The #NFL on Twitter: Week 8

Week eight of the @NFL belonged to the quarterbacks, as four players threw for over 400 yards for the first time in league history. Along with several games featuring last minute heroics, football returned to London where one team overcame a 21 point deficit at halftime to win. Whether it happened on the field or off, Twitter was the one-stop shop for all things #NFL.

In Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger (@_BigBen7) and Andrew Luck combined for over 900 passing yards. Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns, including two to star wide receiver Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown84).

In Foxborough, the @ChicagoBears were no match for the Tom Brady and the @Patriots. Brady threw for 5 TD’s, including three to his favorite target, Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski).

In a battle of 5-1 teams, the @AZCardinals beat the @Eagles thanks to a 75-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer to rookie WR John Brown (@RIPJWALK5) with 1:21 left in the game. Palmer threw for 329 yards, while @Eagles QB Nick Foles (@NFoles_9) threw for 411 yards in the defeat. Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald (@LarryFitzgerald) and Philly’s Jeremy Maclin (@jmac_18) also had big receiving days.

Two more star signal callers – Drew Brees (@DrewBrees) and Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) – squared off on @SNFonNBC. Brees (311 yards and three TD’s) and the @Saints proved to be too much at home for the @Packers and Rodgers (411 yards and a TD), winning 44-23.

Another close battle between AFC North rivals went down in Cincinnati, where a late TD run by @Bengals QB Andy Dalton (@AndyDalton14) sealed a 27-24 win for Cincy over the @Ravens.

Defense took the stage in Charlotte, where Russell Wilson’s (@DangeRussWilson) late TD pass to tight end Luke Wilson (@LWillson_82 ) sealed the @Seahawks 13-9 victory over the @Panthers.

Despite the win, reports surfaced before game that this may be the last season in Seattle for star running back Marshawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch):

In Tampa Bay, the @Vikings won on a walk-off fumble recovery for a TD in overtime by linebacker Anthony Barr:

Before the game, the Bucs announced on Twitter that they signed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) to a long-term contract extension:

The @buffalobills beat up on AFC East Rival @NYJets 43-23 behind four TD passes by QB Kyle Orton. Rookie WR Sammy Watkins (@sammywatkins) had 157 receiving yards and a TD:

Jets coach Rex Ryan benched QB Geno Smith (@GenoSmith7 ) for Mike Vick (@MikeVick) and plans to stick with Vick this Sunday:

Week eight kicked off early Sunday morning in the States, as fans in the UK were treated to American football at Wembley Stadium in London. Despite getting off to a fast 21-0 lead, the @Atlanta_Falcons couldn’t hold off a second half comeback from the @Lions. Detroit won 22-21 on a game-winning 48-yard field goal by Matt Prater as time expired.

And last night, the @Redskins upset the @DallasCowboys on @ESPNMondayNight 24-20 in OT behind strong play from new starting QB Colt McCoy (@ColtMcCoy):

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 eight of play (Thursday, Oct. 23 through Monday, Oct. 27):

1. Tom Brady
2. Geno Smith (@GenoSmith7)
3. Tony Romo
4. Peyton Manning
5. Dez Bryant (@DezBryant)

Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week seven of play (Thursday, Oct. 23 through Monday, Oct. 27):

1. Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers)
3. New England Patriots (@Patriots)
4. Washington Redskins (@Redskins)
5. New Orleans Saints (@Saints)

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. @Redskins vs @dallascowboys (ESPN)
2. @ChicagoBears vs. @Patriots (FOX)
3. @Colts vs. @Steelers (CBS)
4. @Eagles vs. @AZCardinals (FOX)
5. @Chargers vs. @Broncos (CBS; NFL Network)

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. End of game: @Redskins upset the @DallasCowboys 20-17 in overtime when a Tony Romo pass to Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) on fourth down is incomplete.
2. End of game: @Lions kicker Matt Prater connects on a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired to give Detroit a 22-21 win over the @Atlanta_Falcons.
3. @Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich returns a Jay Cutler fumble 15 yards for a TD to give New England a 38-7 lead over the @ChicagoBears with 55 seconds remaining in the first half.
4. @NYJets QB Geno Smith (@GenoSmith7) throws his third interception of the first quarter to @buffalobills safety Aaron Williams.
5. End of game: @AZCardinals defeat the @Eagles 24-20 when a Nick Foles (@NFoles_9) pass to Jordan Matthews (@jmattjmattjmatt) in the endzone is ruled incomplete.

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 eight? @NFL has you covered:

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

Remember to follow the NFL action on Twitter and come back every Tuesday as we recap how the #NFL played out each week. And in case you missed it last week, check out this blog post on our #NFL fan follower map.