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 17, the second week of the 2023 season.
Every week and every season, the National Football League never ceases to surprise. The league’s unpredictability is what makes it special.
Didn’t expect TAMPA BAY or the LOS ANGELES RAMS to go on the road and register impressive season-opening victories? How about the new quarterbacks that led LAS VEGAS and NEW ORLEANS to exciting wins?
Didn’t think the DALLAS COWBOYS would “put the league on notice” with a 40-0 statement victory?
What about you, head coach DAN CAMPBELL? What did you learn about your DETROIT LIONS after a fantastic 21-20 victory over the defending world champion?
“I didn’t learn anything,” Campbell said. “I got verification on what I already knew. This is a resilient team. It already was a resilient team and we added pieces to that resilient team. We’re built to handle some stuff and we did that today against a very good opponent.”
And speaking of handling some stuff against a very good opponent, the NEW YORK JETS branded an exclamation point – six to be exact – on the Week 1 schedule when undrafted rookie XAVIER GIPSON returned an overtime punt 65 yards for a walk-off touchdown on Monday Night Football,
The Lions and Jets aren’t the only teams looking to flip the script to begin the season. For the first time since 2004, DETROIT, CLEVELAND, JACKSONVILLE and the NEW YORK JETS are each 1-0. The Jets are bidding for their first 2-0 start since 2015 while the Browns look to advance to 2-0 for the first time since the 1993 season.
Take your seats, folks. The NFL has left port on 2023 and the long journey is filled with unexpected loops and bends. As the league enters Week 2, expect to see more of what you didn’t expect.
Just don’t be surprised.
The Starting 11 entering Week 2…
1. LION’S SHARE OF ATTENTION: Since Week 9 last season, Detroit’s JARED GOFF has guided the Lions to wins in nine of their last 11. In that span, only PATRICK MAHOMES (also nine) has as many wins as a starter among quarterbacks. Goff’s top target, AMON-RA ST. BROWN, has 77 receptions in that stretch, trailing only JUSTIN JEFFERSON (85) among NFL players. Meanwhile, Detroit’s offensive line has allowed just 12 sacks since Week 9 last season, second in the league behind Tampa Bay (10). Finally, only San Francisco (plus-17) has a better turnover margin than the Lions (plus-12) since Week 9 of 2022.
2. NUMBER OF THE WEEK – 3: Miami’s TYREEK HILL now has three eye-popping individual games on his career résumé. In last week’s comeback road victory, Hill posted 215 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. It marked his third career game with at least 200 receiving yards and multiple touchdown receptions. Hill became one of just three players ever with three-or-more such games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer DON HUTSON (four) and CHARLIE HENNIGAN (three). This week, Hill and the MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-0) are at NEW ENGLAND (0-1) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC).
3. THE IMPORTANCE OF 2-0: Since the NFL expanded its postseason in 1990, opening 2-0 has given teams a significant advantage toward qualifying for the playoffs. In that span, 63.8 percent of teams that have started 2-0 have advanced to the postseason. In contrast, only 41.8 percent of teams that began 1-1 have reached the playoffs since 1990.
4. SPOTLIGHT – INDIVIDUAL MATCHUPS: Marquee matchups will be all over the field on Sunday when the NEW YORK JETS (1-0) meet the DALLAS COWBOYS (1-0) at AT&T Stadium (4:25 PM ET, CBS).
5. SPOTLIGHT – TEAM MATCHUPS: Defensive coordinators will have their hands full in a pair of AFC games this week that include some of the top offensive weapons in the NFL.
6. STREAK SPEAK: TREVOR LAWRENCE and JACKSONVILLE (1-0) open their home schedule against KANSAS CITY (0-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). The Jaguars have won five consecutive home games, including a comeback win over the Chargers in the AFC playoffs. In fact, in each of those five contests (wins over the Raiders, Ravens, Cowboys, Titans and Chargers), Lawrence has engineered a drive that either gave Jacksonville its game-winning points in the fourth quarter or overtime, or sent a game to overtime.
7. DID YOU KNOW?: WASHINGTON (1-0) heads west to meet DENVER (0-1) on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS) in a rematch of Super Bowl XXII 36 years ago. A standout in Washington’s rich history, DOUG WILLIAMS that day earned MVP honors and became the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Williams is now a senior advisor in the Commanders’ front office. Also in that victory, rookie running back TIMMY SMITH posted 204 rushing yards, a mark that still stands as the single-game Super Bowl record.
8. UNDER-THE-RADAR STORYLINE: When MINNESOTA (0-1) meets PHILADELPHIA (1-0) in the 2023 premiere of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football (8:15 PM ET, Prime Video), some will call it a linebacker-room reunion. That’s because MIKE SIRAVO, the Vikings’ inside linebackers coach, returns to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since 2016, when he coached future Pro Bowler HAASON REDDICK at Temple. Siravo and the Owls’ coaching staff helped Reddick rise from walk-on to first-round draft choice. A cornerback, linebacker and defensive lineman in college, Reddick starred at Haddon Heights (N.J.) High School, just nine miles from where he'll play Thursday. Reddick and Siravo first reunited in 2021, when Reddick recorded 11 sacks under Siravo’s tutelage with the Carolina Panthers.
9. TREND TIME: The NFL has scheduled a pair of games on Monday Night Football this week. First, NEW ORLEANS (1-0) travels to CAROLINA (0-1) for an NFC South showdown (7:15 PM ET, ESPN). Then, CLEVELAND (1-0) and PITTSBURGH (0-1) close the evening at Acrisure Stadium (8:15 PM ET, ABC).
10. NEXT GEN STATS NOTE OF THE WEEK: In last week’s win, 49ers running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY posted a 65-yard touchdown, the third-longest carry of his career. On the play, he gained 63 yards after initial contact and covered 82 overall yards before breaking the plane. He also reached a top speed of 19.47 miles per hour, his fastest of the day.
11. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: In a rematch of last season’s AFC Wild Card playoff at Paycor Stadium, CINCINNATI (0-1) hosts BALTIMORE (1-0) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). And unlike that 24-17 postseason loss in their last meeting, this time the Ravens will have a healthy LAMAR JACKSON.
The Detroit Lions start the season off 1-0 by knocking off the defending champs on the road!
Are the Detroit Lions Americas team now?
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