Benedict Bermange picks out the best stats from Week One in the NFL, including yet another five-touchdown performance by Patrick Mahomes; Tom Brady's winning streak against the Dallas Cowboys continues; Carson Wentz makes history in Washington on his debut with the Commanders
Wednesday 14 September 2022 10:30, UK
Sky Sports Cricket statistician - and big Buffalo Bills fan - Benedict Bermange dives into the opening week of the 2022 season to pick out the best stats the NFL has to offer, including a rookie record by Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York and yet another five-TD display from Patrick Mahomes...
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 in the season's opening game on Thursday night. That was the second-largest margin of defeat by any reigning Super Bowl champion in their first game of the season, behind only the Baltimore Ravens' 49-27 defeat to the Denver Broncos in Week One of the 2013 season.
After taking a 26-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Atlanta Falcons conceded 17 unanswered points to lose 27-26 to the New Orleans Saints. It marked the third time the Falcons have blown a fourth-quarter lead of at least 15 points since the start of the 2020 season. The rest of the NFL have accounted for only two such blown leads over that same time period.
Rookie Cade York kicked a game-winning 58-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Browns' victory over the Carolina Panthers. It is the longest field goal made by a rookie in his team's first game of the season and also the second-longest in Browns history.
York's kick gave the Browns their first opening-week victory since the 2004 season, ending the longest winless streak in season openers by any team since the 1970 merger.
Despite featuring four new starters on the offensive line, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked seven times by the Pittsburgh Steelers and was responsible for a career-high five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble). The only other QB who threw as many as four interceptions in the season opener after starting in the previous year's Super Bowl was Bart Starr, who did so against the Detroit Lions in the first week of the 1967 season.
In the process of passing for 352 yards in the Indianapolis Colts' 20-20 tie with the Houston Texans, Matt Ryan passed 60,000 passing yards. Only one quarterback has reached that landmark in fewer games.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel earned his first career win against the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick, who entered the game with 321 career wins. No head coach making his NFL debut has ever beaten an opposing coach with more wins to their name.
Carson Wentz led a fourth quarter comeback in the Washington Commanders' 28-22 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and in so doing became the first quarterback in Washington history to throw four touchdown passes in his first game for the team.
The Kansas City Chiefs' 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals was their eighth successive season-opening win, extending the longest active streak in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes has now thrown 18 touchdown passes in Week One over the course of his career, without a single interception. It was also his sixth career game with at least five touchdown passes, putting him joint-fourth on the all-time list.
Having led the NFL in both points per game (31.2) and yards per game (407.0) last season, the Dallas Cowboys lost 19-3 on Sunday night to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The only time the Cowboys have scored fewer points in their season opener was when they were shut out 28-0 by the Saints in 1989 on their way to a 1-15 record.
Tom Brady continued his career dominance of the Cowboys. He was a perfect 5-0 against them when playing for the Patriots and has now won his first two games against them as quarterback for the Buccaneers.
On back-to-back possessions, the Denver Broncos fumbled the ball at the Seattle Seahawks' one-yard line in their 17-16 defeat on Monday Night Football. Since 1991, no team had lost multiple fumbles on plays from the opponent's one-yard line in the same game, never mind on consecutive drives. The last team to even lose multiple fumbles from inside the opponent's five-yard-line in the same game were the Philadelphia Eagles against the Green Bay Packers in Week Four of the 2006 season.
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