BRADY AND BREES APPROACH ALL-TIME
PASSING MILESTONES AS NFL ENTERS WEEK 5
The NFL heads into the second quarter of the regular season
after an exciting Week 4 which saw seven games decided by three points or
fewer, including three games in overtime. At least one game has gone to
overtime in each of the first four weeks of the 2018 season, joining the 1979,
1983 and 2002 seasons as the only campaigns to feature at least one overtime
game in each of its first four weeks since the regular-season overtime rule was
adopted in 1974.
Five teams – DALLAS, HOUSTON, OAKLAND, SEATTLE and TENNESSEE –
scored game-winning points on the final play of their respective contests last
week. Additionally, CINCINNATI scored a go-ahead touchdown
with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Bengals a 37-36
win over Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last week. This is the first time
since Week 3 of the 2012 season (six) that at least six games had the
game-winning points scored in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter or
overtime.
Close games and high-powered offenses have highlighted a
thrilling first four weeks. Week 5 promises more of the same.
Two of the NFL’s all-time greats at the quarterback position
– New England’s TOM BRADY and New Orleans’ DREW
BREES – enter Week 5 with their eyes on history.
With 201 passing yards on Monday night against Washington
(8:15 PM ET, ESPN), Brees (71,740 passing yards) can surpass Pro Football Hall
of Famer BRETT FAVRE (71,838) and PEYTON MANNING (71,940)
to become the NFL’s all-time leading passer. In Week 3, Brees (6,344
completions) passed Favre (6,300) for the most completions in league annals.
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PLAYER
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TEAM(S)
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PASSING YARDS
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Peyton Manning
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Indianapolis, Denver
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71,940
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Brett Favre^
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Green Bay, New York Jets, Minnesota
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71,838
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Drew Brees
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San Diego, New Orleans
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71,740
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^Pro Football Hall of Famer
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|||
Brady, who ranks third in NFL history with 497 career
touchdown passes, and Brees, whose 496 touchdown passes are the fourth-most in
league history, can become the third and fourth quarterbacks to throw for at
least 500 career touchdown passes, joining Manning (539) and Favre (508). Brady
will aim to reach the milestone on Thursday night (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL
Network/Amazon) against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium.
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PLAYER
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TEAM(S)
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PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
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Peyton Manning
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Indianapolis, Denver
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539
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Brett Favre^
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Green Bay, New York Jets, Minnesota
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508
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Tom Brady
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New England
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497
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Drew Brees
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San Diego, New Orleans
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496
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^Pro Football Hall of Famer
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||
Through Week 4, passing figures league-wide continue to
trend at historic rates, as the marks for completions (2,999), completion
percentage (65.4 percent), net passing yards (32,215), touchdown passes (228)
and passer rating (94.5) are all the highest in NFL history through the
first four weeks of a season.
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SEASON
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COMPLETIONS
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SEASON
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COMPLETION PCT.
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SEASON
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TD PASSES
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2018
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2,999
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2018
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65.4
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2018
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228
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2016
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2,903
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2014
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64.3
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2013
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205
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SEASON
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NET PASSING YARDS
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SEASON
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RATING
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2018
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32,215
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2018
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94.5
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2016
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31,616
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2014
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91.5
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Veteran signal callers and young quarterbacks on the rise
have been performing at a high level from the onset this season.
Steelers quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER, in his
15th season, leads the NFL with 1,414 passing yards, while Rams
quarterback JARED GOFF, who is in his third season, ranks second
with 1,406 yards. Kansas City’s PATRICK MAHOMES, who has made five
career starts, leads the NFL with 14 touchdown passes through Week 4 with
Cincinnati’s ANDY DALTON, Tampa Bay’s RYAN FITZPATRICK,
Goff and the Los Angeles Chargers’ PHILIP RIVERS tied for
second with 11 touchdown passes apiece. Goff (127.3) and Mahomes (126.5) rank
first and second, respectively, in passer rating this season with Brees (115.3)
following closely behind.
Collectively, 11 quarterbacks have thrown for at least 1,200
yards through Week 4, the most in league history through the first four
weeks of a season, surpassing the previous high of seven in 2011. Five
quarterbacks – Goff (465 passing yards), Indianapolis’ ANDREW LUCK (464),
Oakland’s DEREK CARR (437), Minnesota’s KIRK COUSINS (422)
and Atlanta’s MATT RYAN (419) – passed for at least 400 yards
last week. There have been 12 individual performances with at least 400 passing
yards this season, the most in NFL history through the first four weeks of
a season. The five individual 400-yard passing performances in Week 4 were
the most in a single week in league annals.
Seven quarterbacks have thrown at least 10 touchdown passes
in the first four weeks of the 2018 season, the most in league annals
through Week 4. No other season has featured more than four such QBs through
Week 4. Ten quarterbacks have a passer rating of at least 100 (minimum 80
attempts), tied with the 2015 season for the most through the first four
weeks of a season in NFL history.
Below are highlights of the Week 5 schedule:
Week 5 kicks off on Thursday as the INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS take on the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at Gillette
Stadium (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon). Indianapolis rookie linebacker DARIUS
LEONARD leads the NFL with 54 tackles and is the only player since
2000 with at least 50 tackles (54) and four sacks (four) in his team’s first
four games of a season. The Patriots have won five of their past six at home on
Thursday night. New England, which stands at 2-2 entering Week 5, has had a
winning record through the first five games of the season in 16 consecutive
seasons dating back to 2002.
The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS have the NFL’s
highest-scoring offense (36.3 points per game) through the first four weeks of
the season and welcome the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS and the
league’s top scoring defense (14 points allowed per game) to Arrowhead Stadium
(1:00 PM ET, CBS).
A rematch of the 2017 NFC Championship Game between
the MINNESOTA VIKINGS and PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at
Lincoln Financial Field (4:25 PM ET, FOX) features two teams looking to rebound
from close losses last week.
Sunday’s nightcap at NRG Stadium features the fifth-overall
meeting between the DALLAS COWBOYS and HOUSTON TEXANS (8:20
PM ET, NBC). Dallas running back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT, who leads the
league with 426 rushing yards this season, is the only player with
at least 3,000 rushing yards (3,040) since entering the league in 2016. Texans
wide receiver DE ANDRE HOPKINS is one of two players (ANTONIO
BROWN) with at least 300 catches (315), 4,000 receiving yards (4,296)
and 30 touchdown catches (30) since 2015.
NFL WEEK
5 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 7-8
THURSDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 7-8
(All times eastern)
Bye: Chicago, Tampa Bay
Bye: Chicago, Tampa Bay
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Thursday, October 4
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Sunday, October 7 (cont’d)
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Indianapolis at New England, 8:20 PM (FOX/NFLN/Amazon)
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Denver at New York Jets, 1:00 PM
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM
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Oakland at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 PM
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Sunday, October 7
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Minnesota at Philadelphia, 4:25 PM
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Tennessee at Buffalo, 1:00 PM
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Arizona at San Francisco, 4:25 PM
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New York Giants at Carolina, 1:00 PM
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Los Angeles Rams at Seattle, 4:25 PM
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Miami at Cincinnati, 1:00 PM
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Dallas at Houston, 8:20 PM (NBC)
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Baltimore at Cleveland, 1:00 PM
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Green Bay at Detroit, 1:00 PM
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Monday, October 8
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Jacksonville at Kansas City, 1:00 PM
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Washington at New Orleans, 8:15 PM (ESPN)
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