A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 5, the 13th week of the 2021 season.
- There have been 26 games decided by a game-winning score on the final play this season, the most through Week 13 all-time. Detroit earned their first win of the season, a 29-27 win over Minnesota, as quarterback JARED GOFF threw a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver AMON-RA ST. BROWN with no time remaining in the fourth quarter.
With two games remaining in Week 13, there have been 37 games with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or in overtime this season, the fourth-most at this point of a season all-time. Only 2015 (42), 2013 (39) and 2003 (38) had more. Along with Detroit’s win, Washington extended their win streak to four games with a 48-yard field goal with :37 remaining to defeat Las Vegas, 17-15.
For the first time since 2000, there have been nine games won by teams over an opponent with at least four more victories than them at this point in the season. - Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY totaled four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in the Cardinals’ 33-22 win at Chicago. The Cardinals improved to 7-0 on the road this season and are the third team ever to win seven consecutive road games within a single season, each by a least 10 points, joining the 1984 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS and 1968 DALLAS COWBOYS.
Murray has 10,092 career passing yards and became the fourth-youngest player (24 years, 120 days old) to reach 10,000 passing yards in NFL history, surpassing CAM NEWTON (24 years, 191 days). Only DREW BLEDSOE (23 years, 299 days), JAMEIS WINSTON (23 years, 303 days) and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (24 years, 63 days) reached the mark at a younger age.
Murray has 13 career games with both a passing and rushing touchdown since entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, tied with DAK PRESCOTT (13 games) for the third-most such games by a quarterback in his first three seasons all-time. Only CAM NEWTON (20 games) and JOSH ALLEN (16) have more.
Murray has 20 career rushing touchdowns and joined CAM NEWTON (28 rushing touchdowns) and JOSH ALLEN (25) as the only quarterbacks with at least 20 rushing touchdowns in their first three seasons in the Super Bowl era. - Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 368 yards and four touchdowns while tight end ROB GRONKOWSKI had two touchdown receptions in the Buccaneers’ 30-17 win at Atlanta.
Brady and Gronkowski have connected for 90 regular-season touchdowns and surpassed PHILIP RIVERS and ANTONIO GATES (89 touchdowns) for the second-most regular-season touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver pairing in NFL history. Only the Pro Football Hall of Fame combination of PEYTON MANNING and MARVIN HARRISON (112 touchdowns) have more.
Gronkowski recorded his 20th-career game with at least two touchdown receptions and he joined ANTONIO GATES (21 games) as the only tight ends with at least 20 career games with two-or-more touchdown receptions in NFL history. - Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 317 yards with three touchdowns in the team’s 41-22 win at Cincinnati.
Herbert, who has 27 touchdown passes this season after recording the most touchdown passes (31) by a rookie in NFL history last year, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING and RUSSELL WILSON as the only quarterbacks all-time with at least 25 touchdown passes in each of their first two seasons.
Herbert has 11 career games with at least two touchdown passes, surpassing PATRICK MAHOMES (10 games) for the second-most such games by a player in his first two seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (13 games) has more.
Herbert has 18 career games with at least two touchdown passes, surpassing DEREK CARR (17 games) for the second-most such games by a player in his first two seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (22 games) has more. - Indianapolis running back JONATHAN TAYLOR rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ 31-0 win over Houston.
Taylor became the fifth player all-time with a rushing touchdown in at least 10 consecutive games within a single season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JOHN RIGGINS (12 consecutive games in 1983), LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (12 consecutive games in 2004) and EMMITT SMITH (11 consecutive games in 1995), as well as PRIEST HOLMES (11 consecutive games in 2002).
Taylor has 30 touchdowns (27 rushing, three receiving) in 28 career games and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer EARL CAMPBELL (28 games) and BILLY SIMS (28) as the third-fastest player to reach 30 touchdowns in the Super Bowl era. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers EDGERRIN JAMES (25) and CURTIS MARTIN (27) reached the mark in fewer games. - Detroit rookie wide receiver AMON-RA ST. BROWN had a career-high 10 receptions for 86 yards and the game-winning touchdown catch – his first career touchdown – with no time remaining as the Lions defeated the Vikings, 29-27.
St. Brown is the third rookie to record his first career touchdown reception with no time remaining in the fourth quarter since 2000, joining K.J. HAMLER (Week 8, 2020) and ERNEST WILFORD (Week 1, 2004).
Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON had 11 receptions for 182 yards and one touchdown on Sunday.
Jefferson has 2,609 career receiving yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (2,497 receiving yards) for the third-most receiving yards by a player in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (2,755) and Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (2,726) have more.
Jefferson, who has 2,609 receiving yards in 28 career games, tied Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (28 games) as the fourth-fastest player ever to reach 2,500 receiving yards. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (25 games), CHARLIE HENNIGAN (26) and BILL GROMAN (27) reached the mark in fewer games.
Jefferson recorded his 12th career game with at least 100 receiving yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (11 games) and JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER (11) for the second-most such games by a player in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (15) has more. - Miami rookie wide receiver JAYLEN WADDLE registered nine receptions for 90 yards in the Dolphins’ 20-9 win over the New York Giants. The Dolphins are the second team in NFL history to win five consecutive games following a seven-game losing streak, joining the 1994 NEW YORK GIANTS.
Waddle has six games this season with at least eight receptions, tied with ODELL BECKHAM JR. (six games in 2014) for the most games with at least eight receptions by a rookie in NFL history.
Waddle has at least eight receptions in three consecutive games and joins ODELL BECKHAM JR. (four consecutive games in 2014) and SAQUON BARKLEY (three consecutive games in 2018) as the only rookies with at least eight receptions in three consecutive games all-time. - Other notable performances from Sunday include:
- Los Angeles Rams wide receiver COOPER KUPP had eight receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown in the teams’ 37-7 win against Jacksonville. He leads the NFL in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,366) and receiving touchdowns (11) this season.
Kupp is the fourth player with at least 100 receptions in his team’s first 12 games of a season in NFL history, joining MICHAEL THOMAS (110 receptions in 2019), Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (109 in 2002) and JULIO JONES (102 in 2015). Kupp is the only player with at least 100 receptions and 10-or-more touchdown receptions in his team’s first 12 games of a season all-time.
Kupp is the third player with at least 1,350 receiving yards in his team’s first 12 games of a season in the Super Bowl era, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer CALVIN JOHNSON (1,428 receiving yards in 2012) and TORRY HOLT (1,387 in 2003).
Kupp is the sixth player to record at least 90 receiving yards in eight-or-more consecutive games in the Super Bowl era, joining ODELL BECKHAM JR. (nine consecutive games in 2014), Pro Football Hall of Famers MICHAEL IRVIN (nine in 1995) and CALVIN JOHNSON (eight in 2012), DWIGHT CLARK (eight in 1982) and ADAM THIELEN (eight in 2018). - Seattle running back ADRIAN PETERSON, making his team debut, recorded his 126th career touchdown (120 rushing, six receiving), tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM BROWN (126) for the fifth-most touchdowns by a running back in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers EMMITT SMITH (175 touchdowns), LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (162), MARCUS ALLEN (145) and MARSHALL FAULK (136) have more.
- Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. WATT had a career-high 3.5 sacks in the Steelers’ 20-19 win over Baltimore.
Watt, who has a career-high 16 sacks this season, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (1985-88; 1990-93) as the only players with at least 13 sacks in four consecutive seasons since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Watt had 13 sacks in 2018, 14.5 sacks in 2019 and 15 sacks in 2020.
