Week 14 NFL Primer

UNPREDICTABLE NFL: By virtue of the New Orleans Saints clinching the NFC South this past weekend, 2009 marks the seventh consecutive season that at least one team has gone from last place to first place in its division from one year to the next, the longest such streak in NFL history. Of the 32 teams to go from “worst-to-first” in NFL annals, 15 of them have done so in this decade (2000-2009).

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WHAT A STREAK: The Indianapolis Colts have won 21 consecutive regular-season games, tying the 2006-08 New England Patriots for the longest streak in NFL history. When they host the Denver Broncos this Sunday, the Colts will aim to become the first team with 22 consecutive wins.



Indianapolis’ streak has been pushed to the brink several times, but the team has consistently shown an ability to recover from fourth-quarter deficits, winning six games in 2009 after trailing in the fourth quarter. The 2009 Colts are only the fifth team since 1970 with six fourth-quarter comeback wins in a season. With one more such victory, Indianapolis would be the first team since the AFL-NFL merger with seven fourth-quarter comeback wins.



The teams with the most fourth-quarter comeback wins in a season (since 1970):



TEAM
FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK WINS

1978 Houston Oilers
6

1985 Denver Broncos
6

1992 Miami Dolphins
6

1999 Indianapolis Colts
6

2009 Indianapolis Colts
6*

*Through 12 games


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ON THE OFFENSIVE: NFL teams are producing yards at a historic pace this season. Through the first 13 weeks of the season (192 games), NFL games are averaging 672.51 total yards per game. That number includes an average of 442.05 net passing yards per contest.



If both averages maintain their current pace, each would be the highest average in a season in NFL history:



YEAR
MOST TOTAL YARDS PER GAME

YEAR
MOST NET PASSING YARDS PER GAME

1981
669.00
1995
441.57

1983
668.73
2007
428.61

1984
659.56
1994
427.21

1985
658.89
1999
424.55

1995
657.76
2002
424.46



2009
672.51*

2009
442.05*

*Through Week 13


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DECEMBER DOMINANCE: Dating back to a 24-21 win at Buffalo on December 3, 2006, the San Diego Chargers have won an NFL-record 15 consecutive games in December. Prior to the Chargers’ current streak, the record was held by the Dallas Cowboys, who won 13 consecutive December games during a run that spanned from 1968 to 1972.



San Diego’s streak is on the line this week against Dallas when the Chargers visit Cowboys Stadium for the first time.



The longest December win streaks in NFL history:



TEAM
YEARS
WIN STREAK

San Diego Chargers
2006-present
15

Dallas Cowboys
1968-1972
13

New England Patriots
2006-2008
12

Oakland Raiders
1966-1970
11

Oakland Raiders
1971-1975
11


BENGALS BOUNCE BACK: Cincinnati currently sits in first place in the AFC North with a 9-3 record. The Bengals, who started the 2008 season 1-11-1, have already improved on last year’s record by eight wins through this point of the season.



With a victory against Minnesota this Sunday, Cincinnati can join the 1963 Oakland Raiders and the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to improve by nine wins through 13 games from one season to the next:



TEAM
WIN IMPROVEMENT
YEAR-TO-YEAR COMPARISON

1963 Oakland Raiders
9
0-13 in 1962; 9-4 in 1963

1999 Indianapolis Colts
9
2-11 in 1998; 11-2 in 1999

2009 Cincinnati Bengals
8
1-11-1 in 2008; 9-3 in 2009*

1999 St. Louis Rams
8
3-10 in 1998; 11-2 in 1999

2008 Miami Dolphins
8
0-13 in 2007; 8-5 in 2008

*Through 12 games






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SHOOTING FOR THE MOON: With 13 passing yards this Sunday against Denver, Indianapolis Colts quarterback PEYTON MANNING will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON (49,325) for fourth on the all-time list. In his 12-year career, Manning has 49,313 passing yards.



The NFL’s all-time passing yardage leaders:



PLAYER
YARDS

Brett Favre*
68,276

Dan Marino
61,361

John Elway
51,475

Warren Moon
49,325

Peyton Manning*
49,313

*Active





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GIMME FIVE: Arizona Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER has posted a passer rating of 120.0 or better in each of his past four games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHNNY UNITAS (1965) as the only players in NFL history to accomplish the feat (minimum 15 attempts).



Warner can become the first player with five such consecutive games when the Cardinals travel to San Francisco for a key NFC West game on Monday Night Football in Week 14.



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MORE OR WES: New England Patriots wide receiver WES WELKER leads the NFL with 95 receptions in 2009 despite missing two early-season contests due to injury.



With five receptions against Carolina this Sunday in his 11th game of the season, Welker can tie MARVIN HARRISON for the fewest individual games played to reach 100 receptions in a season in NFL history. Harrison caught 100 passes in his first 11 games of the 2002 season en route to an NFL-record 143 catches.



The players to reach 100 receptions in a season in the fewest individual games played:



PLAYER, TEAM
YEAR
NO. OF GAMES
TOTAL REC. FOR SEASON

Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis
2002
11
143*


Cris Carter, Minnesota
1994
13
122


Herman Moore, Detroit
1995
13
123


Keyshawn Johnson, Tampa Bay
2001
13
106


*NFL single-season record




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BETTER WITH AGE: New England Patriots wide receiver RANDY MOSS ranks sixth on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list with 14,259, but he has never led the NFL in the category in a single season. That may change this year as Moss leads the NFL with 1,058 yards through Week 13.



If Moss is the 2009 receiving yardage leader, he would become the third-oldest player in NFL history to lead the league in a season. He will be 32 years and 324 days old on January 3, 2010 when the Patriots play their final regular-season game.



The oldest players to lead the NFL in receiving yards in a season:



YEAR
PLAYER, TEAM
AGE**
REC. YARDS

1995
Jerry Rice, San Francisco
33 years, 72 days old
1,848


1967
Don Maynard, New York Jets
32 years, 333 days old
1,434


1994
Jerry Rice, San Francisco
32 years, 74 days old
1,499


1987
J.T. Smith, St. Louis Cardinals
32 years, 59 days old
1,117


1955
Pete Pihos, Philadelphia
32 years, 50 days old
864








2009
Randy Moss, New England
32 years, 324 days
1,058*


*Through Week 13; **Age on date of team’s last regular-season game




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PATRIOTIC PAIR: Randy Moss (1,058) and Wes Welker (1,053) currently rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL in receiving yards. If both players finish the season at the top of the league in the category, they will become the fifth pair of teammates to accomplish the feat in NFL history.



The 1980 San Diego Chargers are the only team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to feature the top two receiving yards leaders. That season, wide receiver JOHN JEFFERSON led the NFL with 1,340 receiving yards and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end KELLEN WINSLOW finished second with 1,290.



The teams to feature the No. 1 and No. 2 league leaders in receiving yards in a season:



TEAM
NO. 1
NO. 2

1933 Pittsburgh Pirates
E Paul Moss (283)
E Ray Tesser (282)

*1962 New York Titans
WR Art Powell (1,130)
WR Don Maynard (1,041)

*1967 New York Jets
WR Don Maynard (1,434)
WR George Sauer (1,189)

1980 San Diego Chargers
WR John Jefferson (1,340)
TE Kellen Winslow (1,290)





2009 New England Patriots
**WR Randy Moss (1,058)
**WR Wes Welker (1,053)