The Week That Was - Week 4

ROCKING ROOKIES: Rookies across the league continued to make an impact in Week 4. Through the first four weeks of the season, rookies have accumulated 5,835 yards from scrimmage, the most by rookies through Week 4 since 1970.

The seasons with the most yards from scrimmage by rookies through Week 4 since 1970:

SEASON	MOST SCRIMMAGE YARDS BY ROOKIES THROUGH WEEK 4
2017	5,835
2014	4,765
1987	4,449
1976	4,444
2016	4,406

Rookies have also totaled 43 touchdowns through Week 4, the most through the first four weeks of a season since 1970.

The seasons with the most touchdowns by rookies through Week 4 since 1970:​

SEASON	MOST TOUCHDOWNS BY ROOKIES THROUGH WEEK 4
2017	43
1987	37
1978	34
Many tied	33

-- NFL --

FOUR MORE: Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS threw four touchdown passes in the Packers’ 35-14 win against Chicago on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

Rodgers, who has 21 career games with at least four touchdown passes, tied Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO for the fifth-most games with at least four touchdown passes in NFL history.

The players with the most games with at least four touchdown passes in NFL history:

PLAYER	TEAM(S)	GAMES WITH AT LEAST 4 TD PASSES
Peyton Manning	Indianapolis, Denver	35
Drew Brees	San Diego, New Orleans	31
Tom Brady	New England	27
Brett Favre^	Green Bay, New York Jets, Minnesota	23
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay	21
Dan Marino^	Miami	21
^Pro Football Hall of Fame

-- NFL --

PUT IT ON THE BOARD: Houston rookie quarterback DESHAUN WATSON passed for 283 yards with four touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown in the Texans’ 57-14 win against Tennessee.

Houston’s 57 points against Tennessee in Week 4 were the most in franchise history and marked the third highest single-game point total in NFL history with a rookie starting at quarterback.

The highest single game point totals with a rookie starting at quarterback:

QUARTERBACK	TEAM	DATE	POINTS SCORED
Tony Banks	St. Louis Rams	Nov. 10, 1996	59
Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	Dec. 9, 2012	58
Deshaun Watson	Houston Texans	Oct. 1, 2017	57
Johnny Unitas^	Baltimore Colts	Nov 25, 1956	56
Chris Chandler	Indianapolis Colts	Oct. 31, 1988	55
^Pro Football Hall of Famer

Watson joined Pro Football Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON (September 17, 1961 vs. Chicago) as the only rookie quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a single game.

Watson, who has seven touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns this season, is the only rookie quarterback in NFL history with at least seven passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in his team’s first four games of a season.

-- NFL --

QUARTER POLL: New England quarterback TOM BRADY completed 32 of 45 passes (71.1 percent) for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 104.6 passer rating in the team’s Week 4 loss to Carolina.

Brady, who has 1,399 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions, became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions through his team’s first four games twice in his career, having also accomplished the feat in 2015.

The quarterbacks with at least 1,000 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions through their team’s first four games of a season:

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR	PASSING YARDS	TD PASSES	INTs
Tom Brady	New England Patriots	2017	1,399	10	0
Tom Brady	New England Patriots	2015	1,387	11	0
Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	2013	1,470	16	0
Don Meredith	Dallas Cowboys	1966	1,089	14	0

-- NFL --

13K FOR KIRK: Washington quarterback KIRK COUSINS passed for 220 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 116.7 passer rating in the team’s Week 4 loss to Kansas City.

Cousins, who has 13,117 career passing yards, became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to record at least 13,000 passing yards in his first 50 career games.

Cousins, who has thrown 43 interceptions, has the fewest interceptions through 50 career games among the quarterbacks who reached 13,000 passing yards during that span.

The players with the most passing yards in their first 50 career games:

PLAYER	TEAM	PASSING YARDS	INTERCEPTIONS
Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions	14,331	57
Kurt Warner^	St. Louis Rams	13,864	62
Marc Bulger	St. Louis Rams	13,551	52
Dan Marino^	Miami Dolphins	13,514	57
Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	13,450	48
Kirk Cousins	Washington Redskins	13,117	43
^Pro Football Hall of Famer

-- NFL --

RUMBLING RUNNING BACKS: Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY had 215 scrimmage yards (121 rushing, 94 receiving) and a touchdown catch in the team’s 35-30 win at Dallas.

