Uncover the Shocking NFL Week 2 Stats That Changed the Game—And What They Mean for the Season Ahead

Ever wonder what stories hide beneath those simple NFL scorelines? Sure, we all check the final tally, glance at player stats, and move on— it’s like watching a movie trailer without ever seeing the actual film. But what if the quarter-by-quarter breakdown, the subtle stat lines, and the unexpected player performances tell a whole different tale? This week, as Week 2 wraps up, we’re tearing down that 10,000-foot view and zooming right into the heart of the action. From surprising quarterback numbers to clutch kicks that make history, there’s much more to these games than meets the eye. Ready to get nerdy with the numbers and discover the hidden narratives? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE

We’re taking a deep dive into the NFL stats, highlights and scores that tell some of the story within the biggest games of Week 2.

There’s a 10,000-foot view of the league.

That’s the distance from which many fans follow the NFL. It consists of the final scores, player stats and standings. Check in and check out.

But of course, just reading the headlines rarely tells the complete story. So allow yourself to look a little closer. And a little closer yet, and you’ll see the underlying data that gives a clearer picture.

That takes some work, but that’s why we’re here. We’re taking a deep dive into the numbers that tell some of the story within the biggest games of the NFL’s Week 2.

Inside the NFL Stats

101

Though the Eagles-Chiefs showdown may have lived up to expectations in terms of being a close, competitive game, it did not when it came to showcasing two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Jalen Hurts completed 15-of-22 passes for just 101 yards, while Patrick Mahomes was 16 of 29 for 187 with a touchdown and an interception. Saquon Barkley gave a workhorse effort with 22 carries for 88 yards and a score to help the Eagles pull out an ugly 20-17 win in Kansas City in a Super Bowl rematch.

So the defending champs are 2-0, while the Chiefs drop to 0-2 for the first time since 2014 – Andy Reid’s second year as coach. But how often does the winning quarterback throw for 101 or fewer yards?

It was only the second time Hurts had thrown for 101 or fewer while also finishing with 20 or more attempts. The first time came in a 20-14 loss to the Washington Football Team on Jan. 3, 2021.

But when it comes to those teams winning … it was only the 10th time it’s happened since the start of the 2020 season. Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos was the most recent to do it in Week 4 of last season when he threw for 60 yards on 25 attempts in a 10-9 win over the New York Jets.

2-0

For the first time since the Peyton Manning era, the Indianapolis Colts are 2-0. And we’re not saying Daniel Jones is Peyton Manning, but he seems to have found a home in Indy.

Jones completed 23-of-34 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown and Jonathan Taylor (25 carries, 165 yards) carried the load on the winning drive that was aided by a key penalty and capped by Spencer Shrader’s 45-yard field goal as time expired for a 29-28 win over the Broncos on Sunday.

Jones has now thrown for 588 yards and two TDs with no interceptions while also rushing in a pair of scores and Indianapolis has opened the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since a 14-0 start in 2011. They won the AFC title that season.

The Colts have a ways to go to reach that level, but they are already atop the AFC South. And Jones’ performance shouldn’t be a complete surprise, as the underlying data was positive heading into the season.

His 81.9% well-thrown rate in 2024 was better than the 79.0% single-season league average among all QBs with at least 320 adjusted attempts (no spikes or throwaways) since 2016. In Week 1 of the 2025 season, he posted an 82.8 well-thrown percentage and a 3.45 pickable pass percentage that were both better than the league average.

7

Sounds like it’s Jake Browning time again in Cincinnati, as Joe Burrow reportedly has torn ligaments in his toe and could miss several weeks.

Source: Joe Burrow is believed to have turf toe with torn ligaments.

Tricky timeline on his return, but expectation would be several weeks. #Bengals @FOX19

— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) September 14, 2025

Browning has made seven career starts – all back in 2023 when Joe Burrow missed time with a right wrist injury. The third-year Washington product completed 71.5% of his passes for 1,868 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions while the Bengals went 4-3 in games.

Ja’Marr Chase figures to keep getting the rock. He finished with 100 catches – the second most of his career – to go along with 1,216 yards in 2023.

The touchdown-to-interception ratio remains a concern after Browning was 21 of 32 for 241 yards with two scores and three picks in Cincinnati’s 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Since 2023, only Bailey Zappe (11) has thrown more interceptions than Browning’s 10 among those with fewer than 300 pass attempts.

