What to Look For - Week 11
Johnny Unitas did it only twice; Joe Namath once.
Troy Aikman came close one season; Bart Starr, never.
Tom Brady is about to do it for the 15th time.
Two more touchdown passes, possible Monday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Los Angeles Rams, would give Brady 25 for the season and move him into sole possession of second place on a list Peyton Manning leads with 16.
Drew Brees is tied with Brady with 14 seasons completing at least 25 touchdown passes, but his recent ribs injury jeopardizes his chances at accomplishing the feat this year. He has thrown 18 TD passes in the Saints’ first nine games.
Obviously, the game has changed dramatically since the days of Starr and Unitas. Manning’s record and Brady’s and Brees’ pursuit of it stands as a testament to their longevity and the pass-friendly direction the NFL has taken over the past two generations of players.
For trivia buffs: Sid Luckman was the first player to throw at least 25 touchdown passes in a season, totaling 28 in 1943 for the Chicago Bears — a franchise far better known for its middle linebackers than its quarterbacks.
Here are other things to watch for as the NFL enters Week 11:
3,000 & 30 IN 10: Entering Week 11, Seattle quarterback RUSSELL WILSON leads the league with 28 touchdown passes and ranks second with 2,789 passing yards.
With two touchdown passes and 211 passing yards against Arizona on Thursday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFLN/Amazon), Wilson will become the fifth player with at least 3,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in his team’s first 10 games of a season in NFL history. In four of the previous five instances, the player was named Associated Press Most Valuable Player.
The players with at least 3,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in their team’s first 10 games of a season in NFL history:
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This would be Wilson’s fourth consecutive season with at least 30 touchdown passes and he would join DREW BREES (nine consecutive seasons from 2008-16) and Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (five consecutive seasons from 1994-98) as the only players with 30-or-more touchdown passes in at least four consecutive seasons in NFL history.
MAGICAL MURRAY: Last week, Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era and the fourth quarterback in NFL history to rush for a touchdown in five consecutive games.
With a rushing touchdown at Seattle on Thursday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFLN/Amazon), Murray will join JOHNNY LUJACK (six consecutive games in 1950) as the only quarterbacks ever with a rushing touchdown in six consecutive games.
Murray has recorded both a passing and rushing touchdown in eight of his first nine games this season. With both a passing and rushing touchdown on Thursday, he will become the first player in NFL history with both a passing and rushing touchdown in nine games within a single season. He will also become the fourth player with 10 such games through his first two seasons in league annals.
The players with the most games with both a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in a single season in NFL history:
|
PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON |
GAMES |
|
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Daunte Culpepper |
Minnesota |
2002 |
8 |
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Steve Grogan |
New England |
1976 |
8 |
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Kyler Murray |
Arizona |
2020 |
8* |
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Cam Newton |
Carolina |
2011 |
8 |
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*Entering Week 11 |
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The players with the most games with both a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in their first two seasons in NFL history:
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PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASONS |
GAMES |
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Cam Newton |
Carolina |
2011-12 |
14 |
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Josh Allen |
Buffalo |
2018-19 |
10 |
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Steve Grogan |
New England |
1975-76 |
10 |
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Kyler Murray |
Arizona |
2019-20 |
9* |
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*In second season |
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Entering Week 11, Murray leads all quarterbacks with 10 rushing touchdowns, while New England quarterback CAM NEWTON ranks second with nine. If Newton records a rushing touchdown at Houston on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), 2020 will become the first season in NFL history in which two quarterbacks each recorded at least 10 rushing touchdowns.
FULLY CHARGED: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT leads all rookies with 19 touchdown passes this season. Last week, he became the first rookie in NFL history with at least two touchdown passes in six consecutive games.
With a touchdown pass against the New York Jets on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, CBS), Herbert – appearing in his ninth career game – will tie GEORGE RATTERMAN (nine games) as the fourth-fastest player to reach 20 career touchdown passes in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (eight games), DESHAUN WATSON (eight games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (eight games) reached the mark in fewer games.
The players to reach 20 career touchdown passes in the fewest games in NFL history:
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PLAYER |
TEAM |
GAMES |
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Patrick Mahomes |
Kansas City |
8 |
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Kurt WarnerHOF |
St. Louis Rams |
8 |
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Deshaun Watson |
Houston |
8 |
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George Ratterman |
New York Yanks |
9 |
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Mark Rypien |
Washington |
10 |
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Justin Herbert |
Los Angeles Chargers |
8* |
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*Has 19 touchdown passes in eight games |
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When Washington hosts Cincinnati on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), it will mark the fifth game featuring a rookie quarterback selected first overall and a rookie defensive lineman selected second overall in the same NFL Draft in the common draft era. The rookie defensive lineman’s team has won each of the previous four such matchups.
