The #NFL on Twitter: Week 1

Last week, we announced that football fans can experience the new #NFL and game timelines on Twitter. This week, we debut the first NFL on Twitter weekly recap of the season.

From the defending Super Bowl champion @Seahawks’ convincing victory over the @Packers last Thursday to last night’s double-header on @ESPNMondayNight, the @NFL season began with plenty of storylines — all of which played out on Twitter.

Week 1: Most-mentioned #NFL players and teams

The #NFL had plenty of big-time performances by players and teams this week, plus some off-the-field news, that drove the Twitter conversation.

@DangeRussWilson led the @Seahawks to a big win on #Kickoff2014, while @AntonioBrown84 gained notoriety for a big receiving day on Sunday — and for kicking a punter in the chest on a return.

Star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Andrew Luck and Tony Romo couldn’t lead their teams to victory, while Peyton Manning led his Broncos to a big win on @SNFonNBC.

And when the @Ravens announced on Twitter yesterday that they terminated the contract of @RayRice27, NFL fans and media members immediately discussed the breaking news.

Here are the top five most-mentioned players (player name and/or player Twitter handle) on Twitter during week one of play (from Thursday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 8):

1. Tony Romo
2. Peyton Manning
3. Ray Rice (@RayRice27)
4. Tom Brady
5. Andrew Luck

Due in large part to the team’s decision to terminate the contract of Ray Rice, the @Ravens were the most mentioned team account on Twitter this week. Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week one of play (from Thursday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 8):

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

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

Week 1: Most-Tweeted games and moments

Week one saw a flurry of close games, upsets and big plays on the gridiron. Here are the top five most-Tweeted games during live telecasts by number of Tweets, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial):

1. @49ers vs. @dallascowboys (FOX)
2. @Packers vs. @Seahawks (NBC)
3. @Browns vs. @steelers (CBS)
4. @Saints vs. @Atlanta_Falcons (FOX)
5. @Giants vs. @Lions (ESPN)

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. Down 21-3 in the second quarter to the @49ers, @dallascowboys quarterback Tony Romo throws his second interception of the game with his team five yards away from the endzone.
2. Kicker Matt Bryant (@Matt_Bryant3) hits a game-winning 52-yard field goal in OT to lead the @Atlanta_Falcons to a 37-34 win over the @Saints.
3. Matthew Stafford (@Staff_9) connects on a first quarter 16-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson to give the @Lions a 14-0 lead over the @Giants.
4. Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown84) of the @Steelers kicks @Browns punter Spencer Lanning (@LanningSpencer) in the chest during a punt return.
5. Marshawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) scores on a nine-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put the @Seahawks up 17-10 over the @Packers.

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

Week 1: Tweets of the week

Even though following the #NFL action on Twitter ensures you won’t miss a single moment of the season, we put together this collection of Tweets from week one. Enjoy!

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