5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 10
The weather was a key factor in a lot of the games played in Week 10, with Mother Nature keen to remind the world of the role she can play in determining who wins and who loses in the NFL. The wind and rain cannot be blamed for every miscue and false step, but the last week of action was a strange one that included a whopping seven quarterbacks who went without a single touchdown pass. But if 2020 has taught us anything, it is that "normal" is no longer a constant.
Here are five stats to know -- both traditional and our advanced statistics -- from Week 10 of the NFL season.
Kyler Murray Rushed for 2 Touchdowns
It was another incredible week for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, both in real football and fantasy. Murray completed 22 of his 32 passes against the Buffalo Bills for 241 yards, including a borderline miraculous game-winning touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, while also rushing 11 times for 61 yards and another two scores. Murray has now run for at least one score in each of his last five games, becoming just the fourth quarterback in NFL history -- and the first in the Super Bowl era -- with such a streak. The other three signal callers with rushing scores in at least five games are Johnny Lujack in 1950, Tobin Rote in 1956, and Dutch Clark way back in 1936.
Murray has 10 rushing touchdowns through nine games, tied with Lujack for the most such scores through the opening nine games of a season. He has the quarterback single-season record of 14, set by Cam Newton in 2011, firmly in his sights.
Tua Tagovailoa Still Has Zero Interceptions
Another young quarterback off to a flying start to his season is Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins. Tua led the Dolphins to a 29-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, tossing two touchdown passes along the way. He joins Carson Wentz as the only rookie to win each of his first three career starts without throwing a single interception after Wentz achieved the feat back in 2016.
Tagovailoa's five touchdown passes without an interception are the third most by a quarterback in his first three starts since 1950, trailing only Kyle Allen (six) and Case Keenum, who had seven.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt Both Rushed for 100 Yards
The Cleveland Browns, while remaining in the hunt for an AFC wild card place in the last few weeks, have certainly missed having Nick Chubb in the backfield. In the first four weeks of the season, they averaged more than 204 rushing yards per game. In the four games Chubb missed due to injury, the Browns' average dropped to 95.5. Things got back to normal on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Chubb finished the game with 126 yards and a touchdown, and in the eyes of many fantasy managers across the world, he should have had a second one. Chubb instead ran out of bounds at the one-yard line to salt away the Browns' victory. Chubb was ably assisted by fellow running back Kareem Hunt, who added 104 yards of his own.
Chubb and Hunt became the sixth pair of Browns running backs -- and the first since 1966 -- to gain 100 yards on the ground in the same game. Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green achieved the feat back then, with Jim Brown and Lew Carpenter also managing the double act in 1958. Marion Motley and Dub Jones both topped the century mark in 1951. However, the legendary Brown and Bobby Mitchell both gained 100 rushing yards in the same game a whopping six times between 1958 and 1961. Hunt and Chubb had better get their skates on if they hope to emulate these legends of the game.
Tom Brady Is The Most Prolific Fantasy Scorer in History
What a difference a week made for Tom Brady. After his horror showing in Week 9, he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ruthlessly dealt with the Carolina Panthers in a 46-23 victory. Brady passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, improving his career record to 7-2 the week after games in which he threw three or more interceptions. Brady has 13 games with at least three touchdown passes since his 41st birthday. In NFL history, there have only been another six such games.
Brady's deeds in Week 10 saw him earn 31.84 fantasy points, the most of any quarterback in the league last week. It also took him to 5,141.84 points for his career, making him the most prolific scorer of fantasy points (in PPR formats) in NFL history, per NFL.com. Brady moved past the legendary Jerry Rice in the all-time standings.
Matt Prater Had a Pair of 50-Yard Field Goals
Kickers don't get too much attention when they are good, but they get more than their share when they're not good. So I thought it only fair to highlight the Week 10 performance of Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater.
Before Monday Night Football, the 2020 NFL season had seen 71 field goals of 50 yards or longer, the most through the first 10 weeks of a season in NFL history. Prater's boot was responsible for two of the 71 on Sunday, including a 59-yarder at the final gun to edge the Lions past Washington, 30-27. Prater moves into a tie for the fourth-longest winning field goal with no time left on the clock in NFL history. Josh Scobee had a 59-yarder in 2010, while Jake Elliott of the Philadelphia Eagles had a 61-yarder against the New York Giants in 2017. Matt Bryant nailed one from 62 yards in 2006, while the great Tom Dempsey was good for 63 yards back in 1970.
Prater had earlier hit from 53 yards against Washington, giving him his seventh career game with multiple 50-plus yarders. Prater's seven such games are the most in NFL history.
