NEW YORK – SPORTS – A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 9:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 21st, the seventh week of the 2018 season.
- New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES completed 22 of 30 passes (73.3 percent) for 212 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 114.9 rating in the Saints’ 24-23 victory at Baltimore.
Brees, who has 501 career touchdown passes, became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 500 career touchdown passes, joining PEYTON MANNING (539), Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (508) and TOM BRADY (504).
With today’s win against the Ravens, Brees joins Manning and Favre as the only quarterbacks to defeat all 32 current NFL teams.
- Minnesota wide receiver ADAM THIELEN had nine receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings’ 37-17 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Thielen has recorded at least 100 receiving yards in each of Minnesota’s first seven games this season, tying CHARLEY HENNIGAN (seven consecutive games in 1961) as the only players in NFL history with 100 or more receiving yards in each of his team’s first seven games of a season. Thielen became the fifth player to record seven consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards in a single season in NFL history.
Thielen, who went undrafted in 2013, is the fourth undrafted player in the common draft era to record at least seven games with 100 or more receiving yards in a single season, joining ROD SMITH (8 games in 2000), WES WELKER (8 in 2011) & VICTOR CRUZ (7 in 2011).
- Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in Rams’ 39-10 victory at San Francisco. The Rams, who are the league’s only unbeaten team, begin the season 7-0 for the first time since 1985.
Gurley, who has 14 total touchdowns (11 rushing, three receiving) this season, is the third different player with at least 14 touchdowns in his team’s first seven games to start a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM BROWN (15 in 1958) and PRIEST HOLMES (14 in 2002 and 14 in 2004)
- Tampa Bay kicker CHANDLER CATANZARO converted the game-winning 59-yard field goal with 1:50 remaining in the Buccaneers’ 26-23 overtime win over Cleveland.
Catanzaro’s 59-yarder is the longest game-winning field goal in overtime since the regular-season overtime rule was instituted in 1974, surpassing the previous record of 57 yards set by Oakland’s SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI (October 19, 2008 vs. the New York Jets).
At least one game has gone to overtime in each of the first seven weeks of the 2018 season, marking the first time that a season has featured at least one overtime game in each of its first seven weeks.
- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback PHILIP RIVERS completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1 percent) for 306 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 137.7 rating in the Chargers’ 20-19 victory over Tennessee before a crowd of 84,301 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Rivers, who threw touchdowns of 75 and 55 yards, became the first quarterback with two touchdown passes of at least 50 yards in the 23 NFL games played in London since 2007. By the end of the 2018 season, the NFL will have played 24 regular-season games in London, with 29 of 32 teams having participated.
Rivers, who has 60 career games with at least 300 passing yards, is the sixth player in NFL history to record at least 60 such games, joining DREW BREES (112), PEYTON MANNING (93), TOM BRADY (84) and Pro Football Hall of Famers DAN MARINO (63) and BRETT FAVRE (62).
- Carolina wide receiver CURTIS SAMUEL rushed for a touchdown and quarterback CAM NEWTON threw two touchdowns passes, including a one-yard pass to tight end GREG OLSEN with 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, in the Panthers’ 21-17 victory over Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Panthers, who trailed 17-0 in the fourth quarter, recorded the largest fourth-quarter comeback victory in franchise history.
The HOUSTON TEXANS defeated Jacksonville, 20-7, in Week 7. The Texans are the sixth team since 1970 to win four consecutive games immediately following an 0-3 start to a season, joining the 1970 New York Giants, 1986 Los Angeles Raiders, 1998 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2011 Kansas City Chiefs.
The NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS defeated Chicago, 38-31, at Soldier Field. The Patriots, who scored 38 points in both Week 4 and Week 5 and 43 points in Week 6, are the fifth team since 1970 to score at least 38 points in four consecutive games in a single season, joining the 2014 Dallas Cowboys, 2004 Indianapolis Colts, 2000 St. Louis Rams and 1998 Minnesota Vikings.
- Detroit rookie running back KERRYON JOHNSON rushed for 158 yards on 19 carries (8.3 average) in the Lions’ 32-21 victory at Miami.
Johnson is the first Lions running back with at least 150 rushing yards in a single game since JAHVID BEST (163 vs. Chicago on October 10, 2011). The Lions combined for 248 rushing yards on Sunday, the most by the franchise in a single game since November 23, 1997 (249 yards vs. Indianapolis).
