NFL Research spotlights the best nuggets from each slate of games. Here are the most eye-popping statistical accomplishments from Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.
1) Klint Kubiak's offense surging in first two weeks of NFL action
Early candidate for the NFL AP Assistant Coach of the Year ... Klint Kubiak? Through two games, the Saints' offense is absolutely humming, totaling 91 points. For reference, New Orleans scored 36 combined points in Weeks 1 and 2 last season.
The only team since the 1970 merger to score more points through two games than the 2024 Saints? The 2009 Saints, who put up 93 points in their first two games. That season ended in a Super Bowl XLIV victory for New Orleans.
2) Alvin Kamara scores four touchdowns in Dallas
The primary beneficiary of New Orleans' offensive fireworks has been Kamara. The eighth-year vet scored four touchdowns and accrued 180 scrimmage yards against Mike Zimmer's Cowboys defense in Week 2. The last time Kamara faced Zim was on Christmas Day 2020, when he tied an all-time record with six touchdowns. Doing a little napkin math here ... that makes 10 touchdowns in Kamara’s last two games versus a Mike Zimmer-coached defense. Pretty good.
Week 2 of 2024 brought Kamara’s second career game with at least 150 yards and four touchdowns from scrimmage (previous was also the aforementioned Christmas game). The only players in the Super Bowl era with more such games are Hall of Fame backs LaDainian Tomlinson (four) and Marshall Faulk (three).
This was also Kamara’s 12th career game with at least one touchdown rushing and receiving, tying Hall of Famer Lenny Moore and Eagles legend Brian Westbrook for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only Faulk and Christian McCaffrey have more (15 each).
3) Justin Jefferson catching Randy Moss in receiving record book
Concerns over Jefferson being able to maintain his production without Kirk Cousins at quarterback seem to be unfounded through two games. Jefferson went off for 133 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' surprising Week 2 win over the reigning NFC champion 49ers. This was Jefferson’s 30th career game with at least 100 receiving yards, tying Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most such games through five seasons all time.
Even better, this was Jetta’s 20th career game going for 125-plus yards receiving, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Lance Alworth for the most such games through a player’s first five seasons in NFL history (Moss had 17 in his first five years).
Bonus Next Gen Stats nugget: Jefferson traveled 127.5 yards in total on his 97-yard touchdown play, the most distance traveled by a ball-carrier on an offensive touchdown in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).
4) Aidan Hutchinson feasts with 4.5-sack performance
Hutchinson quickly made an impact in Week 2, totaling 3.0 sacks in the first quarter against the Buccaneers (the most first-quarter sacks by any player since Chandler Jones against the Titans in 2021).
Hutchinson finished the game with 4.5 sacks in a tight loss. Dating back to Week 17 of last season, the Michigan product has 10.5 sacks in his last four regular-season games played. The only players with more sacks in a four-game span (since first tracked in 1982) are Hall of Famers Derrick Thomas (1997-98) and Richard Dent (1984), as well as Aldon Smith (2012). Each of those three players put up exactly 11.0 sacks in their best four-game stretch.
5) J.K. Dobbins leading the NFL in rushing so far
Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers have run the dang ball, and Dobbins has been the workhorse. Dobbins leads the NFL with 266 rushing yards through two games, helping the Bolts start 2-0 for the first time since 2012.
Dobbins is the first player in Chargers history with at least 100 rushing yards in each of the team’s first two games of the season. (Amazingly, Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson never accomplished that feat.)
Across all franchises, Dobbins is just the fifth player since 1960 to rush for 130-plus yards and a touchdown in each of his team’s first two games in a season -- joining Garrison Hearst in 1998 (with the 49ers), Billy Sims in 1980 (with the Lions) and Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson in 1975 (with the Bills) and Jim Brown in 1963 (with the Browns).
6) A young, talented Jet makes history
Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen (20 years and 239 days of age) became the youngest player in NFL history to score multiple touchdowns in a game.
Allen tied Hall of Famer Arnie Herber (also 20 years and 239 days old) as the youngest players to score a single scrimmage touchdown in a game. Herber caught a 15-yard touchdown from Red Dunn in 1930 during a matchup against the Frankford Yellow Jackets.
The youngest player in NFL history to score a touchdown of any type was Bears returner Andy Livingston, who housed a kickoff in 1964 when he was 20 years and 53 days old.
7) Marvin Harrison Jr. starts off hot in the first quarter vs. the Rams
Miraculously, Harrison saved his career from certain doom after he posted a measly one-catch performance in his NFL debut.
The No. 4 overall pick had a monstrous first quarter in Week 2, going off for 130 yards and two touchdowns on four catches during the Cardinals' blowout win over the Rams.
Coincidentally, Harrison is the first rookie with at least four catches and multiple touchdowns in the first quarter of a game since his dad did so in Week 16 of 1996 against the Chiefs. (Jim Harbaugh tossed him both of those touchdowns.) Just to one-up his dad, Junior had more yards in the first quarter (130) than his dad did in any full game during his entire rookie season in 1996.
8) Kyler Murray's perfect day
Also in the Cards' victory, Kyler joined Hall of Famer Kurt Warner as the only players in franchise history with a perfect passer rating in a single game (minimum 20 passing attempts). Warner did so in Week 2 of 2008 against the Dolphins. Warner would eventually lead the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history that season.
Murray is just the second player since 1950 to have a perfect passer rating (minimum 20 pass attempts) and rush for at least 50 yards in a single game, joining Bengals great Ken Anderson, who did so in 1974 against the Baltimore Colts.
9) Raiders' rookie tight end shines in Week 2
The Raiders upset last season’s AFC top-seeded Ravens in part behind Brock Bowers' big day.
The 13th overall pick in this year’s draft had nine catches and 98 yards receiving, bringing his season totals up to 15 and 156, respectively. Those are both the most ever by any tight end in his first two career games -- and the most among all tight ends in 2024.
10) Seahawks pass catchers shine in New England
The Seahawks survived the Patriots in overtime, and Mike Macdonald became the first full-time head coach in Seahawks history to start his career 2-0.
Geno Smith had an impressive outing, completing 75 percent of his passes while throwing for 327 yards. But the historic part of the day? That belongs to wide receivers DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who combined to amass 22 catches for 246 yards and a touchdown. Metcalf (10-129-1) and Smith-Njigba (12-117) became the first pair of teammates with at least 10 catches and 100 receiving yards each in the same game in Seahawks history.