For the second straight week, the NFL gave us a Monday night doubleheader and for the second straight week, the late game in the doubleheader was a historical one.
Last week, the Commanders and Bengals gave us the first NFL game ever with no punts or turnovers. This week, the Seahawks and Lions also produced something that we've never seen before during Detroit's wild 42-29 win over Seattle.
Let's check out the records from the game, including two things that had never happened before in NFL history:
- Never been done before, Part I: Jared Goff pitches a perfect game. The Lions QB set the NFL record for most pass attempts without an incompletion. Goff went 18 of 18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. The previous record was held by Kurt Warner, who went 10 of 10 in a game back in 2005, so Goff just didn't break the record, he smashed it. Goff also set the record for the most passing yards without an incompletion. Warner threw for 115 in his perfect game while Goff more than doubled that. As good as Goff was, he didn't get a game ball, and apparently, Dan Campbell feels kind of bad about that (You can read his comments here).
- Goff is on a roll. With his perfect game, Goff has now completed 87.8% of his passes over the past two weeks, which is tied for the second-best accuracy rate ever over a two-game span. Only Jayden Daniels, who completed 88.7% of his passes over the past two weeks, has been better. Before this year, the record had stood since 2008 when Peyton Manning completed 87.8% of his passes over a two-week span.
- Lions pull off rare feat. Not only did Goff go 18 of 18, but Amon-Ra St. Brown also completed a pass, which means the Lions went 19 of 19 as a team. That made them the first team since the 1942 Giants to complete 100% of its passes in a game. The Lions record is much more impressive, though, because the Giants only threw one pass during their game. Also, although Kurt Warner held the record for for most pass attempts without an incompletion, the Cardinals definitely didn't complete all their passes in that 2005 game. Warner got knocked out of that game and his backup ended up going 14 of 24, which means Warner's team went 24 of 34.
- Rare connection. Not only did Amon-Ra St. Brown throw a pass, but that pass actually went for a touchdown to Jared Goff. The Lions QB also threw a TD pass to St. Brown, which makes them just the eighth duo in NFL history, and fourth since 1950, to throw a TD pass and catch a TD pass from each other in the same game.
- Never been done before, Part II: Seahawks set unfortunate record. The Seahawks racked up 38 first downs on Monday night, which is the most ever by a losing team in NFL history, according to Pro Football Reference. The previous record of 36 had been done multiple times with the most recent game coming in 2019 when the Rams had 36 first downs in a 55-40 loss to the Buccaneers. Win or lose, the 38 first downs was the most by any NFL team in more than a decade. The Broncos were the last team to top that number when Peyton Manning led them to 39 in a single game in 2013.
- Seahawks (kind of) set an unfortunate franchise record. The Seahawks piled up 516 yards of offense, which is the second-highest total they've ever had in a loss. There has only been one game in franchise history that was higher and that came in 2020 when they had 572 yards in a 37-34 loss to the Cardinals. However, that game came in overtime, so Monday's game was the most yardage the Seahawks have ever totaled in a regulation loss.
It truly was a wild game for the ages. Even the final score was a rarity, the 42-29 win by the Lions marked just the second time in NFL history that game ended with that score. The only other time it happened came in 2005 when the Bengals beat the Ravens.
