Analysis
12/26/22
5 min read
Wildest NFL Stats From Week 16
Closing Out Close Games
The Vikings, who beat the Giants on Greg Joseph’s 61-yard field goal as time expired, recorded their 11th one-score victory (eight points or fewer) this season, the most such wins by a team in a single season in NFL history. Meanwhile, since 2018, the Giants have been beaten on the final snap by a field goal of at least 61 yards a league-leading three times.
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Prescott Perfection
Per Next Gen Stats, Dak Prescott went 24-for-24 for 300 yards when the Eagles played zone.
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Comeback Squads
The Cowboys, Saints and Buccaneers each overcame 10-point deficits to win in Week 16, bringing the total for the season to 47 games in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win or tie, the most such games in a single season in NFL history.
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Moss Gets Moss'd
Vikings' wide receiver Justin Jefferson, currently in his third career season, recorded his 24th career game with at least 100 receiving yards, surpassing Randy Moss (23) for the most such games by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history. Jefferson has 10 games with at least 100 receiving yards this season, tied for the fourth-most such games in a single season in NFL history. Only Cooper Kupp (11 in 2021) and Calvin Johnson (11 in 2012) and Michael Irvin (11 in 1995) had more.
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Consistency Matters
The Chiefs became the third team ever to record at least 12 regular-season wins in five consecutive seasons, joining the 2010-17 Patriots (eight straight) and 2003-09 Colts (seven).
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GOAT Territory
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes became the fourth quarterback all-time with four career seasons of 4,500 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes, joining Tom Brady (five seasons), Drew Brees (four) and Peyton Manning (four).
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Tricky Nixon
Packers kick returner Keisean Nixon leads the NFL with nine kickoff returns of 30-plus yards this season and all of those have come since Week 6. Nixon also leads the league with four kickoff returns of 50-plus yards.
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Another Perfect December
Aaron Rodgers is 15-0 in December starts since Matt LaFleur became Packers head coach. Rodgers has thrown 32 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and has a 103.7 passer rating in those 15 games.
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Sack Attack
The Eagles have now had at least six sacks in four straight games, tied with the 49ers (1976) for the longest streak in the Super Bowl era.
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End of Long Drought
Tyler Huntley's 6-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson in the second quarter against the Falcons was the first touchdown catch by a Ravens' wide receiver since the third week of the season.
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Raiders of Lost Leads
The Raiders are now 1-5 when leading by 7-plus points at halftime this season. They are first team in NFL history to blow five halftime leads of 7-plus points. In those six games, Derek Carr has had more passes after halftime caught by the opposing team (5) than by Davante Adams (3).
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True Dual Threat
Bills quarterback Josh Allen recorded his 25th career game with at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown, surpassing Fran Tarkenton (24 games) for the fourth-most such games in NFL history. Only Cam Newton (45 games), Steve Young (31) and Aaron Rodgers (30) have more. Allen, who has 173 combined passing and rushing touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2018, surpassed Dan Marino (171) for the most combined passing and rushing touchdowns by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.
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Purdy Impressive
San Francisco rookie quarterback Brock Purdy joined Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks since 1950 with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in each of his first three career starts.
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Running Wild
Panthers' running backs D’Onta Freeman and Chuba Hubbard became the first pair of teammates since Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor (Dec. 10, 2006) to each have at least 100 rushing yards in the first half of the same game. Carolina rushed for 240 yards in the first half against the Lions, the third-most rushing yards in a first half in the past 40 years. Only Buffalo on Nov. 22, 1992 (254 rushing yards) and Jacksonville on Dec. 10, 2006 (251) had more.
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Fast Starter
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 90 receptions as a rookie last season and has 96 receptions in 2022, joined Michael Thomas and Odell Beckham Jr. as the only players ever with at least 90 receptions and 900 receiving yards in each of their first two seasons.
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Scoring Three Ways
Patriots' rookie defensive back Marcus Jones, recorded a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown against Cincinnati on Saturday and had a punt-return touchdown in Week 11 and a touchdown reception in Week 13, became the first player since 1947 (and the fourth ever) to score each of those ways. The only Patriots player with more touchdowns than Jones this season is RB Rhamondre Stevenson (6).
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Brady in Bunches
Tom Brady has now thrown at least two interceptions in three straight games. He has only done this once previously in his 23 NFL seasons: Weeks 4-6 in his second season as a full-time starter (2002).
