What To Look For – NFL Week 3

(Sept 19, 2008 – TMRZoo.com) HAD IT ALL ALONG!: Week 2 of the 2008 NFL season saw eight teams overcome fourth-quarter deficits to win – the third-most comeback victories ever to take place on a single weekend. Week 5 of the 1990 season and Week 2 of 1997 each featured nine fourth-quarter comebacks.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: History shows that 0-2 teams advance to the playoffs more often than people might think. Since 1990, 19 teams started 0-2 and still qualified for the postseason, including the Super Bowl XLII-champion New York Giants.

The Giants lost a 45-35 shootout against NFC East-rival Dallas in Week 1 of 2007, then fell to 0-2 after a 35-13 loss to Green Bay in Week 2 before rebounding to a 10-6 record, a Wild Card berth and the franchise’s third Super Bowl win.

“It’s like trying to predict who’s going to win the 100-yard dash after the first step,” says Giants center SHAUN O’HARA of judging an NFL season on early results. “Everybody has a chance to catch up.”

The 1993 Dallas Cowboys also started 0-2 before winning Super Bowl XXVIII. The 0-2 New England Patriots of 1996 played in Super Bowl XXXI, and in 2001, the 0-2 Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI.

Following are the 0-2 teams since 1990 to qualify for the playoffs:

GONZALEZ GOES FOR RECORD: Kansas City Chiefs tight end TONY GONZALEZ is already the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions (831) and touchdowns (67) at his position. This week, he aims to become the career leader in receiving yards by a tight end when the Chiefs travel to Atlanta. Gonzalez (9,976) needs 85 yards to surpass SHANNON SHARPE (10,060) on the all-time list.

The top five tight ends in career receiving yards:

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ACTION JACKSON: Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver DE SEAN JACKSON, a second-round selection, this week can become the first player in history with 100 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL games.

Jackson, whose Eagles face Pittsburgh in Week 3, became the second player to begin a career with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games with a six-catch, 110-yard performance against Dallas on Monday night. The only other player in history to accomplish the feat is another Eagles wide receiver – DON LOONEY in 1940.

Following is a look at Jackson’s and Looney’s first two NFL games:

TOMLIN’S TEAMS START FAST: With a win over the Eagles in Week 3, MIKE TOMLIN of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) can become the fifth head coach since 1970 to lead his team to 3-0 starts in the first two years of his head-coaching career.

Three of the four head coaches to accomplish the feat guided their teams to a Super Bowl appearance in one of their first two seasons, including GEORGE SEIFERT, who led the San Francisco 49ers to victory in Super Bowl XXIV.

Tomlin, who in 2007 became only the third head coach of Pittsburgh since 1969, led the Steelers to an AFC North title and 10-6 record in his first season.

The four coaches who took their teams to 3-0 starts in the first two years of their head-coaching career (since 1970):

MARVELOUS MARSHALL: Denver Broncos wide receiver BRANDON MARSHALL caught 18 passes against San Diego last week, matching TOM FEARS for the second-most receptions in a game in history. With nine catches this week against New Orleans, Marshall will set a record for the most receptions by a player in his first two games of a season.

Marshall’s 18-catch output is only his latest in a string of prolific performances. He has registered at least 10 receptions in four of his past five games dating back to 2007, becoming the first player in history to accomplish the feat.

The most receptions in history in the first two games of a season:

KURT’S SO GOOD: By posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a 31-10 win over Miami last week, Arizona Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER became the second player in history with three such career games (min. 15 attempts), joining PEYTON MANNING of the Indianapolis Colts.

In the games following Warner’s first two 158.3-rating performances, he posted passer ratings of at least 99.3.

Following is a look at Warner’s trio of 158.3 game performances and the games that followed: