What To Look For – NFL 2018 Kickoff Weekend

SUPER STARTERS: History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive toward a Super Bowl championship is to win in Week 1.

The 52 Super Bowl winners have a 42-9-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons. The Super Bowl LII champion PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, who host Atlanta in the season opener on Thursday night (8:20 PM ET, NBC), have won four of their past five home openers played on Kickoff Weekend and six of their past seven overall in Week 1.

Since 1978 when the NFL went to the 16-game schedule, and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982, teams that are

victorious in their season openers are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs than losers of an opening game:

• Of the 587 teams which won openers…306 went to the playoffs (185 won division titles).
• Of the 586 teams which lost openers…140 went to the playoffs (81 won division titles).

Note: There are a different number of winning and losing teams in season opening games due to the fact the NFL had 31 teams in each season from 1999 to 2001, which creates an odd number for the total number of results.

In 2017, nine of the 12 playoff teams – Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Jacksonville, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams Minnesota, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh – were victorious on Kickoff Weekend.

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STARTING STREAKS: Some clubs have excelled in openers. Below is a sampling of notable active NFL Kickoff milestones and streaks:

• The Super Bowl LII champion PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, who open the season at home against the ATLANTA FALCONS, have won their past two Kickoff Weekend games and six of their past seven.

• The defending AFC champion NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS open the 2018 season at home against the HOUSTON TEXANS. The Patriots have won eight of their past nine home openers on Kickoff Weekend and 12 of 14 overall in Week 1.

• The GREEN BAY PACKERS, who host the CHICAGO BEARS on Sunday Night Football, have 55 wins on Kickoff Weekend, the most in the NFL. Chicago ranks second with 54 wins on Kickoff Weekend.

• The DENVER BRONCOS, who start the season at home against the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, have won their past six Kickoff Weekend games, the longest active streak in the NFL.
• The defending NFC North champion MINNESOTA VIKINGS, who open the season hosting SAN FRANCISCO, have won their past three home games on Kickoff Weekend.
• The TENNESSEE TITANS, who made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008, face the MIAMI DOLPHINS on the road to start 2018. The Titans have won their past five road openers, the longest active streak in the NFL.

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START ME UP: Some players have excelled in openers. Below is a sampling of notable individual performances on NFL Kickoff Weekend:

• New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES has 34 touchdown passes in 16 career Week 1 games and needs one touchdown to surpass PEYTON MANNING (34) for the most touchdown passes in season-opening games in NFL history.

• Washington running back ADRIAN PETERSON has 903 rushing yards in 11 career season-opening games and needs 97 yards to become the fifth player with at least 1,000 rushing yards in season-opening games. The four players to accomplish the feat are EMMITT SMITH (1,247), WALTER PAYTON (1,067), EDGERRIN JAMES (1,062) and JIM BROWN (1,043). Smith, Payton and Brown are all enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD has 992 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions in 14 career season-opening games and needs eight yards to become the fifth player with at least 1,000 career receiving yards and eight touchdown catches in season-opening games, joining JERRY RICE (1,385 yards, nine touchdowns), ANDRE REED (1,225, 10), RANDY MOSS (1,194, 10) and DON MAYNARD (1,025, nine). All four receivers are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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START ’EM EARLY: New York Jets rookie quarterback SAM DARNOLD, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, is expected to make his first career start against Detroit on Monday Night Football (7:10 PM ET, ESPN). With a start by Darnold on Monday, at least one rookie quarterback will have started in Week 1 in 11 consecutive seasons, the longest streak in the NFL since at least 1950.

The rookie quarterbacks to start in Week 1 since 2008:

Darnold, who will be 21 years, 97 days old on Monday, can become the youngest quarterback to start a season-opening game in the Super Bowl era. New England’s DREW BLEDSOE previously set the record on September 5, 1993 against Buffalo at 21 years, 203 days old.

The youngest quarterbacks to start a season-opening game in the Super Bowl era:

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STELLAR STEELER: Pittsburgh wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN has 9,910 receiving yards in his eight-year NFL career.

Brown, who will play in his 116th career game on Sunday at Cleveland (1:00 PM ET, CBS), can tie TORRY HOLT (116) for the second-fewest games to reach 10,000 receiving yards in NFL history.

The players to reach 10,000 career receiving yards in the fewest games in NFL history:

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LARRY LEGEND: Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD has recorded at least one reception in 211 consecutive games.

Fitzgerald, who faces Washington on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), can pass TONY GONZALEZ (211) for the second-longest streak of consecutive games with a catch in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (274) has a longer such streak in league annals.

The players to record at least one catch in the most consecutive games in NFL history:

Fitzgerald, who ranks eighth in NFL history with 110 career touchdown catches, can tie Gonzalez (111) for the seventh-most touchdown receptions in league annals.

The players with the most touchdown catches in NFL history:

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MOVING UP THE RANKS: Miami running back FRANK GORE has 14,026 career rushing yards in his 13-year NFL career.

With 76 rushing yards on Sunday against Tennessee (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Gore will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer CURTIS MARTIN (14,101) for the fourth-most rushing yards in NFL history. All four players currently in front of Gore are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The players with the most rushing yards in NFL history:

Washington running back ADRIAN PETERSON (12,276 career rushing yards) needs 37 rushing yards on Sunday against Arizona (4:25 PM ET, FOX) to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famers MARSHALL FAULK (12,279) and JIM BROWN (12,312) to climb into the top 10 in NFL history in rushing yards.

With a rushing touchdown at Arizona on Sunday, Peterson would become the seventh player in NFL history with at least 12,000 career rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns. All six of the players with at least 12,000 rushing yards and 100 touchdown runs are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The players with at least 12,000 rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns in NFL history: