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For the second time this season, the Atlanta Falcons have walked away from a game victorious. On Thursday night, the Falcons added to the win column by defeating the Carolina Panthers on the road. The team is now 2-6 overall — and 2-1 since firing both general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn. But, we are here to talk statistics and so we shall. This won’t be a deep dive into the analytical side of the numbers put up, but more of a broad outlook on weekly and seasonal stats so we can keep track of milestones and where this team stands with league leaders.
Without further ado, lets get started.
Todd Gurley climbing the all-time rushing touchdowns list
Even though he took a lot of heat for accidentally scoring against the Detroit Lions, Todd Gurley has done well this year. He’s climbed the rankings in the history books this year, such as joining Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Chuck Foreman and Jerry Rice for most scrimmage touchdowns in a player’s first 80 career games.
On Thursday, Gurley tied Fred Taylor, Ricky Williams and former Falcons’ running back Michael Turner for the 38th-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. Through eight games, Gurley has eight rushing touchdowns and is on pace for eight more scores. If that’s the case, Gurley will climb to 26th-most all-time and be tied with Earl Campbell and Leroy Kelly.
Julio Jones ties Randy Moss for most games with 125+ receiving yards
Just when you think Julio Jones is losing a step, he has his third game of the 2020 season with 137+ yards. On Thursday, Jones recorded exactly 137 yards which marked his 35th career game of 125+ receiving yards. With that, Jones tied Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss. With one more such game, Jones will be alone at the top of the list.
Matt Ryan belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Read it again. Matt Ryan belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The hall itself has overlooked and continues to overlook very deserving former Falcons’ players, which I hope changes in the near future. Ryan keeps only padding his Canton resume, as on Thursday with a rushing touchdown, he became the fifth player in NFL history with with 50,000+ passing yards, 1,000+ rushing yards and 10+ rushing touchdowns.
Not only that, but Ryan completed 70% of his passes for 275+ yards for the 46th time in his career. Drew Brees (82) and Peyton Manning (47) are the only two players in NFL history with more such games. Not bad.