The weekly notebook · Week 1, 2026
Between the numbers.
Fourteen things the final score doesn’t tell you. Quick stats, clear charts, game context included.
Forty yards. Six missed deep shots.
DK Metcalf had 204 air yards but only 40 receiving yards. All six targets thrown at least 20 yards downfield fell incomplete. Every target came within one score: the deep opportunities were there throughout a competitive game.
Deep targets completed
0 of 620+ air yards
Select a target for the clock, score and result.
A third of Golden’s targets came late.
Four of Matthew Golden’s 12 targets came in the final four minutes, down 17. They produced 28 yards; his earlier eight targets produced 67. The late volume makes the headline workload look bigger.
Targets in the final 4:00, down 17
4 of 1233% of his targets
Select a target for the clock, score and result.
Raymond was involved while it was close.
Seven of Kalif Raymond’s nine targets came within one score, producing 71 of his 84 yards. Chicago eventually won 59–37, but his involvement was already there before the game opened up.
Targets within one score
7 of 978% of his targets
Select a target for the clock, score and result.
Coker already had 97 yards at halftime.
Jalen Coker’s 138 yards included 97 before halftime. His second touchdown arrived down 21 with 4:05 left. The late score boosted an afternoon that was already productive.
Receiving yards by game period
97 yardsbefore halftime
Gibbs got five bonus carries.
Five of Jahmyr Gibbs’s 29 carries came in overtime. So did one of his five receptions. That still leaves 28 regulation touches—a substantial workload before the extra period.
Carries by game period
24 + 5regulation / overtime
Bijan out-targeted everybody else combined.
Bijan Robinson got 10 targets. The rest of Atlanta got nine. All ten of his targets came within one score. That’s a 52.6% share of assigned targets, alongside 21 carries.
Atlanta’s assigned targets
10 of 19went to Bijan
Judkins owned a very small backfield pie.
Quinshon Judkins took 12 of Cleveland’s 13 RB carries: 92%. He gained just 33 yards, and eight carries came while trailing by at least 14. A dominant share can still come with limited opportunity.
Share of Cleveland RB carries
92%12 of 13
Same carries. Completely different receiving roles.
Travis Etienne and Kendre Miller each had nine carries. Etienne also had nine targets; Miller had none. Four of Etienne’s targets came down at least 14, so the comeback helped fuel his receiving volume.
Same rushing workload, different roles
9 vs. 0targets
Eight targets can mean almost no air yards.
Sam LaPorta’s eight targets averaged 0.9 air yards. Jameson Williams’s nine averaged 14.1. Both had seven targets within one score. Similar target counts bought very different opportunities; incompletions and throws behind the line count here.
Average target depth
0.9 vs. 14.1air yards
Five deep shots hid in a 53-yard day.
Five of Malik Washington’s eight targets traveled at least 20 yards downfield. He caught three passes for 53 yards. Five targets came down at least 14, so Miami’s need to throw matters when judging that volume.
Targets at least 20 yards downfield
5 of 8deep targets
Taylor took every Colts RB carry.
Jonathan Taylor handled all 19 of Indianapolis’s running-back carries. Twelve came while trailing by at least 14. The backfield stayed his even while the Colts were chasing the game; quarterback rushes are excluded.
Share of Indianapolis RB carries
100%19 of 19
One catch supplied 55% of Watson’s yards.
An 81-yard catch accounted for 55% of Christian Watson’s 147 receiving yards. It came in the first quarter with Green Bay leading by three. The other five catches added 66 yards: a reminder of how much one explosive play can move a total.
Receiving yards from the longest catch
55%81 of 147 yards
Bucky did more damage through the air.
Bucky Irving caught all seven targets for 48 yards, beating his 45 yards on eight carries. Five targets came with Tampa Bay more than eight points behind. The receiving work helped keep him involved while chasing the game.
Receiving yards vs. rushing yards
48 vs. 45yards
Jeanty’s touchdowns came through the air.
Ashton Jeanty had 23 carries for 102 yards without a rushing touchdown. Both his scores were receptions. He caught all six targets, four of which came within one score—another way his role paid off.
Touchdowns by play type
2 receiving0 rushing
Put the score back into the target count.
Compare the same three players with all targets included, then only the targets within eight points. Everything outside that margin isn’t automatically garbage time—the clock matters too.
Targets, with and without a close score
All assigned targets in Week 1, regardless of score. Fixed scale: 0–12 targets. Selected players only.
Sources & how we counted
Checked September 17, 2026, against nflverse’s play-by-play and weekly player stats. Targets, carries, receiving yards, rushing yards and target air yards were reconciled for all 16 players used in these findings and comparisons.
- Scope: 2026 regular-season Week 1. Selected observations, not a league-wide ranking or established trends.
- Within one score: tied or an absolute pre-play margin of eight points or fewer. Includes overtime. Outside that margin does not automatically mean garbage time.
- Targets: passes assigned to an intended receiver. Throwaways, nullified/deleted plays and two-point attempts are excluded. Carry counts also exclude quarterback kneels.
- RB carry share: the player’s carries divided by carries credited to players classified as RB. Excludes QB, WR and FB rushes.
- Air yards: depth of the intended target, including incompletions and negative values. Deep means at least 20 air yards. Average depth divides total target air yards by targets.
- Late Golden targets: fourth quarter, four minutes or less remaining, trailing by exactly 17.
- Overtime: quarters after the fourth. Percentages are rounded; Watson’s longest-catch share is 81 ÷ 147.
Download the calculation data and selected plays (JSON). The charts have downloadable PNG and SVG versions. Public source data can receive later corrections.