Monday Nuggets: Week 4
Watt did he do?
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has been terrorizing opponents since entering the NFL in 2011. On Sunday, Watt recorded his second touchdown of the season when he picked off Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel in the third quarter and ran it back 80 yards for a touchdown. The INT return, which is now the fourth longest in team history, gave the Texans their first lead en route to a 23-17 victory. In doing so, he achieved a rare feat.
J.J. Watt is just the 2nd player since the merger with a rec TD and Int TD in the same season (Mike Vrabel, 2005). pic.twitter.com/jDWN7NDHjH
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 28, 2014
Coincidentally, Mike Vrabel is the linebackers coach for the Texans.Watt's pick six was the sixth longest by a defensive lineman in NFL history.
UNSTOPPABLE. Watch @JJWatt's HUGE pick 6. VIDEO: http://t.co/IUZ5Apz1Yh pic.twitter.com/c4owfjmKr3
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 28, 2014
Watt lined up on the other side of the ball as a tight end during Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders and hauled in a 1-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. His touchdown reception sparked a 30-14 victory.
Welcome to the Club
The Green Bay Packers won their 700th regular season victory yesterday. The 93-year old franchise achieved the milestone mark with 38-17 win over their division rival Chicago Bears. The Bears, by the way, are the the only other team to notch 700 or more victories in NFL history.
The Packers were led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers who completed 22 of 28 passes (78.6 percent) for 302 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions for an impressive 151.2 passer rating.
Rodgers’ two favorite targets during the game were Randall Cobb (seven catches for 113 yards with two touchdowns) and Jordy Nelson (10 receptions for 108 yards with two touchdowns). The last time two Packers teammates had at least 100 yards receiving and two TDs in the same game was Dec. 21, 1969 when Carroll Dale (bottom left) and Boyd Dowler (bottom right) helped the Packers to a 45-28 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Today's win marked the 700th in #Packers history. Read the full #GBvsCHI recap: http://t.co/Yn33dR6veP pic.twitter.com/QzjipBmCSq
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 28, 2014
Bears reach 700 club
All-time Win-Loss Records
Easy Game for Punters
The Packers’ 700th franchise victory wasn’t the only notable fact about the 189th meeting between Chicago and Green Bay. There were also zero combined punts during the contest, making it just the second regular-season game in NFL history without a single punt.
Green Bay Packers | |||||
Drive No. | How Obtained | # Plays | Net Yards | 1st Downs | Result |
1 | Kickoff | 6 | 81 | 4 | TD |
2 | Kickoff | 10 | 78 | 5 | TD |
3 | Kickoff | 7 | 61 | 4 | TD |
4 | Kickoff | 8 | 35 | 2 | FG |
5 | Interception | 6 | 35 | 2 | TD |
6 | Interception | 4 | 11 | 2 | TD |
7 | Downs | 8 | 39 | 2 | Missed FG |
Chicago Bears | |||||
Drive No. | How Obtained | # Plays | Net Yards | 1st Downs | Result |
1 | Kickoff | 15 | 80 | 7 | TD |
2 | Kickoff | 13 | 75 | 5 | FG |
3 | Kickoff | 10 | 80 | 5 | TD |
4 | Kickoff | 7 | 79 | 3 | End of Half |
5 | Kickoff | 7 | 61 | 3 | INT |
6 | Kickoff | 6 | 35 | 3 | INT |
7 | Kickoff | 10 | 45 | 3 | Down |
8 | Missed FG | 10 | 52 | 4 | End of Game |
55 total points. 0 total punts. #GBvsCHI pic.twitter.com/QwsvRfhqi1
— NFL (@nfl) September 28, 2014
The other game in which there were no punts happened on Sept. 13, 1992 when the Buffalo Bills met the San Francisco 49ers. That matchup was a shootout between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Steve Young. Both passers threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns with Kelly’s Bills coming out on top with a 34-31 victory. There has been one postseason game with zero combined punts. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 in the AFC Divisional round on Jan. 11, 2004.
Miller among Steelers Team Greats
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller further solidified his place in his team’s record book in Week 4. The 10-year veteran pulled in a career-high 10 catches for 85 yards and 1 TD during the Steelers’ tough 27-24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The receiving yards he gained, however, allowed Miller to pass Hall of Famer Lynn Swann for fourth place in the franchise's all-time receiving yardage category.
MOST STEELERS YARDS RECEIVING, CAREER:
Miller is within striking distance of surpassing another legendary Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver. With 487 career receptions, he needs only 51 catches to surpass John Stallworth (537) for second place on the team’s all-time reception list. Hines Ward (1,000 catches for 12,083 yards) is the Steelers career leader in both categories.
1. Hines Ward (1998-11) - 12,083
2. John Stallworth (1974-87) - 8,723
3. Louis Lipps (1984-91) - 6,018
4. Heath Miller (2005-13) (TE) - 5,470
5. Lynn Swann (1974-82) - 5,462
6. Elbie Nickel (1947-57) (TE) - 5,131
Gridiron Glory exhibit set to open in Dearborn, Mich.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is currently touring the largest traveling exhibition in its history – Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The exhibit is set to open in Dearborn, Mich. at The Henry Ford on Oct. 3, 2014.