However, it’s really boom-or-bust with Browning. His 14 touchdowns are the most in the league among those with fewer than 300 attempts over that span.

4

Brandon Aubrey made two clutch kicks as time expired in the Dallas Cowboys’ 40-37 overtime win over the rival New York Giants.

His first came at the end of regulation when he made only the fourth kick in NFL history from 64 or more yards. Aubrey now has two of them (a 65-yarder against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 22, 2024, was the other), while Justin Tucker and Matt Prater have the others.

Tucker’s 66-yard in September of 2021 is the record.

Aubrey, however, is the best kicker in NFL history from distance, going 27 for 30 from 50+ yards in his career.

FIELD-GOAL% FROM 50+ YARDS (ALL TIME/MIN. 20 MADE)

90.0% (27-30) – Brandon Aubrey
83.3% (80-101) – Chris Boswell
82.1% (32-39) – Chase McLaughlin
75.9% (44-58) – Ka’imi Fairbairn
75.0% (81-108) – Matt Prater

451

Remember when people wanted Russell Wilson benched? Like yesterday.

Wilson completed 30-of-41 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns – including a 48-yard touchdown to Malik Nabers with 25 seconds left to put the New York Giants ahead of the Cowboys.

However, Wilson did throw an ill-advised interception in overtime that took some of the luster off his performance and led to Brandon Aubrey’s 46-yard winner as time expired in the Cowboys’ 40-37 victory.

There was plenty of speculation about when the Giants might turn to Jaxson Dart after Wilson went 17 for 37 for 168 yards and no scores in an ugly 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders in the season opener.

Wilson ended up 1 yard shy of his career high; he threw for 452 in a 41-38 win for the Seattle Seahawks over the Houston Texans on Oct. 29, 2017. And it’s only the 10th time since the start of the 2021 season that a quarterback has thrown for at least 450 yards and three TDs in a game.

It’s safe to say that Wilson will keep his job for at least another week.

27

Remember when Justin Fields had finally found a home and was going to have a big year with the Jets?

Fields left late in the game due to a potential concussion after suffering a hard hit against the Buffalo Bills, but he was on the way to one of the worst performances of recent memory.

Fields completed just 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards and didn’t add much more on the ground (five carries for 49 yards) in a 30-10 loss that crushed all the optimism from a hard-fought 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.

Stat of the day: Mitch Trubisky had more passing yards in one play (32) than Justin Fields had all day (27). #BillsMafia @PayTheBillsPod pic.twitter.com/zXrLvxZX2z

— Carson Hayek (@CarsonHayek) September 14, 2025

Like he has at times in the past, Fields looked like a star in the opener. He was 16 for 22 for 218 yards and a touchdown while also adding two scores on the ground.

Tyrod Taylor looked much better against the Bills, going 7 for 11 for 56 yards and a TD in relief of Fields. Taylor could get the call again in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if Fields remains in concussion protocol.

5

We all saw this one coming, right?

There was little doubt the defending NFC North champions were going to be angry after an embarrassing 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the opener. And the Detroit Lions, led by their stars, certainly played that way in a 52-21 rout of the Chicago Bears.

Jared Goff threw for 334 yards and matched a career high with five touchdown passes – three of them to Amon-Ra St. Brown. He had thrown for five scores three other times in his career, most recently in Week 15 of the 2024 season against the Bills.

It was just the 11th time since the start of the 2021 season that a quarterback had at least 300 yards and five TDs in a game. Goff and Patrick Mahomes are the only two QBs to do it twice over that span.

23

Say what you want about the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, they’re off to an 0-2 start after a 41-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

But they’ve done a good job against a couple of stars. The Browns limited Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja’Marr Chase to two catches for 26 yards in a 17-16 loss in Week 1 and they held Derrick Henry to 23 yards on 11 carries in Week 2.

It was Henry’s fewest rushing yards in a game since Dec. 17, 2023, when he had 9 yards on 16 attempts in the Tennessee Titans’ overtime loss to the Texans.

9.2

Is Puka Nacua the best receiver in the NFL?

If you haven’t noticed, the third-year wideout has been on a heater for quite a while now. He had eight catches for 91 yards in the Los Angeles Rams’ 33-19 win over the Titans in Week 2 after racking up 10 for 130 against the Texans in the opener. If his receiving stats weren’t impressive enough on their own, Nacua even added a 45-yard rushing touchdown this week.

Since Dec. 8, 2024, Nacua leads the NFL with 9.2 receptions and 110.8 yards per game.