OVERTIME EXCITEMENT: Week 16 continued the trend of close games, as three games were decided in overtime. Twenty games have gone to overtime this season, already the fifth-most in a season since overtime was instituted in 1974.
The most overtime games in a season since 1974:
SEASON
MOST OVERTIME GAMES IN A SEASON
2002
25
2003
23
2012
22
1995
21
2015
20*
*Through Week 16
WORST TO FIRST: The WASHINGTON REDSKINS (8-7) clinched the NFC East division title with a 38-24 win at Philadelphia on Saturday night. It marks the 12th time in the past 13 seasons that one or more teams went from last or tied for last place to a division championship the following year.
The teams to go from “worst-to-first” in their division since 2003:
SEASON
TEAM
RECORD
PRIOR SEASON RECORD
2003
Carolina
11-5
7-9
2003
Kansas City
13-3
8-8*
2004
Atlanta
11-5
5-11
2004
San Diego
12-4
4-12*
2005
Chicago
11-5
5-11
2005
New York Giants
11-5
6-10*
2005
Tampa Bay
11-5
5-11
2006
Baltimore
13-3
6-10*
2006
New Orleans
10-6
3-13
2006
Philadelphia
10-6
6-10
2007
Tampa Bay
9-7
4-12
2008
Miami
11-5
1-15
2009
New Orleans**
13-3
8-8
2010
Kansas City
10-6
4-12
2011
Denver
8-8
4-12
2011
Houston
10-6
6-10*
2012
Washington
10-6
5-11
2013
Carolina
12-4
7-9*
2013
Philadelphia
10-6
4-12
2015
Washington
8-7
4-12
* Tied for last place
** Won Super Bowl
TDs GALORE: There have been 795 touchdown passes this season, the most through the first 16 weeks in NFL history (768 in 2014).
New Orleans’ DREW BREES (31), Seattle’s RUSSELL WILSON (31) and Green Bay’s AARON RODGERS (30) all reached 30 touchdown passes over the weekend, bringing the season total to nine quarterbacks to reach the mark. 2015 is now tied for the most quarterbacks (nine) with at least 30 TD passes of any season in NFL history (nine in 2014).
New England’s TOM BRADY (36), Jacksonville’s BLAKE BORTLES (35), Arizona’s CARSON PALMER (34), the New York Giants’ ELI MANNING (33), Carolina’s CAM NEWTON (33) and Oakland’s DEREK CARR (31) have also thrown 30+ TD passes this season.
– NFL –
DOMINANT DREW: New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES completed 25 of 36 passes (69.4 percent) for 412 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 135.4 passer rating in the Saints’ 38-27 win over Jacksonville. The performance marked Brees’ 13th career 400-yard passing game, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO for the second-most such games in NFL history.
The players with the most 400-yard passing games in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
MOST 400-YARD PASSING GAMES
Peyton Manning
Indianapolis, Denver
14
Drew Brees
San Diego, New Orleans
13
Dan Marino*
Miami
13
Carson Palmer
Cincinnati, Oakland, Arizona
8
Philip Rivers
San Diego
8
Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh
8
*Pro Football Hall of Fame
RECEIVER RECORDS: Below is a sampling of the wide receiver milestones that were reached in Week 16:
· San Francisco wide receiver ANQUAN BOLDIN had five catches against Detroit. Boldin (1,004) reached 1,000 career receptions and is the 13th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
Boldin, Arizona’s LARRY FITZGERALD (Week 13) and Dallas’ JASON WITTEN (Week 13) all reached the 1,000-catch mark this season, marking the first time in NFL history three players recorded their 1,000th career reception in the same season.
· Pittsburgh wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN had seven catches against Baltimore and ranks second in the NFL with 123 catches this season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer CRIS CARTER (1994-95) as the only players with back-to-back 120-catch seasons in NFL history.
· Atlanta wide receiver JULIO JONES had nine catches for 178 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ 20-13 victory over Carolina. Jones has 127 catches and 1,722 receiving yards this season and is only the second player in NFL history with at least 125 catches and 1,700 receiving yards in a season (MARVIN HARRISON, 2002).
Jones, who leads the league with 127 receptions, surpassed HERMAN MOORE (123 in 1995) and WES WELKER (123 in 2009) for the third-most catches in a season in NFL history.
The most receptions in a season in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM
YEAR
RECEPTIONS
Marvin Harrison
Indianapolis
2002
143
Antonio Brown
Pittsburgh
2014
129
Julio Jones
Atlanta
2015
127*
Antonio Brown
Pittsburgh
2015
123*
Wes Welker
New England
2009
123
Herman Moore
Detroit
1995
123
*Through 15 games
KICKING RECORD: Indianapolis kicker ADAM VINATIERI converted his only field goal attempt in the Colts’ 18-12 victory over Miami and now has 500 career made field goals, joining MORTEN ANDERSEN (565) and GARY ANDERSON (538) as the only players to accomplish the feat.
The players with the most field goals in NFL history:
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