NFL

5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 3

Seven teams are 3-0, six have lost all three of their games, whilst annoying fans of not just the two teams involved but lovers of symmetry everywhere there has already been a tie in the 2020 NFL season. Week 3 of the campaign certainly had its share of action and highlights, with a host of noteworthy performances across the whole league.

Here are five stats to know -- both traditional and our advanced statistics -- from Week 3 of the NFL season.

James Robinson Had 129 Yards From Scrimmage

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, handing them their second straight loss. But while not everything is going their way at the moment, they do seem to have found something in running back James Robinson. Robinson finished with 129 yards from scrimmage, with 46 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns along with 6 receptions for 83 yards. These figures, in concert with his production in Weeks 1 and 2, give him 339 yards from scrimmage on the season.

Robinson has more yards from scrimmage in his first three career games than any other undrafted rookie since the NFL-AFL merger. The previous best was 318, achieved by James Brim of the Minnesota Vikings back in 1987.

Robinson has settled into a workhorse role for the Jaguars this season. He has accounted for 64% of the rushing attempts while also seeing 10% of the team targets. Robinson's strong start to the season should continue in Week 4 as the Jaguars take on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have allowed 545 rushing yards already this season, at an average of 5 yards per attempt.

Rex Burkhead Scored 34.8 PPR Points

It was a big week for New England Patriots utility guy Rex Burkhead. Despite only touching the ball 13 times in the victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Burkhead scored a pair of rushing touchdowns with a further score coming via the air on 1 of his 7 receptions. All told, Burkhead finished the day with 34.8 PPR points. Only one Patriots' running back has scored more fantasy points in a single game since the dawn of the 21st century. Antowain Smith managed 37.2 in Week 9 of the 2002 season.

Unsurprisingly, it was a career-high for Burkhead. Indeed, Burkhead had only eclipsed 20 points twice in his career before Sunday. His previous best was 28.4, which he managed as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals back in Week 17 in 2017.

Burkhead has at least six rushing attempts in all three games, but it is hard to bank on a repeat performance next week when the Patriots take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Sunday is likely to be the fantasy highlight of Burkhead's season, if not his entire career.

Joe Burrow Was Sacked Eight Times

The Bengals used the first overall pick in the most recent NFL draft to land quarterback, Joe Burrow. The early signs are certainly encouraging for the former Louisiana State Tiger, with Sunday marking his second consecutive 300-yard passing game. Burrow managed 312 yards through the air against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he'll be feeling it after his efforts.

The Eagles sacked Burrow eight times, with two each for Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett. Burrow has absorbed 14 sacks through three games of his NFL career. Only two players have absorbed more in Weeks 1-3 of their rookie season since the 2000 season. David Carr took 19 sacks back in 2002, with Kyler Murray sacked 16 times just a year ago.

Sunday was just the 10th time in the Bengals history that they allowed at least sacks in a single game, but it marked the second time in two seasons it has happened. The Pittsburgh Steelers sacked Andy Dalton eight times in Week 4 last season.

Burrow may find next week a tad easier as the Bengals take on the Jaguars, but not by much. The Jaguars have only amassed three sacks so far this season, but they have pressured opposing quarterbacks on 24.2% of their plays this season. That's good for fifth place in the NFL.

Josh Allen Has 93.92 Fantasy Points After Three Games

Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen's incredible start to the season continued on Sunday, as he led his team to a comfortable...sorry, comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams. After leading 28-3 at one stage, the Rams charged back to take a 32-28 lead before Allen led the Bills on a game-winning drive punctuated by a three-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kroft.

Allen finished his game against the Rams with 311 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. He is the first quarterback in franchise history with 300 or more passing yards and at least 3 passing touchdowns in three consecutive games. You have to go back to 1992 for the last time a Bills quarterback had three consecutive 300-yard passing games when Jim Kelly achieved the feat.

Allen scored 31.24 fantasy points on Sunday, marking three straight games with at least 28 fantasy points to start the 2020 NFL season. The last Bills' player with 28 or more points in three straight games was O.J. Simpson in 1975. Allen has 93.92 points so far in 2020, which is the second-most by a player in the first three weeks of a season in NFL history. Only Ryan Fitzpatrick (seriously) with 97.4 in 2018 has more than Allen.

Justin Jefferson Had 175 Receiving Yards

The Minnesota Vikings fell to 0-3 on Sunday after losing to the Tennessee Titans, but one positive that they can take from the game was the emergence of one of their young players. The Vikings took wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall selection in this past draft. But Jefferson struggled to make an impact in his first two games, with just 5 receptions for 70 scoreless yards. That all changed in Week 3.

Jefferson saw 9 targets, three more than he had in his first two games combined, which he converted into 7 receptions for 175 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Jefferson's yardage total is the 10th most by a rookie since the start of the 2000 season, while it is the third most by a Viking wide receiver in franchise history. Only Randy Moss (190, Week 5 in 1998) and Sammy White (210, Week 9 in 1976) can claim more yards in their first year than Jefferson.

The Vikings' hopes of relevancy are slipping away, and every game they play from here on out is a must-win. The first such game is next week against the Houston Texans. They will need Jefferson to build on his Week 3 showing, but I wouldn't go slamming him into your fantasy lineups just yet. The Texans have allowed 32.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, the 12th fewest in the NFL. Give him another few games and see if he retains a similar workload moving forward.