The #NFL on Twitter: Week 3
Week three of the #NFL season saw a Super Bowl 48 rematch, numerous new quarterbacks under center, serious injuries to key players, a few blowout wins and more chatter about off-the-field stories. While the drama played out, Twitter was your home turf for all the @NFL conversations.
Most-mentioned #NFL players and teams
In a rematch of Super Bowl 48, Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) and Marshawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) led the defending champion @Seahawks to a dramatic overtime victory over Peyton Manning and the @Broncos.
After the game, @Seahawks defensive back DeShawn Shead (@dshead24) proposed to his girlfriend on the field:
In Philadelphia, the unbeaten @Eagles won a high-scoring affair headlined by DeSean Jackson’s (@DeSeanJackson11) return to Philly, stellar play from new @Redskins starting quarterback Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) and a fight after a big hit on quarterback Nick Foles (@NFoles_9):
@Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown84) and a two-headed rushing attack by Le’Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) and LeGarrette Blount (@LG_Blount) led Pittsburgh to an upset victory on the road against the @Panthers:
The three players even posed for a selfie on the field:
Behind backup quarterback Drew Stanton (@drewstanton) and rookie receiver John Brown (@RIPJWALK5), the undefeated @Cardinals scored a big NFC West win against the @49ers.
Other notable stories included a comeback 34-31 win by the @dallascowboys over the @STLouisRams, injuries to numerous key players and the @Bengals moving to 3-0 in a game that saw quarterback Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) catch a touchdown pass.
In the @Atlanta_Falcons 56-14 blowout win over the @TBBuccaneers, Atlanta wide receiver Devin Hester (@D_Hest23) broke hall-of-famer Deion Sanders’ (@deionsanders) NFL record for career kick returns for touchdowns. The two embraced after the game:
Here are the top five most-mentioned #NFL players (player name and/or player Twitter handle) on Twitter during week three of play (Thursday, Sept. 18 through Monday, Sept. 22):
- Ray Rice (@RayRice27)
- Peyton Manning
- Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson)
- DeSean Jackson (@DeSeanJackson11)
- Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson)
Both the @Vikings and @Ravens turned to Twitter to update fans and media on the latest stories regarding Ray Rice (@RayRice27) and Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson):
Despite the off-the-field drama, other teams were mentioned more on Twitter this week. Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week three of play (Thursday, Sept. 18 through Monday, Sept. 22):
- Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks)
- Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (@Steelers)
- Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers)
Click on this image below to explore this data visualization that features week three’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
Week three was filled with close games, big plays and a few upsets. Here are the top five most-Tweeted games during and around live telecasts based on number of Tweets, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial):
- @Broncos vs. @Seahawks (CBS)
- @TBBuccaneers vs. @Atlanta_Falcons (CBS; NFL Network)
- @Redskins vs @Eagles (FOX)
- @ChicagoBears vs. @NYJets (ESPN)
- @dallascowboys 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):
- @Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning finds Jacob Tamme (@JacobTamme) for a 26-yard touchdown to tie the score at 20 against the @Seahawks with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
- @ChicagoBears wide receiver Devin Hester (@D_Hest23) scores 20th career kick return for a touchdown, passing Deion Sanders (@deionsanders) for most all-time.
- Just after the @Eagles took a 34-27 lead on a Jeremy Maclin (@jmac_18) touchdown catch, @Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) intercepts pass by @Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) with 7:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- @Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (@Wilfork75) intercepts pass by @RAIDERS quarterback Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
- @ChicagoBears defensive back Ryan Mundy (@RMundy29) intercepts @NYJets quarterback Geno Smith (@GenoSmith7) and returns it for a 45-yard touchdown with 14:28 left in the first quarter.
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 in what was a high-scoring week in the #NFL? @NFL has you covered:
And we put together this collection of Tweets from week three. Enjoy!
Remember to follow the NFL action on Twitter and come back every Tuesday as we recap how the #NFL played out each week.