FOR USE AS DESIRED September 6, 2006
NFL PRESS BOX NOTES – KICKOFF 2006 WEEKEND
SUPER STARTERS: There are never any guarantees in the NFL, but there are trends. And they start as early as Kickoff Weekend. History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive towards a possible NFL championship is to win in Week 1.
The 40 Super Bowl winners have a 33-6-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons. The Super Bowl XL champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, began their march to the title with a 34-7 victory over Tennessee last year.
This weekend features a game between two perennial fast starters when Dallas visits Jacksonville on Sunday. The Jaguars (.727) and Cowboys (.689) have the best winning percentages in history in Week 1 games. Dallas also owns a league record 17-game winning streak in season openers, which stretched from 1965-81.
The longest current Kickoff Weekend winning streak is claimed by Washington, which has captured four consecutive season openers and seeks to make it five in a row on Monday night at home against Minnesota.
The clubs with the best records and longest winning streaks on Kickoff Weekend:
Team W L TPct. Team Consecutive Years Wins Jacksonville 8 3 0 .727 Dallas 17 1965- Jaguars Cowboys 81 Dallas Cowboys 31 14 1 .689 Miami Dolphins 11 1992- 02 Denver Broncos 29 16 1 .644 Detroit Lions 10 1930- 39 NY Giants 46 30 5 .605 Chicago Bears 9 1984- 92 Chicago Bears 48 33 5 .593 Baltimore Colts 8 1955- 62
-- NFL KICKOFF 2006 --
4 FOR 400: Green Bay Packers quarterback BRETT FAVRE kicks off his 16th season on Sunday in what is always one of the most anticipated games on the NFL schedule – Packers vs. Bears.
The latest installment of the rivalry will take place at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field as Favre can begin the season with a record. If he throws four touchdown passes against Chicago’s fifth-ranked pass defense of 2005, Favre will join DAN MARINO as the only players in history with 400 TD passes.
Favre has thrown four-or-more touchdowns in a game 19 times in his career, including twice against the Bears. His 51 touchdown passes against Chicago is the third most in history by a quarterback against one club.
The NFL career leaders in touchdown passes and TD passes against an opponent:
Quarterback Career TD Quarterbac TD Passes vs. One Opponent Passes k Opponent Dan Marino 420 Dan Marino 72 NY Jets Brett Favre 396* Dan Marino 54 Indianapoli s Fran 342 Brett Favre 51* Chicago Tarkenton John Elway 300 Dan Marino 50 Buffalo Warren Moon 291 Brett Favre 47* Minnesota * Active -- NFL KICKOFF 2006
KANSAS CITY, HERE HE COMES: Kansas City running back LARRY JOHNSON can join elite company on Sunday when the Chiefs host Cincinnati.
Johnson has rushed for 100 yards in nine consecutive games. With a 100-yard performance against the Bengals, he will become only the third player in NFL history to rush for 100 yards in 10 games in a row. The first two are Pro Football Hall of Famers. Continued…… BARRY SANDERS holds the NFL record with 14 consecutive 100-yard rush games, followed by MARCUS ALLEN with 11. Johnson topped the 100-yard mark in the final nine games of last season, twice rushing for 200 yards during the streak.
The all-time leaders in consecutive 100-yard rushing games and their average rushing yards per game during the streak:
Player Team Year(s) Consecutive 100-Yard Rushing Yards Per Game in Games Streak Barry Sanders Detroit 1997 14 142.9 Marcus Allen LA Raiders 1985- 11 124.4 86 Larry Johnson Kansas City 2005 9* 150.1 Walter Payton Chicago 1985 9 125.2 Fred Taylor Jacksonville 2000 9 134.7 Deuce New 2003 9 132.2 McAllister Orleans * Active streak -- NFL KICKOFF 2006 --
200 & COUNTING: A pair of the NFL’s top running backs – TIKI BARBER and LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON – are among the best in history at one of the most difficult accomplishments for their position – a 200-yard rushing game.
The Giants’ Barber and Chargers’ Tomlinson are two of six players in history to rush for 200 yards in a game at least four times, with Barber reaching the mark three times in 2005.
With their next 200-yard game, Barber and Tomlinson can surpass three Pro Football Hall of Famers for sole possession of second place in the category. The all-time leader in career 200-yard rush games is O.J. SIMPSON with six. Both Barber’s and Tomlinson’s Kickoff Weekend games will be on national television. The Giants host Indianapolis on Sunday night (NBC, 8:15 PM ET) and the Chargers visit Oakland on Monday night (ESPN, 10:15 PM ET).
The most 200-yard rushing games in NFL history:
Player Teams Years 200-Yard Rushing Games O.J. Simpson Buffalo, San 1969- 6 Francisco 79 Jim Brown Cleveland 1957- 4 65 Earl Campbell Houston, New 1978- 4 Orleans 85 Barry Sanders Detroit 1989- 4 98 Tiki Barber NY Giants 1997- 4* 05 LaDainian San Diego 2001- 4* Tomlinson 05 * Active -- NFL KICKOFF 2006 --
SPEEDING TO 100: Oakland wide receiver RANDY MOSS has a milestone within reach when the Raiders host San Diego on Monday night.
With two touchdown receptions, Moss will become the seventh NFL player to reach 100 – and he can do it the second- fastest in history.
Moss has 98 touchdown catches in 125 games. If he reaches 100 in Week 1, he will do it in the second fewest games in history, trailing only JERRY RICE, who reached the mark in 120 games.
The NFL players with 100 touchdown receptions and the number of games to reach 100, and the top 10 leaders in touchdown receptions:
Player Games to 100 TD Player TD Receptions Receptions Jerry Rice 120 Jerry Rice 197 Terrell Owens 141 Cris Carter 130 Marvin 143 Marvin 110 Harrison Harrison Cris Carter 180 Terrell Owens 101 Steve Largent 198 Tim Brown 100 Tim Brown 243 Steve Largent 100 Don Hutson 99 Randy Moss 98 Don Maynard 88 Andre Reed 87