The #NFL on Twitter: Week 7

This week, the #NFL conversation was dominated by records, upsets, injuries and a rare in-season trade – and all of the news on and off the field played out on Twitter.

With his third touchdown pass of the game, Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s (@Favre4Official) all-time @NFL record for touchdown passes with 509 when he found Demaryius Thomas (@DemaryiusT) in the endzone. Football fans had #Peyton509 trending on Twitter.

The @49ers were no contest for the @Broncos, as Denver won convincingly 42-17 on @SNFonNBC. In the defeat, the @49ers likely lost center Daniel Kilgore (@DanielKilgore67) for the season.

Thanks to a trick play punt return and a gutsy fake punt late in the game, the @STLouisRams upset the defending @SuperBowl champion @Seahawks 28-26. Rookie running back Tre Mason (@TreMason) led the way with 85 yards rushing and his first career TD, while Stedman Bailey (@iamSB3) and punter Johnny Hekker (@JHekker) were special team heroes for the Rams.

Twitter was abuzz about the @Seahawks on the Friday night before the game, when @NFLonFOX insider Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) broke the news that they traded Percy Harvin (@Percy_Harvin) to the @NYJets.

The night before the trade, Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns in the @Patriots 26-24 win over the @NYJets on Thursday Night Football. New England sealed the victory with a blocked field goal as time expired:

Speaking of New York, the @DallasCowboys became the first six-win team on Sunday when they defeated the @Giants 31-21. DeMarco Murray ( @DemarcoMurray) became the first player in history to rush for more than 100 yards in his first seven games of a season. His offensive teammates Tony Romo, Dez Bryant ( @DezBryant) and backup tight end Gavin Escobar ( @GavinEscobar89) also put up big games.

In Green Bay, the @Packers put on another offensive onslaught with a 38-17 victory over the @Panthers. Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) tied Tom Brady’s record by throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions for the fourth straight game.

History was also made in Kansas City, where Jamaal Charles (@Jcharles25) and Alex Smith led the @KCChiefs to a 23-20 win over the @Chargers, ending San Diego’s five-game winning streak. After rushing for 95 yards and a TD, Charles became the Chiefs all-time leading rusher.

The @Colts shutout the @Bengals 27-0 behind a balanced offensive effort and dominant defensive game. Andrew Luck threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns, while Ahmad Bradshaw (@AhmadBradshaw) had a touchdown on the ground and in the air. This was the @Colts first shutout since 2008 and wide receiver Reggie Wayne became just the ninth player in NFL history to reach 14,000 receiving yards.

Leading 23-10 with just over five minutes left in the game, it appeared that the @Saints secured a victory over the @Lions, a division rival. But Detroit QB Matt Stafford (@Staff_9) found Corey Fuller (@iCoreyFuller) in the endzone with under two minutes left in the game to give his team the 24-23 win.

The @buffalobills defeated the @Vikings 17-16, thanks to quarterback Kyle Orton (sans mustache) finding rookie WR Sammy Watkins (@SammyWatkins) for two touchdowns, including a game-winning score with one second left.

Despite the last second win, the Bills lost two key running backs to injuries in C.J. Spiller (@CJSPILLER) and Fred Jackson (@Fred22Jackson):

In a back and forth game, the @Redskins defeated the @TennesseeTitans on a last second game-winning field goal by Kai Forbath (@KaiForbath). Colt McCoy (@ColtMcCoy) replaced Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) at QB for Washington and threw a 70-yard TD pass on his first attempt. However, the team lost starting linebacker Brian Orakpo (@rak98) for the remainder of the season with an injury.

The @miamidolphins brought the heat to the @ChicagoBears behind a solid defensive showing and strong play from quarterback Ryan Tannehill (@ryantannehill1). Reports surfaced after the game that Brandon Marshall (@BMarshall) was not happy about the @ChicagoBears performance in the lockerroom.

Other week six storylines included the @Ravens beating the @Atlanta_Falcons 29-7; the @Jaguars earning their first win of the season thanks to a breakout game by running back Denard Robinson (@DenardX); the @AZCardinals improving to 5-1 after beating the @RAIDERS; and the @Steelers beating the @HoustonTexans on @ESPNMondayNight.

Most-mentioned #NFL players and teams

Here are the top five most-mentioned #NFL players (player name and/or player Twitter handle) on Twitter during week seven of play (Thursday, Oct. 16 through Monday, Oct. 20):

1. Peyton Manning
2. Percy Harvin (@Percy_Harvin)
3. DeMarco Murray (@DeMarcoMurray)
4. Tom Brady
5. Dez Bryant (@DezBryant)

Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week seven of play (Thursday, Oct. 13 through Monday, Oct. 20):

1. Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys)
2. Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks)
3. San Francisco 49ers (@49ers)
4. Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
5. New England Patriots (@Patriots)

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

Most-Tweeted games and moments

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. @49ers vs. @Broncos (NBC)
2. @Giants vs @dallascowboys (FOX)
3. @HoustonTexans vs. @Steelers (ESPN)
4. @NYJets vs. @Patriots (CBS; NFL Network)
5. @Seahawks vs. @STLouisRams (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. @Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning breaks Brett Favre’s all-time record for career touchdown passes when he found Demaryius Thomas (@DemaryiusT) for an eight-yard score with 3:09 remaining in the second quarter.
2. End of game: the @dallascowboys defeat the @Giants 31-21.
3. @Patriots defensive tackle Chris Jones blocks potential game-winning 58-yard field goal attempt by @NYJets kicker Nick Folk (@NickFolk2) as time expires in New England’s 27-25 win.
4. @Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws two-yard touchdown pass to Le’Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) with 14 seconds remaining in the first half to put Pittsburgh up 24-13 over the @HoustonTexans.
5. Fake punt: On fourth and three from their own 18-yard line, @STLouisRams punter Johnny Hekker (@JHekker) fakes the punt and finds Benny Cunningham (@BCunningham36) for 18 yards and the first down with 2:55 remaining in the game.

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

Tweets of the week

Miss a touchdown from week seven? @NFL has you covered:

And we put together this collection of Tweets from week seven. Enjoy!

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