In Week 1, Tom Brady and Cam Newton were outstanding. Among all quarterbacks since 1960:
As great as those two were in Week 1, Brady and Newton served up some excellent encores. Facing two of the best defenses in football — the Packers finished the 2010 season second in points allowed, 3rd in net yards per pass allowed and 5th in passing yards allowed, while the Chargers led the league in yards allowed, passing yards allowed and net yards per pass allowed — didn’t intimidate Newton or Brady. Newton torched the Packers for 432 passing and added 53 more yards on the ground. Tom Brady lighted up the Chargers for 423 passing yards.
Newton became the third-youngest quarterback to throw for 400 passing yards, a week after becoming the second youngest. Brady became the first quarterback to throw for a 500-yard game and a 400-yard game in consecutive weeks. Newton’s start to his career has been both entertaining and eye-opening: here were the top 10 leaders in passing yards in a player’s first two games before 2011:
Newton didn’t just break the record, he obliterated it, throwing for 854 passing yards in his first two games. In fact, immediately after Newton’s performance, he became just the seventh quarterback — of any age or experience — since 1960 to pass for 850 yards or more in consecutive games. But by the end of the day, he was passed by Brady, who finished five yards shy of tying the record for most passing yards in consecutive games:
Record-Setting Day in Detroit
The Detroit Lions are one of the oldest franchises in the N.F.L., dating to their days as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930. The Lions won three N.F.L. titles in six years in the ’60s, and played in their 1,122nd regular-season game Sunday. Never had Detroit won a regular-season game by more than 44 points, as it did against the Chiefs (48-3) in its home opener on Sunday. Whenever a team as old as Detroit sets a franchise record, that’s impressive. In 1957, the last year the Lions won a championship, Detroit crushed the Cleveland Browns, 59-14. Lions fans can only hope that this year’s edition continues to evoke comparisons to the ‘57 team.
Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse for Kansas City. After being blindsided by the Bills, 41-7, at Arrowhead in Week 1, the Chiefs somehow managed to look even worse in Week 2. The Chiefs are last in the league in points scored and last in the league in points allowed; that’s what happens when a team starts off the season by being outscored, 89-10. How bad has Kansas City been? Over the last 75 seasons, only three N.F.L. teams and one A.F.L. team have been outscored by more points in their first two games:
Adding insult to injury for the Chiefs? Before becoming Buffalo’s coach, Chan Gailey was hired as the Kansas City offensive coordinator in 2008; three games into the 2009 preseason, Coach Todd Haley, in a stunning move, fired him. Gailey got his revenge in Week 1; the Buffalo offense exploded for five touchdowns. Gunther Cunningham coached for 11 seasons in Kansas City (including two seasons as coach in ‘99 and ‘00), but was relieved of his defensive coordinator duties as part of the regime change from Herm Edwards to Haley. Cunningham’s defense dominated the Chiefs’ offense on Sunday, and the Lions gave Cunningham a Gatorade bath in the final minute. After the game, Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew ignored etiquette and refused to acknowledge Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli. Why did Mayhew turn his back on Pioli? Last year, the Chiefs and Pioli filed tampering chargers against the Lions, alleging that Cunningham contacted Chiefs safety Jarrad Page (and perhaps other defensive players). Detroit’s punishment was levied via the 2011 draft, as the league took away the Lions’ seventh- round pick and forced the two franchises to switch fifth round selections (which moved Kansas City up 14 spots). Haley and Pioli haven’t made many friends in Kansas City, and it seems as if opposing teams aren’t shy about exacting their revenge against the Chiefs on the field.
Profiles in Futility
The Chiefs are in the running for worst team in the league, also known as the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. But while no one has equaled the depths of Kansas City’s ineptitude, Kansas City is not alone in looking ugly.
No team has been worse on the road than the Seattle Seahawks. After being shut out in Pittsburgh, 24-0, the Seahawks have now:
The Indianapolis Colts were annihilated on opening day by the Texans. The Peyton Manning-less Colts fared better on Sunday, falling, 29-17, to the Browns. But consider how far the Colts have fallen. From 2000 to 2010 — ignoring Week 17 games in which the Colts announced their intention to rest most of their starters — Indianapolis was a home underdog only one time in that 11-year stretch, and that was when they faced the ‘07 Patriots. This was only Cleveland’s second double-digit victory in its last 62 road games.
Come for the nightlife and scene, stay for the win: The Miami Dolphins have now lost 11 of their last 12 home games. Miami became just the fourth team in the past eight seasons to start the season by losing at home in Weeks 1 and 2.
Pay money to star running back, lose leads late, anyway: From 2000 to 2010, only 12 teams lost two games after jumping out to double-digit halftime leads in the same season. No team lost three. After two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are 2 for 2 in 2011. The Vikings stunned the Chargers in Week 1, jumping out to a 17-7 lead at halftime. The Vikings did not score in the second half, and San Diego won, 24-17. In Week 2, the Vikings stunned the Buccaneers, jumping out to a 17-0 halftime lead. The Vikings were held to just a field goal in the second half, and lost, 24-20. Adrian Peterson has 218 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, but his teammates have not been as productive.
Chase Stuart contributes to the Pro-Football-Reference.com blog and to Footballguys.com.
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