Week 2 NFL Primer

WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 2

NO NEED TO PANIC: At the end of Week 2, no more than 11 teams will be able to claim a perfect 2-0 record, leaving at least 21 clubs at 1-1 or 0-2.

Since realignment in 2002, 48 of the 84 playoff teams (57.1 percent) began the year at either 1-1 or 0-2. Four of the past eight Super Bowl champions began their seasons with a 1-1 or 0-2 record.

A look at how playoff clubs in 2007 and 2008 began their seasons:

2007 2008

Team
After 2 games
Playoff Result

Team
After 2 games
Playoff Result
Dallas
2-0
Advanced to Divisional

Arizona
2-0
Advanced to Super Bowl XLIII
Green Bay
2-0
Advanced to Conf. Champ.

Atlanta
1-1
Advanced to Wild Card
Indianapolis
2-0
Advanced to Divisional

Baltimore
2-0
Advanced to Conf. Champ.
Jacksonville
1-1
Advanced to Divisional

Carolina
2-0
Advanced to Divisional
New England
2-0
Advanced to Super Bowl XLII

Indianapolis
1-1
Advanced to Wild Card
N.Y. Giants
0-2
Won Super Bowl XLII

Miami
0-2
Advanced to Wild Card
Pittsburgh
2-0
Advanced to Wild Card

Minnesota
0-2
Advanced to Wild Card
Seattle
1-1
Advanced to Divisional

N.Y. Giants
2-0
Advanced to Divisional
San Diego
1-1
Advanced to Conf. Champ.

Philadelphia
1-1
Advanced to Conf. Champ.
Tampa Bay
1-1
Advanced to Wild Card

Pittsburgh
2-0
Won Super Bowl XLIII
Tennessee
1-1
Advanced to Wild Card

San Diego
0-2
Advanced to Divisional
Washington
2-0
Advanced to Wild Card

Tennessee
2-0
Advanced to Divisional

-- NFL --

A VERY BRADY WIN STREAK: With a victory on Sunday over the New York Jets, New England Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY will match Chicago’s JIM MC MAHON for the longest streak of consecutive regular-season wins by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) with 22.

Brady also had a separate streak of 18 consecutive regular-season wins that spanned from 2003 into the 2004 season, which is the third-longest in NFL annals.

Brady’s current win streak began with a 23-16 win over Houston on 12/17/06.

The longest regular-season winning streaks by NFL quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era (since 1966):

QUARTERBACK
WIN STREAK
YEARS
Jim McMahon, Chicago
22
1984-87
Tom Brady, New England
21*
2006-present
Tom Brady, New England
18
2003-04
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
15
2004-05
Many Tied
14

* Active streak

-- NFL --

TOMLIN’S TEAMS START FAST: With a win over the Bears in Week 2, MIKE TOMLIN of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) can become the third head coach of the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to lead his team to 2-0 starts in the first three years of his head-coaching career.

Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach GEORGE ALLEN led the Los Angeles Rams to 2-0 starts in all five of his seasons with the club (1966-1970). When Allen took over in 1971 as head coach in Washington, he also led the Redskins to 2-0 starts in ’71 and ’72, giving him an NFL-record seven consecutive 2-0 starts to begin his career. BUM PHILLIPS (1975-77) also led the Houston Oilers to three straight 2-0 starts in his first stint as an NFL head coach.

-- NFL --

MANNING MOVES UP: With a victory Monday night over the Miami Dolphins, PEYTON MANNING of the Indianapolis Colts will match JOHNNY UNITAS for fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list for wins by a quarterback.

Manning, who earned his 118th career win on Kickoff Weekend, has already matched Unitas’ franchise record in the category. One of Unitas’ 119 career wins came as a member of the San Diego Chargers during his final season.

The most wins by a starting quarterback in NFL history:

QUARTERBACK
CAREER WINS
Brett Favre **
170
John Elway *
148
Dan Marino *
147
Fran Tarkenton *
125
Johnny Unitas *
119
Peyton Manning **
118
* In Pro Football Hall of Fame; ** Active

-- NFL --

200 AND COUNTING: New England’s TOM BRADY (199) and Philadelphia’s DONOVAN MC NABB (196) are both approaching 200 career touchdown passes. If both players reach 200 on Sunday, it will be the first time in NFL history that two players achieve the benchmark on the same weekend.

With one more touchdown, Brady will reach 200 touchdown passes in his 115th career game, placing him fourth on the list for the fewest games played to reach the milestone.

The quarterbacks who reached 200 touchdown passes in the fewest games:

QUARTERBACK
NUMBER OF GAMES
Dan Marino
89
Peyton Manning
106
Brett Favre
107
Johnny Unitas
121
Jim Kelly
132

Tom Brady
114 *
* 199 career TD passes

-- NFL --

FABULOUS AT 50: Since joining the New Orleans Saints in 2006, quarterback DREW BREES has passed for 14,268 yards (291.2 per game) in his first 49 games with the club. Brees’ total already ranks as the most passing yards of any player in his first 50 games with a new team (rookies and veterans) in NFL history.

Brees can extend his record when he plays in his 50th game with New Orleans when the Saints visit the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

The quarterbacks with the most passing yards in their first 50 games with a new team:

QUARTERBACK
YARDS
Drew Brees, New Orleans
14,268 *
Kurt Warner, St. Louis
13,864
Marc Bulger, St. Louis
13,551
Dan Marino, Miami
13,514
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
12,939
* Through 49 games

BREAKING IN NEW DIGS: Nineteen teams have opened new NFL stadiums since 1992. In the first regular-season game at each of those facilities, the home team has an 11-8 record (.579).

The Dallas Cowboys will play their first regular-season home game at Cowboys Stadium in primetime this Sunday night against the divisional rival New York Giants.

Here’s a look at the regular-season openers at each of the NFL’s 19 newly-constructed stadiums since 1992:



HOME OPENER
TEAM
STADIUM
DATE
OPPONENT
RESULT
Dallas
Cowboys Stadium
9/20/09
N.Y. Giants
??
Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Stadium
9/7/08
Chicago
L 29-13
Arizona
University of Phoenix Stadium
9/10/06
San Francisco
W 34-27
Philadelphia
Lincoln Financial Field
9/8/03
Tampa Bay
L 17-0
Detroit
Ford Field
9/22/02
Green Bay
L 37-31
Seattle
Qwest Field
9/15/02
Arizona
L 24-13
New England
Gillette Stadium
9/9/02
Pittsburgh
W 30-14
Houston
Reliant Stadium
9/8/02
Dallas
W 19-10
Pittsburgh
Heinz Field
10/7/01
Cincinnati
W 16-7
Denver
INVESCO Field at Mile High
9/10/01
N.Y. Giants
W 31-20
Cincinnati
Paul Brown Stadium
9/10/00
Cleveland
L 24-7
Cleveland
Cleveland Browns Stadium
9/12/99
Pittsburgh
L 43-0
Tennessee
LP Field
9/12/99
Cincinnati
W 36-35
Tampa Bay
Raymond James Stadium
9/20/98
Chicago
W 27-15
Baltimore
M&T Bank Stadium
9/6/98
Pittsburgh
L 20-13
Washington
FedExField
9/14/97
Arizona
W 19-13 (OT)
Carolina
Bank of America Stadium
9/1/96
Atlanta
W 29-6
St. Louis
Edward Jones Dome
11/12/95
Carolina
W 28-17
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
9/3/95
Houston Oilers
L 10-3
Atlanta
Georgia Dome
9/6/92
N.Y. Jets
W 20-17