A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, January 1, the 17th week of the 2022 season.
- The TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS defeated Carolina, 30-24, and clinched the NFC South division title in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
The NEW YORK GIANTS defeated Indianapolis, 38-10, and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
Four teams – BALTIMORE, the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, MINNESOTA and the NEW YORK GIANTS – have clinched playoff berths after missing the postseason last year. Since 1990 – a streak of 33 consecutive seasons – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before. - CLOSE GAMES: With two games yet to be completed in Week 17, there have been 113 games decided by a touchdown (six points) or less and 191 games within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter this season, both the most such games in a single season in NFL history.
COMEBACKS: SAN FRANCISCO (10-point deficit) and TAMPA BAY (14-point deficit) each overcame deficits of 10-or-more points to win on Sunday and there have been 50 games in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win or tie this season, the most such games in a single season all-time.
ATLANTA defeated Arizona with a field goal as time expired in regulation and San Francisco defeated Las Vegas in overtime in Week 17. There have been 61 games this season decided by a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most such games in a single season in NFL history.
Atlanta, KANSAS CITY, San Francisco and Tampa Bay each came back to win after trailing in the fourth quarter and there have been 80 games this season in which a team has come back to win or tie after trailing in the fourth quarter, the most such games in a single season all-time. - Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns, including two to running back JERICK MCKINNON, while tight end TRAVIS KELCE had seven receptions for 43 yards in the Chiefs’ 27-24 win over Denver.
Mahomes, who has 5,048 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes this season and had 5,097 passing yards with 50 touchdown passes in 2018, joins DREW BREES (five seasons) and TOM BRADY (two) as the only players in NFL history to total at least 5,000 passing yards in multiple seasons.
Mahomes joins DREW BREES (2011-12) as the only players ever with two career seasons of 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes.
Kelce, who has 104 receptions and 1,300 receiving yards this season, has three career seasons with at least 100 receptions and three career seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards, both the most by a tight end in NFL history. No other tight end all-time has more than one such season of each.
Kelce recorded his 96th career game with at least five receptions, tied with ANTONIO GATES (96 games) for the third-most such games by a tight end in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (139 games) and JASON WITTEN (130) have more.
McKinnon is the first running back since 1970 to record a touchdown reception in five consecutive games.
McKinnon has eight touchdown receptions this season, tied for the fourth-most by a running back in a season in the Super Bowl era. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer MARSHALL FAULK (nine touchdown receptions in 2001), CHUCK FOREMAN (nine in 1975) and LEROY HOARD (nine in 1971) have more. - Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY completed 34 of 45 attempts (75.6 percent) for 432 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 127.3 rating while wide receiver MIKE EVANS had 10 receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ 30-24 win over Carolina.
Brady has 11 career games with at least 400 passing yards and three touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING (11 games) and DAN MARINO (11) for the second-most such games in NFL history. Only DREW BREES (12 games) has more.
Brady has 131 career games with at least 300 passing yards, including the postseason, tied with DREW BREES (131) for the most such games including the playoffs in NFL history.
Brady has 477 completions and surpassed DREW BREES (471 completions in 2016) for the second-most completions in a season in NFL history. Brady set the single-season record with 485 completions in 2021.
Brady is the first player in NFL history to complete at least 30 passes in five consecutive games and the first player ever with at least 30 completions in 10 games within a single season.
Evans has 1,124 receiving yards in 2022 and is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first nine seasons.
Evans is the third player ever with at least 1,000 receiving yards in nine consecutive seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (11 consecutive seasons from 1986-96) and TIM BROWN (nine consecutive seasons from 1993-2001).
Evans has five career games with at least 180 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions, tied with TYREEK HILL (five games) for the most such games in NFL history. - Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT had two touchdown passes with a 119.9 rating while running back AUSTIN EKELER had four catches, 161 scrimmage yards (122 rushing, 39 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns in the Chargers’ 31-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Herbert has 44 career games with a touchdown pass, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (44 games) for the most such games with at least one touchdown pass by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.
Ekeler has 103 receptions this season, the third-most receptions by a running back in a single season in NFL history. Only CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY (116 receptions in 2019 and 107 receptions in 2018) has more.
Ekeler has 1,567 scrimmage yards with 18 scrimmage touchdowns (13 rushing, five receiving) this season and joined PRIEST HOLMES (2002-03) as the only undrafted players with at least 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in consecutive seasons in the common-draft era.
Ekeler has 7,105 scrimmage yards in his career and joined ARIAN FOSTER (8,350 scrimmage yards) and PRIEST HOLMES (7,143) as the only undrafted players with at least 7,000 scrimmage yards in their first six seasons in the common-draft era. - San Francisco rookie quarterback BROCK PURDY recorded 284 passing yards and two touchdown passes while running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY had six catches, 193 scrimmage yards (121 rushing, 72 receiving) and one rushing touchdown in the 49ers’ 37-34 overtime win at Las Vegas.
Purdy is the fifth rookie quarterback ever to win each of his first four career starts, joining BEN ROETHLISBERGER (won first 13 starts in 2004), MIKE KRUCZEK (first six in 1968), VIRGIL CARTER (first four in 1968) and PHIL SIMMS (first four in 1979).
Purdy became the seventh rookie in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdown passes in five consecutive games and the first since JUSTIN HERBERT (2020).
