ers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

• This was Jameis Winston’s 17th game in his career since entering the NFL with multiple interceptions. The 49ers defense only had two interceptions in 2018
• Mike Evans led the Buccaneers with 114 air yards. 
• Ronald Jones (14) and Peyton Barber (10) finished the game with a similar number of touches. Jones was more productive finishing with 93 total yards compared to Barber’s 45. 
• George Kittle led the 49ers with 54 receiving yards and 52 air yards. 

Minnesota Vikings 28, Atlanta Falcons 12

• The Falcons offensive line had trouble protecting Matt Ryan. The 34-year old quarterback was sacked four times. 
• Julio Jones led the Falcons with 11 targets and 107 air yards. He also scored a touchdown. 
• Dalvin Cook finished with 5.2 yards per touch. He finished with 111 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. This was Cook’s third career game with 100 rushing yards. He is the second Vikings player with 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a season opener since Adrian Peterson according to Elias Sports. 

Buffalo Bills 17, New York Jets 16

• Josh Allen finished the game with 10 rushing attempts for only 38 yards and one rushing touchdown.
• Devin Singletary averaged 11 yards per touch. He should find himself on the RB3 radar in Week 2 against the Giants. 
• John Brown led the Bills with 10 targets and 133 air yards. 
• Cole Beasley (9) had the second most targets and air yards (81) for the Bills. 
• Jamison Crowder’s 14 receptions are tied for the 2nd-most in a game in Jets franchise history according to Elias Sports. 
• Le’Veon Bell looked like his old self finishing with 92 total yards and a receiving touchdown. He played on 100 percent of the Jets offensive snaps. 

Los Angeles Rams 30, Carolina Panthers 27

• Christian McCaffrey finished Week 1 with an insane 29 touches, 209 total yards, and two touchdowns.
• D.J. Moore led the Panthers with 90 air yards. 
• Robert Woods led the Rams with 13 targets 70 receiving yards, and 98 air yards. 
• Todd Gurley finished with 15 touches. He wasn’t actively involved in the red zone especially near the goal line. 

New England Patriots 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 3

• Tom Brady now ranks third all-time now with 88 career 300-yard passing games according to Pro Football Reference. Drew Brees (115) and Peyton Manning (93) are the only QBs ahead of him.
• The percentage of snaps played between James Conner (46%) and Jaylen Samuels (33%) may not be what everyone expected. 
• Julian Edelman led the Patriots in targets with 11. He just became the 5th player with 500 or more receptions in Patriots franchise history according to NFL Research. Edelman joins Wes Welker, Troy Brown, Stanley Morgan, and Rob Gronkowski. 
• James Washington led the Steelers in air yards with 169 on six targets. 

Conclusion

We will be blessed with a doubleheader tonight for Monday Night Football. The New Orleans Saints will face off against the Houston Texans at home. The Denver Broncos will face the Oakland Raiders on the road. Be on the lookout for the Week 2 edition of Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em, By The Numbers, and Bold Predictions. If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter (@EricNMoody). Thanks for reading and please sign up for FantasyData Premium.