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.
Unfortunately, Mahomes finished with a modest 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 set a new record by recording his 10th game with 400 yards in his 87th career game, outpacing Dan Marino, who achieved the same feat in his 90th career game. This makes Mahomes the fastest player to reach such a mark.
Mahomes has tied with Brees in achieving his fifth career game with over 400 passing yards and a minimum of four touchdown passes, ranking third-most for a player’s career since 1950. Only Marino, with seven games, and Manning, with eight games, have surpassed this 400-4 record.
2) Travis Kelce joins Hall of Fame company
Travis Kelce is the primary recipient of Taylor Swift’s attention.
Primary recipient of Patrick Mahomes‘ 424 passing yards: Travis Kelce.
Kelce ended the day, completing 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. It marked his fifth career game with a minimum of 10 receptions and at least 150 receiving yards–a record unmatched by any other tight end who has never had four such games in their career.
Kelce became one of only two tight ends in NFL history, alongside Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, to have at least five games with over 150 receiving yards. Sharpe achieved this six times in his career, while this was Kelce’s fifth time.
3) Myles Garrett makes strong push for Defensive Player of the Year award
Today, the Browns’ pass rusher exemplified a “game-wrecker”, recording two sacks, two forced fumbles, and blocking a field goal, thereby packing his stat sheet.
Garrett achieved a career total of 82.0 sacks, surpassing the record previously held by Hall of Famer Reggie White for the most sacks accomplished before a player’s 28th birthday. This record has been tracked since the official recording of sacks began in 1982.
Garrett is the sole player in the past 30 seasons to have recorded multiple sacks, forced multiple fumbles, and blocked a field goal in a single game.
4) Minshew Mania makes Colts history
On the receiving end of Garrett’s dominance was Colts backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
It’s difficult to hold Minshew responsible for the defeat, considering that the Colts scored 38 points against the NFL’s top-ranked total defense. They also accumulated 305 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns during the game.
Minshew surprisingly became the first player in Colts history to have 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.
Watt’s career had its seventh interception, placing him in an exclusive group.
Only Watt and Lawrence Taylor have managed to achieve a minimum of seven interceptions and 70 sacks in their initial seven seasons, since the recording of sacks began 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 became one of only three coaches in NFL history to win 300 games, joining all-time greats Don Shula (328 wins) and George Halas (318 wins).
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 holds the record for the most career receptions in a player’s first seven games in NFL history, with 58 receptions.
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 and threw for three touchdowns and 357 yards (without turning the ball over), including 36 yards and a score on the ground, in Sunday’s win over Detroit.
He is the first player to achieve each of these milestones in a game since at least 1950, and he did this against the Lions who were then 5-1.
Jackson joined Drew Brees as the only eligible quarterbacks since 1950 to have several 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
During Week 7’s NFL matchup, both the two top receivers accomplished significant milestones.
Brown tied his fifth game in a row with 125 receiving yards, matching the record for the longest streak in NFL history. This record was previously set by Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2012 and Lions’ star player Pat Studstill in 1966.
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.
