WORST TO FIRST: Entering Week 15, two teams have
clinched division titles – the NFC West champion LOS ANGELES RAMS and
the NFC South champion NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – and five
additional teams can clinch their respective divisions this week:
the CHICAGO BEARS (9-4), DALLAS COWBOYS (8-5), HOUSTON
TEXANS (9-4), KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-2), and NEW
ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9-4).
As the league enters Week 15, there are 20 teams either
in or within one game of a playoff spot, including 11 teams that did not
advance to the postseason in 2017. Since the 12-team playoff format began
in 1990, at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every
season that were not in the postseason the year before.
Two teams that finished in or tied for last place in their
division in 2017 – Chicago (NFC North) and Houston (AFC South) – are currently
in first place in their respective divisions this season. In 14 of the past 15
seasons, at least one team finished in first place in its division the season
after finishing in last or tied for last place. Of the 46 teams in league
history to go from “worst-to-first,” 23 of them have done so in the past 15
years (2003-17), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2005 and 2006.
-- NFL --
HISTORY IN KC: Kansas City quarterback PATRICK
MAHOMES leads the NFL with 43 touchdown passes this season.
With three touchdown passes against the Los Angeles Chargers
on Thursday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL
Network/Amazon Prime), Mahomes would tie DREW BREES (46
touchdown passes in 2011) for the fifth-most passing touchdowns in a single
season in NFL history.
The players with the most touchdown passes in a single
season in NFL history:
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
SEASON
|
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
|
|
Peyton Manning#
|
Denver
|
2013
|
55
|
|
Tom Brady#
|
New England
|
2007
|
50
|
|
Peyton Manning#
|
Indianapolis
|
2004
|
49
|
|
Dan Marino^#
|
Miami
|
1984
|
48
|
|
Drew Brees
|
New Orleans
|
2011
|
46
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick Mahomes
|
Kansas City
|
2018
|
43*
|
|
#Named Associated Press Most Valuable Player
|
|||
|
*Entering Week 15
|
|||
-- NFL --
HEY, ROOKIE: Denver rookie linebacker BRADLEY
CHUBB leads all rookies and is tied for sixth in the NFL with 12 sacks
this season.
With a sack against Cleveland on Saturday night (8:20 PM ET,
NFL Network), Chubb would tie DWIGHT FREENEY (13 sacks
in 2002) for the third-most sacks by a rookie in a single season since 1982,
when the individual sack became an official statistic.
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
YEAR
|
SACKS
|
|
Jevon Kearse#
|
Tennessee
|
1999
|
14.5
|
|
Aldon Smith
|
San Francisco
|
2011
|
14
|
|
Dwight Freeney
|
Indianapolis
|
2002
|
13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bradley Chubb
|
Denver
|
2018
|
12*
|
|
#Named Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the
Year
*Entering Week 15
|
|||
|
|
|||
-- NFL --
JULIO ON THE RISE: Atlanta wide receiver JULIO
JONES leads the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards this season. In Week
13, Jones became the first player in NFL history to record at least
1,400 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons.
Jones, who had 1,593 receiving yards in 2014 and 1,871
receiving yards in 2015, needs 71 receiving yards on Sunday against Arizona
(1:00 PM ET, FOX), to become the fifth player in NFL history with three
career seasons with at least 1,500 receiving yards.
The players with the most career seasons with at least 1,500
receiving yards in NFL history:
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
SEASONS WITH 1,500+ RECEIVING YARDS
|
|
Jerry Rice^
|
San Francisco
|
4
|
|
Antonio Brown
|
Pittsburgh
|
3
|
|
Marvin Harrison^
|
Indianapolis
|
3
|
|
Andre Johnson
|
Houston
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Julio Jones
|
Atlanta
|
2*
|
|
^Pro Football Hall of Famer
*Has 1,429 receiving yards this season
|
||
-- NFL --
STARS FROM SCRIMMAGE: Dallas running
back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT leads the NFL with 1,262 rushing yards
this season.
Elliott, who has 3,876 rushing yards and 1,134 receiving
yards since entering the league in 2016, needs 124 rushing yards on Sunday at
Indianapolis (1:00 PM ET, FOX) to become the fifth player in NFL
history with at least 4,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his
first three seasons.
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
SEASONS
|
RUSHING YARDS
|
RECEIVING YARDS
|
|
Chris Johnson
|
Tennessee
|
2008-2010
|
4,598
|
1,008
|
|
LaDainian Tomlinson^
|
San Diego
|
2001-2003
|
4,564
|
1,581
|
|
Ottis Anderson
|
St. Louis Cardinals
|
1979-1981
|
4,333
|
1,003
|
|
Barry Sanders
|
Detroit
|
1989-1991
|
4,322
|
1,069
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ezekiel Elliott
|
Dallas
|
2016-2018
|
3,876*
|
1,134*
|
|
^Pro Football Hall of Famer
*In third season
|
||||
-- NFL --
BRILLIANT BARKLEY: New York Giants rookie
running back SAQUON BARKLEY leads all rookies with 1,753
scrimmage yards and has 13 touchdowns (nine rushing, four receiving) this
season.
With 147 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on Sunday
against Tennessee (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Barkley, can become the fifth
rookie with at least 1,900 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in a single season
in NFL history.
The rookies with at least 1,900
scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in a single season in NFL history:
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
SEASON
|
SCRIMMAGE YARDS
|
TOUCHDOWNS
|
|
Eric Dickerson^#
|
Los Angeles Rams
|
1983
|
2,212
|
20
|
|
Edgerrin James#
|
Indianapolis
|
1999
|
2,139
|
17
|
|
Ezekiel Elliott
|
Dallas
|
2016
|
1,994
|
16
|
|
Billy Sims#
|
Detroit
|
1980
|
1,924
|
16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saquon Barkley
|
New York Giants
|
2018
|
1,753*
|
13*
|
|
^Pro Football Hall of Famer
#Named Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the
Year
*Entering Week 15
|
||||
|
|
||||
-- NFL --
LIGHTS, KAMARA, ACTION: New Orleans running
back ALVIN KAMARA ranks sixth in the NFL with 1,384 scrimmage
yards this season.
Kamara, who had 1,554 scrimmage yards as a rookie in 2017,
needs 83 receiving yards at Carolina on Monday Night Football (8:15
PM ET, ESPN), to join HERSCHEL WALKER (1986-87) as
the only players in NFL history with at least 1,500 rushing and 1,500 receiving
yards in their first two seasons in league history.
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
SEASONS
|
RUSHING YARDS
|
RECEIVING YARDS
|
|
Herschel Walker
|
Dallas
|
1986-87
|
1,628
|
1,552
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alvin Kamara
|
New Orleans
|
2017-18
|
1,521*
|
1,417*
|
|
*In second season
|
||||
|
|
||||
-- NFL --
SUPERCAM: Carolina quarterback CAM
NEWTON ranks third among NFL quarterbacks with 473 rushing yards this
season. Newton has rushed for at least 500 rushing yards in six of his first
seven seasons in the league.
With 27 rushing yards against New Orleans on Monday
Night Football (8:15 PM ET, ESPN), Newton can become the first
quarterback in NFL history with at least 500 rushing yards in seven seasons.
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM(S)
|
SEASONS WITH 500+ RUSHING YARDS
|
|
Randall Cunningham
|
Philadelphia
|
6
|
|
Cam Newton
|
Carolina
|
6*
|
|
Michael Vick
|
Atlanta, Philadelphia
|
6
|
|
*Has 473 rushing yards this season
|
||
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