McCaffrey has 439 receptions and surpassed ROGER CRAIG (434) for the most receptions by a running back in his first six seasons in NFL history. - Detroit rookie defensive lineman AIDAN HUTCHINSON had a half sack, interception and fumble recovery, rookie linebacker JAMES HOUSTON had three sacks and a forced fumble and rookie defensive lineman JOSH PASCHAL had two sacks in the Lions’ 41-10 win over Chicago.
Hutchinson, who has 7.5 sacks this season, and Houston (eight sacks) are the first pair of rookie teammates each with at least seven sacks since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
Hutchinson is the first rookie since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least seven sacks (7.5) and three interceptions (three).
Houston is the first player with eight sacks in his first six career games since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
With Houston and Paschal, it marked the fourth game in which rookie teammates each recorded multiple sacks in the same game since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. The three other occurrences were October 4, 1987 (Chicago’s JIM ALTHOFF and SEAN MCINERNEY), November 11, 2001 (Buffalo’s KENDRICK OFFICE, TYRONE ROBERTSON and AARON SCHOBEL) and December 20, 2009 (Green Bay’s BRAD JONES and CLAY MATTHEWS). - Additional notes from Sunday include:
- New Orleans defensive end CAMERON JORDAN had three sacks and a forced fumble in the Saints’ 20-10 win over Philadelphia.
Jordan has 8.5 sacks this season and is the sixth player since 1982 to record at least seven sacks in 11 consecutive seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers REGGIE WHITE (14 consecutive seasons), CHRIS DOLEMAN (13), JOHN RANDLE (12) and DERRICK THOMAS (11), as well as ROBERT MATHIS (11). - Green Bay cornerback KEISEAN NIXON had a 105-yard kickoff-return for a touchdown while safety DARNELL SAVAGE had a 75-yard interception-return for a touchdown in the Packers’ 41-17 win over Minnesota.
The Packers became the first team with a 100-yard kickoff-return touchdown and a 75-yard interception-return touchdown in the same game since MINNESOTA in Week 11 of the 2016 season.
Minnesota safety JOSH METELLUS recorded a blocked punt on Sunday and became the first player since 1995 (ANTHONY MARSHALL) to block a punt in consecutive games. - PHILADELPHIA recorded seven sacks on Sunday and lead the NFL with 68 sacks this season, tied with the 1985 NEW YORK GIANTS (68 sacks) for the fourth-most sacks by a team in a season in NFL history. Only the CHICAGO BEARS (72 sacks in 1984 and 70 sacks in 1987) and MINNESOTA VIKINGS (71 sacks in 1989) have more.
Linebacker HAASON REDDICK (16 sacks), defensive end BRANDON GRAHAM (11), defensive tackle JAVON HARGRAVE (11) and defensive end JOSH SWEAT (11) each have at least 10 sacks this season and the Eagles are the first team with four players each with at least 10 sacks in a single season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. - NEW ENGLAND defeated Miami, 23-21, as defensive back KYLE DUGGER registered a 39-yard interception-return for a touchdown.
The Patriots joined the 2002 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (Weeks 2-5) as the only teams since 2000 with a defensive touchdown in four consecutive games within a single season. - Chicago quarterback JUSTIN FIELDS rushed for 132 yards on Sunday.
Fields has 1,143 rushing yards this season and surpassed MICHAEL VICK (1,039 rushing yards in 2006) for the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history. Only LAMAR JACKSON (1,206 in 2019) has more.
Fields has four career games with at least 100 rushing yards, tied with RUSSELL WILSON (four games) for the third-most such games by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era. Only LAMAR JACKSON (12 games) and MICHAEL VICK (10) have more.
Fields has three games with at least 100 rushing yards this season and is the fourth quarterback with at least three games of 100-or-more rushing yards in a season in the Super Bowl era, joining LAMAR JACKSON (five games in 2019), MICHAEL VICK (three in 2004 and three in 2006) and RUSSELL WILSON (three in 2014). - Denver quarterback RUSSELL WILSON totaled 249 yards (222 passing, 27 rushing) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) in Week 17.
Wilson, who has 305 touchdown passes and 26 rushing touchdowns in his career, is the sixth player in NFL history with at least 300 touchdown passes and 25 rushing touchdowns, joining TOM BRADY, DREW BREES, Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY, AARON RODGERS and Pro Football Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON.
Wilson has 4,948 rushing yards and surpassed RANDALL CUNNINGHAM (4,928) for the third-most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. Only MICHAEL VICK (6,109 rushing yards) and CAM NEWTON (5,628) have more. - Las Vegas quarterback JARRETT STIDHAM, in his first career start, passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns while wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS had 153 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on Sunday.
Stidham joined MIKE WHITE (Week 8, 2021) as the only quarterbacks since 1950 with at least 350 passing yards and three touchdown passes in their first career start.
Adams has five games with at least 100 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions this season and is the fifth player in NFL history with five such games within a single season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers RANDY MOSS (seven games in 2007), LANCE ALWORTH (five in 1966), DON HUTSON (five in 1942) and TERRELL OWENS (five in 2001).
- New Orleans defensive end CAMERON JORDAN had three sacks and a forced fumble in the Saints’ 20-10 win over Philadelphia.