The games featuring a rookie quarterback selected first overall and rookie defensive lineman selected second overall in the same NFL Draft in the common draft era:
|
QUARTERBACK (TEAM) |
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN (TEAM) |
DATE |
RESULT |
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Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) |
Chase Young (Washington) |
Nov. 22, 2020 |
??? |
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Kyler Murray (Arizona) |
Nick Bosa (San Francisco) |
No. 17, 2019 |
SF 36, AZ 26 |
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Kyler Murray (Arizona) |
Nick Bosa (San Francisco) |
Oct. 31, 2019 |
SF 28, AZ 25 |
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Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) |
Ndamukong Suh (Detroit) |
Oct. 10, 2010 |
DET 44, STL 6 |
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Terry BradshawHOF (Pittsburgh) |
Mike McCoy (Green Bay) |
Dec. 6, 1970 |
GB 20, PIT 12 |
REMARKABLE ROOKIE RECEIVERS: Through 10 weeks, five rookies have at least 500 receiving yards this season: Minnesota’s JUSTIN JEFFERSON (762), Cincinnati’s TEE HIGGINS (603), Dallas’ CEEDEE LAMB (595), Denver’s JERRY JEUDY (552) and Pittsburgh’s CHASE CLAYPOOL (500). Only the 2014 season (five rookies) has had as many rookies with at least 500 receiving yards through Week 10 in NFL history.
Two of those rookies will be on the same field on Sunday, when Minnesota hosts Dallas (4:25 PM ET, FOX). If Jefferson, who ranks tied for second in the NFL with four games with at least 100 receiving yards this season, records at least 100 receiving yards on Sunday, he will become the fourth player with at least 100 receiving yards in five of his first 10 career games in NFL history.
The players with the most games with at least 100 receiving yards in their first 10 career games in NFL history:
|
PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON |
GAMES |
|
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Bill Groman |
Houston Oilers |
1960 |
6 |
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Harlon Hill |
Chicago Bears |
1954 |
6 |
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Odell Beckham Jr. |
New York Giants |
2014 |
5 |
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Justin Jefferson |
Minnesota |
2020 |
4* |
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*Through nine games |
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Claypool leads all rookies with nine touchdowns (seven receiving, two rushing) this season. With a touchdown on Sunday at Jacksonville (1:00 PM ET, CBS), he will become the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era and the fourth in league history with at least 10 touchdowns in his first 10 career games.
The wide receivers with the most touchdowns through their first 10 career games in league history:
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PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON |
TOUCHDOWNS |
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Billy Howton |
Green Bay |
1952 |
11 |
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Bill Groman |
Houston Oilers |
1960 |
10 |
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Harlon Hill |
Chicago |
1954 |
10 |
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Chase Claypool |
Pittsburgh |
2020 |
9* |
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*Through nine games |
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With 83 scrimmage yards on Sunday against Pittsburgh (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Robinson will become the fifth undrafted rookie to record 1,000 scrimmage yards in the common-draft era.
The undrafted rookies with the most scrimmage yards in the common-draft era:
|
PLAYER |
TEAM |
SEASON |
SCRIMMAGE YARDS |
|
|
Dominic Rhodes |
Indianapolis |
2001 |
1,328 |
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Phillip Lindsay |
Denver |
2018 |
1,278 |
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Clark Gaines |
New York Jets |
1976 |
1,124 |
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LeGarrette Blount |
Tampa Bay |
2010 |
1,021 |
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James Robinson |
Jacksonville |
2020 |
917* |
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*Entering Week 11 |
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With six receptions at Las Vegas on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC), Kelce will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (570 receptions) for the second-most receptions by a tight end in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Only JASON WITTEN, who will be on the opposing sideline on Sunday for Las Vegas, has more. Kelce’s 7,234 receiving yards are already the most by a tight end in his first eight seasons in league annals.
The tight ends with the most receptions in their first eight seasons in NFL history:
|
PLAYER |
TEAM |
RECEPTIONS |
|
Jason Witten |
Dallas |
617 |
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Tony GonzalezHOF |
Kansas City |
570 |
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Travis Kelce |
Kansas City |
565 |
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES ranks third in the league with 25 touchdown passes this season, while only throwing one interception. Before having a bye last week, Mahomes recorded four touchdown passes and zero interceptions in Week 9 and five touchdown passes and zero interceptions in Week 8.
With at least four touchdown passes and zero interceptions on Sunday night, he will become the first player in NFL history to record at least four touchdown passes and zero interceptions in three consecutive games.
LONG DISTANCE: Last week, Detroit kicker MATT PRATER converted a 59-yard game-winning field goal in the Lions’ Week 10 victory, tied for the fourth-longest game-winning field goal with no time remaining in regulation or overtime in NFL history. It also marked Prater’s 11th career game-winning field goal with no time remaining in regulation or overtime, tied for the fourth-most since 1970.
Prater, who also converted a 53-yard field goal last week, has converted 57 field goals of at least 50 yards in his career. With two field goals of 50-or-more yards, he will surpass SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI (58) for the most made field goals of at least 50 yards since 1991.
The kickers with the most made field goals of at least 50 yards since 1991:
|
PLAYER |
TEAM(S) |
FIELD GOALS OF 50 YARDS |
|
Sebastian Janikowski |
Oakland Raiders, Seattle |
58 |
|
Matt Prater |
Atlanta, Denver, Detroit |
57 |
|
Jason Hanson |
Detroit |
52 |
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