WHAT TO LOOK FOR - NFL KICKOFF 2009 WEEKEND

SUPER STARTERS:  History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive toward a possible Super Bowl championship is to win in Week 1.

The 43 Super Bowl winners have a 35-7-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons.

Since 1978, when the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule, and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982, teams that are victorious on Kickoff Weekend are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs than losers of an opening game:

Of the 442 teams which won openers...233 went to the playoffs (136 won division titles).

Of the 442 teams which lost openers...105 went to the playoffs (58 won division titles).

In 2008, eight of the 12 playoff teams - Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tennessee - were victorious on Kickoff Weekend.

-- NFL KICKOFF 2009 --

STEELERS-TITANS REMATCH:  The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans will kick off the NFL season on Thursday night.  The game is the first meeting between the teams since the Titans defeated the Steelers 31-14 on December 21, 2008.  Tennessee was the last team to defeat the Steelers before they went on to capture Super Bowl XLIII.  This will mark only the fifth time in NFL history that the defending champs play the last team that defeated them from the previous season on Kickoff Weekend. 

A look at the defending Super Bowl champions to open the season against the last team to defeat them:

-- NFL KICKOFF 2009 --

RESILIENT FAVRE:  BRETT FAVRE will start his 270th consecutive game this Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings face the Cleveland Browns, tying him (most likely) for the longest starting streak in NFL history with JIM MARSHALL.  Marshall started 270 games in a row for Minnesota from 1961-1979.  He played 12 games with Cleveland in 1960, but official records of starters were not kept before 1961.  However, the Browns' internal records indicate that Marshall started the first game in 1960, but did not start the final 11 games of that season while playing a significant back-up role.

Since Favre recorded his first start on September 27, 1992 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 220 other quarterbacks have made at least one NFL start.

A look at the longest starting streaks on record, as published in team media guides:

ELITE COMPANY:  This offseason, the New England Patriots signed free agents JOEY GALLOWAY, who has totaled 10,710 career receiving yards, and FRED TAYLOR, who has 11,271 career rush yards.  With Galloway, Taylor, TOM BRADY and RANDY MOSS on the same team, the Patriots will become only the fourth team in NFL history to start the season with a 25,000-yard passer, 10,000-yard rusher and a 10,000-yard receiver.  New England will also become the first team in NFL history to start a season with two 10,000-yard receivers (Galloway and Moss) and one 25,000-yard passer and a 10,000-yard rusher.

A look at the teams that started a season with a 25,000-yard passer, 10,000-yard rusher and a 10,000-yard receiver:

-- NFL KICKOFF 2009 --

OFF TO A GREAT START:  Pittsburgh Steelers running back WILLIE PARKER has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his first four games (161, 115, 109, 138) on Kickoff Weekend and is the first player to accomplish the feat in NFL history.  Parker can extend the streak this Thursday against the Tennessee Titans.  Parker's streak started in 2005 against the Titans with 161 rush yards.

Minnesota Vikings running back ADRIAN PETERSON has reached the 100-yard mark in two consecutive games on Kickoff Weekend.  With 100 yards this Sunday against Cleveland, Peterson can join Parker and EDGERRIN JAMES (three consecutive, 1999-2001) as the only players in NFL history to rush for 100 yards in each of the first three Kickoff Weekend games in which they appeared.

The running backs to rush for at least 100 yards in each of the first three Kickoff Weekend games in which they appeared:

                       *Current Streak

-- NFL KICKOFF 2009 --

FITZ CLOSING IN ON 6,000:  Arizona Cardinals wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD (5,975) needs 25 yards to reach 6,000 career receiving yards.  If the six-year veteran accomplishes the feat this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, he will become the second-youngest receiver in NFL history to reach 6,000 receiving yards.  At 26 years, 13 days old, Fitzgerald would trail only RANDY MOSS, who reached the milestone at 25 years, 270 days old.

Below is a chart of the youngest players to reach 6,000 receiving yards:

RUN STOPPERS:  The Baltimore Ravens defense owns the NFL's longest current streak - 35 games - of not allowing a 100-yard rusher.  This Sunday, Baltimore will face Kansas City Chiefs running back LARRY JOHNSON, who was the last player to gain 100 yards against the Ravens.  Johnson rushed for 120 yards on December 10, 2006.

A look at the longest current streaks without allowing a 100-yard rusher:

-- NFL KICKOFF 2009 --

STREAK HALTED:  The New York Jets have gone 491 consecutive games without starting a rookie quarterback, the longest current streak in the NFL.  MARK SANCHEZ, the No. 5 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, will end the streak this Sunday against the Houston Texans.  Sanchez will become the first Jets rookie quarterback to start a game since MATT ROBINSON on November 13, 1977 against the Seattle Seahawks.  

The teams with the longest current streaks without starting a rookie quarterback: