NFL Research offers the best nuggets from each week of games in the NFL. Here are the most eye-popping statistical accomplishments from Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season.
1) Patrick Mahomes continues to make QB history
The Chiefs QB threw for 321 yards in the first half against the Chargers, and the NFL Research Department started flipping through the Record & Fact Book — prepared for someone to finally break Norm Van Brocklin’s NFL Record of 554 passing yards set in 1951.
Alas, Mahomes ended with a pedestrian 424 passing yards and four touchdowns.
This was Mahomes’ 10th career game with at least 400 passing yards, joining seven other players who reached that mark in their careers (Dan Marino, Matthew Stafford, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady).
Mahomes recorded his 10th such game in his 87th career game, the fastest mark by any player — breaking Dan Marino’s “record” in which he had his 10th game with 400 yards in his 90th career game.
This was Mahomes’ fifth career game with 400-plus passing yards and at least four touchdown passes, tied with Brees for the third-most in a player’s career (since 1950). Only Marino (seven) and Manning (eight) have more games of 400-4.
2) Travis Kelce joins Hall of Fame company
Primary recipient of Taylor Swift’s attention: Travis Kelce.
Primary recipient of Patrick Mahomes’ 424 passing yards: Travis Kelce.
Kelce finished the day with 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. It was his fifth career game with 10-plus receptions and at least 150 receiving yards — no other tight end has four such games in their career.
Kelce joined Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe as the only tight ends in NFL history with at least five games with 150-plus receiving yards (Sharpe had six such games in his career. This was Kelce’s fifth).
3) Myles Garrett makes strong push for Defensive Player of the Year award
The Browns pass rusher was the definition of a “game wrecker” today as he stuffed his stat sheet to the tune of two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal.
Garrett brought his career sack total to 82.0, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Reggie White for the most sacks before a player’s 28th birthday (since sacks were first officially tracked in 1982).
Garrett also became the only player in the last 30 seasons to record multiple sacks, force multiple fumbles and block a field goal in the same game.
4) Minshew Mania makes Colts history
On the receiving end of Garrett’s dominance was Colts backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
One can hardly blame Minshew for the loss, as the Colts put up 38 points on the NFL’s No. 1 total defense — and totaled 305 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in the process.
Surprisingly, Minshew became the first player in Colts history with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns in the same game.
5) T.J. Watt’s performance lifts Pittsburgh past the Rams
The Steelers picked up their fourth win of the season and Watt made his impact felt yet again.
Watt picked off Matthew Stafford in the third quarter, leading to a Kenny Pickett rushing touchdown.
That was the seventh interception of Watt’s career, putting him in rare company.
Watt and Lawrence Taylor are the only players with at least seven interceptions and at least 70 sacks in their first seven seasons (since sacks were first recorded in 1982).
6) Coach Bill Belichick earns 300th victory
The wait is over! Bill Belichick’s 300th career win came in dramatic fashion, as the Patriots recovered a lead over the Bills with 12 seconds left in the game — upsetting the Bills 29-25.
Belichick joined two fellow all-time greats in Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches in NFL history to win 300 games.
7) Puka continues historic stretch
Cooper Kupp may be back in the lineup, but Puka Nacua is still setting NFL records — totaling eight receptions for 154 yards in a loss to the Steelers.
Nacua has 58 career receptions, the most in a player’s first seven games in NFL history.
His 752 receiving yards trail only Ja’Marr Chase’s 754 yards for the most by a player in their first seven career games all-time.
8) Lamar Jackson shows off accuracy in Week 7
The Ravens QB completed 77.6 percent of his passes, threw for three touchdowns and 357 yards (without turning the ball over), including 36 yards and a score on the ground.
He is the first player since at least 1950 to reach each of those thresholds in a game — and he did so against the then-5-1 Lions.
Jackson also joined Drew Brees as the only qualified passers since 1950 with multiple career games with a passer rating of at least 150 and a rushing touchdown.
9) A.J. Brown joins elite trio in the record books
In a matchup of the NFL’s two leading receivers both players reached notable milestones in Week 7.
Brown had his fifth consecutive game reaching 125 receiving yards, tied with Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson (2012) and Lions stud Pat Studstill (1966) for the longest streak in NFL history.
Tyreek Hill failed to reach 100 receiving yards, topping out with a team-leading 88. But that boosted his season total to 902, making Hill the only player in the Super Bowl era with at least 900 receiving yards through his team’s first seven games of the season. Hill trails only Oilers legend Charley Hennigan (1,044 in the first seven games of 1961!) for the NFL record.
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