NFL Week 4 Bullet Points: 3 must-know stats previewing every game

Kirstie Chiappelli

NFL Week 4 Bullet Points: 3 must-know stats previewing every game image

It may still be early in the NFL season, but the playoff picture — or lack thereof — could already be coming into focus for some teams around the league.

Here’s a look at Week 4’s Bullet Points from Omnisport’s data-driven Stats Perform colleagues. (If you like what's served up see here, check out @StatsbySTATS each Sunday on Twitter.)

THURSDAY
(All Times Eastern)

Eagles (1-2) at Packers (3-0), 8:20 p.m. (NFL)

  • Aaron Rodgers has no interceptions through three games and has thrown only two since the start of last season. Of the 30 QBs with at least 300 attempts in that span, everyone else has at least five INTs, and 23 of them have at least 10.

  • The Eagles have seven dropped passes this season, tied with Miami for the most in the NFL. Nelson Agholor has a team-high 18 receptions but is averaging just 9.3 yards per catch, ranked 52nd of 58 wide receivers with at least 10 receptions.

  • Green Bay has converted 25 percent of its third-down attempts (9-of-36), its lowest success rate through three games in the past 25 seasons. Philadelphia has converted 56.3 percent of its third-down tries (27-for-48), its best mark of the last 25 years.

SUNDAY

Redskins (0-3) at Giants (1-2), 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • The Redskins and Giants have each allowed 94 points, with only the Dolphins (133) having surrendered more through the first three weeks. It’s the most both teams have allowed through three games in a season since 2013, when the Giants permitted 115 and Washington 98.

  • Washington is attempting to avoid its first 0-4 start since dropping its first five games of the 2001 season. The Redskins have lost six straight to NFC East teams since last season’s 20-13 win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium, their longest in-division losing streak since an eight-game skid from 2013-14.

  • Evan Engram’s 23 catches are the most ever by a Giants tight end over a season’s first three games, while his 271 yards thus far are eclipsed only by Mark Bavaro’s 283 in 1986 for the most by a tight end in franchise history through three games.

Chiefs (3-0) at Lions (2-0-1), 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • Patrick Mahomes became the first player in NFL history with three straight games of 350-plus passing yards, three or more touchdown passes and no interceptions with last week’s 374-yard, three-TD effort against the Ravens. His 14 straight games with two or more TD passes are one short of Peyton Manning’s league record set from 2013-14.

  • Kansas City has outscored its opponents 51-0 in the second quarter over its last two wins, joining the 1935 Bears as the only teams to score 23 or more points in the second quarter while not allowing a point in consecutive games.

  • The Lions did not give up a sack for a second straight game in last week’s win over the Eagles. Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, Detroit has never gone three consecutive games without allowing one. Since Week 7 of last season, the Lions are 6-1 when Matthew Stafford is sacked once or less and 0-6-1 when he’s taken down twice or more.

Titans (1-2) at Falcons (1-2), 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Titans have a minus-24 point differential in the first quarter this season, second worst in the NFL (Dolphins: -35), and a plus-19 differential in the fourth quarter, best in the league. The Falcons have a minus-21 point differential in the first quarter, third worst in the NFL, and a plus-18 differential in the fourth quarter, second best in the league.

  • Marcus Mariota has not thrown an interception in his last 142 attempts, the longest streak of his career and the fifth-longest active streak in the NFL. Additionally, Mariota has not lost a fumble in his last 356 touches, the second-longest streak of his career and the fourth-longest active streak in the league.

  • Matt Ryan has thrown for 300-plus yards and at least two scores in each game this season. He and Patrick Mahomes are the only two who have done so in their first three starts of 2019. Peyton Manning in 2013 was the last QB to have such a streak last longer than the first three starts of the season (five).

Browns (1-2) at Ravens (2-1), 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Ravens are 30-10 (.750) all-time against the Browns, the best record by any team against any opponent in NFL history (minimum 40 games).

  • Through three games, the Ravens have 1,535 total yards and no turnovers. They’re the only NFL team since 1950 to have at least 1,500 total yards and no turnovers over any three-game span.

  • Baker Mayfield has no touchdowns and five interceptions in the fourth quarter this season. The five interceptions are tied with Ryan Fitzpatrick (2016) for the most by any quarterback over his team’s first three games of a season in the last 25 years

Raiders (1-2) at Colts (2-1), 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Colts have won seven consecutive home games. Indianapolis hasn’t won at least 8 consecutive home games since winning a franchise-record 13 consecutive home games in 2008-09 with Peyton Manning. Indianapolis is looking to start 3-1 for the first time since 2013.

  • Jacoby Brissett is 19-for-20 passing in the first quarter this season. That 95.0 completion percentage is the second-best in any quarter (minimum 15 attempts) this season behind only Dak Prescott’s 22 for 22 in the third quarter.

  • The Raiders are one of three teams that have yet to score a point in the third quarter (also Detroit and Miami); the Colts are the only team in the NFL that has allowed a touchdown on its opponent’s first drive of the second half in all three games this season.

Patriots (3-0) at Bills (3-0), 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • New England has yet to allow an offensive touchdown through three games, the first team to do so since the 1944 Giants. Dating back to last season’s AFC Championship Game, the Patriots have allowed zero first-half points in five straight games, the longest streak since the 1951 Browns (also five).

  • Tom Brady is 30-3 in his career against the Bills, the most wins by any starting QB against any opponent all-time. Brady’s 69 career touchdown passes against Buffalo are the second most by any player against any opponent all-time, behind only Dan Marino’s 72 against the Jets.

  • Frank Gore was the leading rusher for either team in Buffalo’s win over Cincinnati last week. At age 36, he was the oldest player to be the leading rusher in a game since John Elway did so at age 38 on December 21, 1998, his penultimate regular-season game.

Panthers (1-2) at Texans (2-1), 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • The Texans are 32-1 when allowing less than 20 points since Bill O’Brien became head coach in 2014, tied with the Steelers for the NFL’s best record when doing so during that period. Houston has won 26 straight games when holding opponents under 20 points, the league’s longest active streak.

  • Deshaun Watson is the fastest player since at least 1960 (26 games) to record 6,500 career passing yards and 500 rushing yards, doing so one game quicker than Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. Watson is also the lone player since 1925 with 50 TD passes and five rushing touchdowns in fewer than 30 career games.

  • Christian McCaffrey recorded his 200th career reception last week to join Reggie Bush as the only running backs since 1960 with 200 or more catches through 35 career games. McCaffrey’s 450 scrimmage yards are the second-most by a Panthers player over a season’s first three games (Stephen Davis, 455, 2003).

Chargers (1-2) at Dolphins (0-3), 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Chargers rank fifth in the NFL in total yards per game (408.3), but the team ranks tied for 21st in points per game (21.0). This can be at least partially attributed to the Chargers having three giveaways in the red zone this season, tied with the 49ers for most in the NFL.

  • Philip Rivers is completing 70.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the first three quarters, but has a 55.3 completion percentage with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter of games.

  • The Dolphins have won six straight home games against the Chargers dating back to 1988 – the last longer home winning streak for the franchise was against the Broncos (seven straight home wins spanning from 1966 to 2005).

Buccaneers (1-2) at Rams (3-0), 4:05 p.m. (Fox)

  • The Rams have won five straight against the Buccaneers dating back to 2012 – this is the Rams’ longest active winning streak against any opponent and tied for the Bucs’ longest active losing streak against any opponent (also five, against the Falcons).

  • Los Angeles has allowed 12 points in the first half of games this season – only the Patriots (0) have allowed fewer. The Rams have scored 55 points in the second half of games this season – only the 49ers (63) have scored more

  • Mike Evans had 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns last week. He and Sammy Watkins are the only players to meet those marks in a game this season, and Evans is the first Buccaneer to ever have such a game – the last Buccaneer even with three receiving TDs in a game had been Jimmie Giles in 1985.

Seahawks (2-1) at Cardinals (0-2-1), 4:05 p.m. (Fox)

  • The Cardinals have gone 1-8-1 at home since the start of last season, worst in the NFL. The team ranks last in the NFL in points per game (14.5) and yards per game (270.0) at home in this span while having the second-most turnovers (20) behind only the Buccaneers (22).

  • Seattle has gone 5-0-1 in its last six games in Arizona, the second-longest active streak of road games against a divisional opponent without a loss – only the Patriots (seven vs. Bills) have a longer streak.

  • Russell Wilson has completed 71.4 percent of his passes and thrown for 901 yards – both are career highs through three games of a season. He’d never thrown for more than 755 yards (2016) through three games in any previous season.

Vikings (2-1) at Bears (2-1), 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Vikings lead the NFL with seven rushing touchdowns in 2019; they had only nine in their entire 2018 campaign. The Bears are one of three teams that has not surrendered a touchdown on the ground this season – along with New England and San Francisco – and has gone seven straight September games without giving up a rushing touchdown.

  • Chicago has scored 50 points in its first three games while allowing a mere 39. The Bears can join the Packers as the only teams in the league scoring and allowing less than 20.0 points per game. Chicago’s defense ranks in the NFL’s top five in points allowed, opponent third-down efficiency, opponent yards per rush, opponent yards per play and rush yards allowed per game.

  • Dalvin Cook leads the NFL with 375 rushing yards, second most ever by a Viking in the team’s first three games of a season; only Adrian Peterson, with 392 yards in 2010, has had more. Peterson is the only Viking ever to lead the NFL in rushing; he did so three times: 2008, 2012, and ’15.

Jaguars (1-2) at Broncos (0-3), 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

  • The Jaguars had nine sacks in their 20-7 win over the Titans in Week 3, tied for their third-most sacks in a single game in franchise history. This comes just two weeks after they allowed 40 points with no sacks in their Week 1 loss to Kansas City.

  • Gardner Minshew II currently ranks second in the NFL in completion percentage at 73.9 percent (Dak Prescott, 74.5). Minshew's completion percentage is the highest by any player in his first three career games over the last 50 seasons (minimum 60 attempts).

  • Joe Flacco has been sacked 11 times this year, tied for fourth most in the league, while the Jaguars are tied for the NFL lead with 13 sacks. Flacco was sacked just 16 times in Baltimore last season, fewest among players with at least 300 pass attempts.

Cowboys (3-0) at Saints (2-1), 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

  • Besides leading the NFC in total offense, the Cowboys’ 1,444 total yards are the most they’ve ever had in a three-game span (previous team record of 1,391 came in 1966). This is also the first time Dallas has had 450-plus yards in three games in a row; the last team to do it in four straight was the 2015 Steelers.

  • Dak Prescott is completing a league-best 74.5 percent of his passes this season and is at 66.6 percent for his career, the best mark among all Cowboys QBs with at least 500 attempts. Prescott’s nine TD passes match Don Meredith (1966) for the most by any Cowboy through the first three games of a season.

  • Alvin Kamara’s 34 total touchdowns since 2017 are the most in the NFL besides Todd Gurley’s 41; no other player has 30. Kamara, who will play his 35th NFL game Sunday, can join Edgerrin James and Larry Johnson as the only players since 2000 to reach 35 total TDs in 35 career games or less.

MONDAY

Bengals (0-3) at Steelers (0-3), 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

  • Pittsburgh is 9-14-1 in September since 2013, eighth worst in the NFL. The seven teams below them have combined for four playoff berths in that span, while the Steelers have four themselves.

  • JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 11 games with at least 100 receiving yards since 2017 are the sixth most in the NFL even though he’s gone four straight games without one. That’s his longest drought since failing to reach 100 in any of the first seven games of his 2017 rookie season.

  • The Bengals have been limited to a total of 126 rushing yards. The only team in the past 25 seasons to have fewer rushing yards through three games was the 2012 Titans with 117. Cincinnati’s 506 rushing yards allowed are its most after three games since 2008 (523 yards).

 

Kirstie Chiappelli