Gurley, who has 596 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns this season, joined Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (1958, 1963) and EMMITT SMITH (1995) as the only players in NFL history to have at least 575 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in his team’s first four games of a season.

The players with at least 575 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in his team’s first four games of a season:

PLAYER	TEAM	SEASON	SCRIMMAGE YARDS	TOUCHDOWNS
Todd Gurley	Los Angeles Rams	2017	596	7
Emmitt Smith^	Dallas Cowboys	1995	643	9
Jim Brown^	Cleveland Browns	1963	779	7
Jim Brown^	Cleveland Browns	1958	687	10
^Pro Football Hall of Famer

-- NFL --

HUNT STAYS HOT: Kansas City rookie running back KAREEM HUNT had 121 scrimmage yards (101 rushing, 20 receiving) in the team’s 29-20 win against Washington on Monday Night Football in Week 4.

Hunt, who has 659 scrimmage yards through four games, surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (567) and ADRIAN PETERSON (549) for the second-most scrimmage yards by a player in his first four career games.

The rookies with the most scrimmage yards in their team’s first four games to start a season:

PLAYER	TEAM	SEASON	SCRIMMAGE YARDS IN TEAM’S FIRST 4 GAMES
Billy Sims	Detroit Lions	1980	745
Kareem Hunt	Kansas City Chiefs	2017	659
Eric Dickerson^	Los Angeles Rams	1983	567
Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	2007	549
Beattie Feathers	Chicago Bears	1934	536
^Pro Football Hall of Famer

-- NFL --

TAG TEAM: New York Jets running backs BILAL POWELL (163 rushing yards, 75-yard touchdown run) and rookie ELIJAH MC GUIRE (93 rushing yards, 69-yard touchdown run) each rushed for a touchdown in the team's 23-20 overtime win against Jacksonville.

McGuire and Powell are the first pair of teammates in franchise history to each record a touchdown run of at least 65 yards in the same game and the fifth pair of teammates in NFL history with rushing touchdowns of at least 69 yards in the same game.

The teammates who scored a rushing touchdown of at least 69 yards in the same game in NFL history:

TEAM	DATE	PLAYER	YARDS	PLAYER	YARDS
New York Jets	Oct. 1, 2017	Bilal Powell	75	Elijah McGuire	69
Baltimore Ravens	Dec. 20, 2008	Le’Ron McClain	82	Willis McGahee	77
Pittsburgh Steelers	Oct. 7, 1979	Franco Harris^	71	Rocky Bleier	70
Los Angeles Rams	Dec. 3, 1961	Dick Bass	73	Ollie Matson^	69
San Francisco 49ers	Oct. 26, 1952	Hugh McElhenny^	83	Joe Perry^	78
^Pro Football Hall of Famer

-- NFL --

ELVIS ENTERS RECORD BOOKS: San Francisco linebacker ELVIS DUMERVIL had two sacks in the team’s 18-15 overtime loss at Arizona in Week 4, his first two sacks as a member of the 49ers.

Dumervil, who has 101 career sacks, is the third active player to record at least 100 career sacks.

The active players with at least 100 career sacks:

PLAYER	TEAMS	SACKS
Julius Peppers	Carolina, Chicago, Green Bay	148
Terrell Suggs	Baltimore	117.5
Elvis Dumervil	Denver, Baltimore, San Francisco	101

-- NFL --

MR. AUTOMATIC: Los Angeles Rams kicker GREG ZUERLEIN converted all seven of his field-goal attempts and both of his PAT attempts in the team’s 35-30 win at Dallas in Week 4.

Zuerlein became the eighth player to convert at least seven or more field goals in a single game, and his 23 total points scored is tied for the third-highest single-game total by a kicker in NFL history.

The kickers with the highest single-game point totals in NFL history:

PLAYER	TEAM	DATE	TOTAL POINTS
Rob Bironas	Tennessee Titans	Oct. 21, 2007	26
Jay Feely	Arizona Cardinals	Dec. 12, 2010	25
Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	Oct. 1, 2017	23
Billy Cundiff	Dallas Cowboys	Sept. 15, 2003	23
Jim Bakken	St. Louis Cardinals	Sept. 24, 1967	22