The first week of the 2024 NFL season is in the books and it provided plenty of highlights, unforgettable moments and big takeaways from all 16 games. There are also some insane NFL stats coming out of Week 1 that are worth highlighting.
Obviously, one game can just be a small sample size in a 17-game season and shouldn’t be used for definitive projections for the rest of the year. In some cases, though, NFL stats are so unique or impressive that they have to be admired. Here’s a look at some remarkable numbers from NFL Week 1.
3.3 – Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix’s yards per attempt in Week 1
From the moment the Denver Broncos selected quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they’ve been selling him hard. Sean Payton said he felt as strongly about Nix as he did Patrick Mahomes. When Nix played well in the preseason, many fans dunked on draft analysts who called the Nix selection a huge reach and many in Denver thought the franchise QB had arrived.
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If Week 1 is a sign of what’s to come, the Broncos’ offense will be unwatchable. Nix racked up just 138 passing yards on 42 attempts, completing just 61.9 percent of his passes with 2 interceptions. He only attempted 12 throws 10-plus yards downfield and he threw as many completions as interceptions (2), completing just 16.7 percent of those passes, per Gregg Rosenthal. It was a historically bad performance, with Nix recording the sixth-lowest YPA in a game with 40-plus attempts since the NFL merger, per Benjamin Solak.
2-306: Record of NFL teams trailing by two scores at halftime and didn’t score an offensive touchdown all game entering Week 1
The highly-anticipated debut of Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t go as expected. He finished with just a 22.0 ESPN QBR, completing 14-of-29 passes for 93 yards. With the Bears’ offense unable to move the football, Chicago trailed the Tennessee Titans 17-3 at halftime.
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Thanks to Simone Biles’ husband – Jonathan Owens returned a blocked punt 21 yards for a touchdown – and a pick-six by Tyrique Stevenson – the Bears answered with 21 second-half points to win it. Entering Week 1, per Bill Barnwell, NFL teams went 2-306 when trailing by two scores in the first half and failing to score an offensive touchdown in 4 quarters. With the Bears’ victory, the winning percentage in that situation is now 0.65 percent.
47.8 percent – Detroit Lins edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson’s pass-rush win rate in Week 1
Sacks are one of the most highlighted NFL stats for pass rushers and the rationale is understandable. However, a better test of measuring a defender’s consistency as a dominant force off the edge is pass-rush win rate and total pressures, which can have a direct impact on the QB without taking him down.
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On Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, Aidan Hutchinson feasted on the backup offensive tackles. While the box score only shows 1 stack, Pro Football Focus recorded him with a 47.8 percent pass-rush win rate on passing downs, which is the highest in a single game since 2021. Hutchinson also tied Micah Parsons for the Week 1 lead in pressures (11). Hutchinson might not lead the NFL in sacks this season, but pressures are even more important for this Lions’ defense.
188.3 – Passing yards per game average by NFL teams in Week 1
Offenses are typically slower out of the gate when the NFL season kicks off. Not only was Week 1 not an exception, but it also proved to be one of the worst weekends for passing offenses in years. Quarterbacks averaged 188.3 passing yards per game in Week 1 (Pro Football Reference). It’s the lowest league average recorded since Week 1 of the 2006 season, per Josh Dubow. Only two quarterbacks – Tua Tagovailoa (338) and Matthew Stafford (317) – recorded 300-plus passing yards in Week 1 and only 8-of-32 starting quarterbacks had 250-plus passing yards.
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11: Career touchdown passes by Bryce Young in his first 17 games
We are quickly approaching the territory where Bryce Young will have to be called one of the biggest NFL Draft busts ever. The Carolina Panthers devoted their offseason to building a better supporting cast around their quarterback and on his first play in Week 1, he threw an interception. Young has now started 17 career games, posting a 2-15 record with 11 passing touchdowns on 557 attempts (2 percent touchdown rate).
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Baker Mayfield, who had a 7-game run with the Panthers in 2022, has 32 passing touchdowns and a 5.4 percent touchdown rate with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since leaving Carolina. Fellow former Panthers’ starting quarterback Sam Darnold has 4 passing touchdowns in 2 starts since leaving Carolina. It’s just ugly for Young right now.
13: Number of 100-yard games by undrafted running backs since 2017
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason finally got his opportunity, drawing the start in Week 1 with Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) inactive. The former undrafted running back out of Georgia Tech dominated, rushing for 147 yards and averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
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Being the latest undrafted running back to rush for 100-plus yards is remarkable in itself. What adds this to the list of unique NFL stats from Week 1 is the fact that 4 of those performances have come from Kyle Shanahan’s running backs (Mason, Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert).