The #NFL on Twitter: Week 2

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

The second week of the #NFL season was dominated by upsets, injured stars, clutch performances from familiar names and another off-the-field story. And while the play on the gridiron provided thrills, the conversation about the top stories on and off the field played out on Twitter.

Week 2: Most-mentioned #NFL players and teams

The #NFL saw fantastic performances by star veterans and teams this week that drove the Twitter conversation. Missed a touchdown? @NFL has you covered:

The @Browns, @Chargers, @buffalobills and @ChicagoBears came up with big upset wins, while veterans Brandon Marshall (@BMarshall) and Antonio Gates (@AntonioGates85) each found the fountain of youth by scoring three touchdowns apiece.



@RSherman_25 turned to Twitter to answer critics after his @Seahawks lost to the @Chargers:


Injuries to key players, including Robert Griffin III ( @RGIII), Jamaal Charles ( @jcharles25), Ryan Matthews ( @rmathews24) and Mark Ingram ( @MarkIngram22), were discussed on Twitter as well.



Here are the top five most-mentioned #NFL players (player name and/or player Twitter handle) on Twitter during week two of play (from Thursday, Sept. 11 through Monday, Sept. 15):

  1. Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson)
  2. Ray Rice (@RayRice27)
  3. Brandon Marshall (@BMarshall)
  4. Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25)
  5. Tony Romo

When the @Vikings announced that they were deactivating star running back Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) for Sunday’s game due to his legal trouble off the field, NFL fans and media members immediately discussed the breaking news.

As reported by @ESPNNFL, Peterson will be back with the @Vikings this week:

After the announcement, he Tweeted this statement:

Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week two of play (from Thursday, Sept. 11 through Monday, Sept. 15):

  1. San Francisco 49ers (@49ers)
  2. Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears)
  3. Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys)
  4. Green Bay Packers (@Packers)
  5. Pittsburgh Steelers (@Steelers)

Click on this image below to explore this data visualization that features week two’s most mentioned players and teams (and related Tweets). We will update this data viz each week of the season on Tuesdays.

The #NFL on Twitter: Week 2

Week 2: Most-Tweeted games and moments

Week two was filled with close games, upsets and big plays. Here are the top five most-Tweeted games during and around live telecasts based on number of Tweets, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial):

  1. @ChicagoBears vs. @49ers (NBC)
  2. @Eagles vs. @Colts (ESPN)
  3. @Steelers vs. @Ravens (CBS; NFL Network)
  4. @Jaguars vs. @Redskins (CBS)
  5. @Saints vs. @Browns (FOX)

And here are the moments that sparked the top Tweets per minute (TPM) peaks during live televised games, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial):

  1. Kicker Cody Parkey (@CParkey36) hits game-winning 36-yard field goal to give the @Eagles a 30-27 win over the @Colts.
  2. Brandon Marshall (@BMarshall) makes an acrobatic one-handed touchdown catch to pull the @ChicagoBears within 10 points of the @49ers with 18 seconds left in the first half.
  3. Kicker Billy Cundiff (@Billy_Cundiff) hits game-winning 29-yard field goal to give the @Browns a 26-24 win over the @Saints.
  4. Texans defensive end JJ Watt (@JJWatt) catches a one-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to give the @HoustonTexans a 7-0 first quarter lead over the @RAIDERS.
  5. Chandler Jones (@Chan95Jones) returns a blocked field goal 58 yards for a touchdown to give the @patriots a 24-7 lead over the @Vikings with nine seconds remaining in the first half.

See more here from @NielsenSocial on the reach of Twitter activity around this past week’s #NFL games.

Week 2: Tweets of the week

Missed a moment or two during a busy #NFL weekend? We put together this collection of Tweets from week two. Enjoy!

Remember to follow the NFL action on Twitter and come back every Tuesday as we recap how the #NFL played out each week.