THE WEEK
THAT WAS – WEEK 15
COMEBACKS GALORE: Close
contests remain a staple of the 2015 season.
Teams have won
after trailing in the second half 85 times this season, the third-most
through Week 15 in NFL history.
The most
wins after trailing in the second half through Week 15:
YEAR | MOST WINS AFTER TRAILING IN SECOND
HALF THROUGH WEEK 15 |
2013 | 92 |
2012 | 87 |
2015 | 85 |
2009 | 84 |
2010 | 83 |
Teams have won
after trailing in the fourth quarter 62 times this season, tied for the
third-most through Week 15 in NFL history.
The
most wins after trailing in the fourth quarter through Week 15:
YEAR | MOST WINS AFTER TRAILING IN FOURTH
QUARTER THROUGH WEEK 15 |
1989 | 67 |
2012 | 65 |
2015 | 62 |
2011 | 62 |
2013 | 61 |
-- NFL --
PLAYOFF BOUND: The ARIZONA CARDINALS defeated Philadelphia
40-17 on Sunday Night Football and
clinched the NFC West division title.
The GREEN
BAY PACKERS, who defeated Oakland 30-20, and the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS,
who knocked off Cleveland 30-13, both secured playoff berths in the NFC, while
the CINCINNATI BENGALS, who beat San
Francisco 24-14, earned a playoff berth in the AFC.
The NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS,
who already clinched the AFC East division, defeated Tennessee 33-16 and
clinched a first-round bye.
The CAROLINA PANTHERS, who own the
league’s best record at 14-0, have already clinched the NFC South division and
a first-round bye.
-- NFL --
PREEMINENT
PATRIOTS:
The NEW ENGLAND
PATRIOTS, who defeated Tennessee 33-16 to improve to 12-2, became the
second team in NFL history with at least 12 regular-season wins in six
consecutive seasons. The only other team to accomplish the feat was
Indianapolis, who won at least 12 regular-season games in seven consecutive
seasons (2003-09).
-- NFL --
CHARGING
CHIEFS:
The KANSAS CITY
CHIEFS defeated Baltimore 34-14 for their eighth consecutive win. The
Chiefs are the only team in NFL history to win eight consecutive games
immediately following a five-game losing streak in the same season.
In the victory over Baltimore, Chiefs rookie cornerback MARCUS PETERS had a 90-yard
interception-return touchdown and safety TYVON
BRANCH posted a 73-yard fumble-return touchdown, as Kansas City became
the first team in NFL history to have a 90+ yard interception return-touchdown
and a 70+ yard fumble-return touchdown in the same game.
-- NFL --
HISTORIC
BREES:
New Orleans quarterback DREW
BREES passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns against Detroit on Monday Night Football, bringing his
career total to 60,168 passing yards.
Brees joined PEYTON
MANNING (71,871), BRETT FAVRE (71,838)
and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN
MARINO (61,361) as the only players in NFL history with at least 60,000
career passing yards.
The players with the most career passing yards in NFL
history:
PLAYER | YEARS | CAREER PASSING YARDS |
Peyton Manning* | 1998-present | 71,871 |
Brett
Favre | 1991-2010 | 71,838 |
Dan
Marino | 1983-1999 | 61,361 |
Drew Brees* | 2001-present | 60,168 |
Tom
Brady* | 2000-present | 57,663 |
*Active | | |
Brees, who has 4,135 passing yards this season, became
the first player in NFL history to have 10 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons.
-- NFL --
SUPER
CAM:
Carolina quarterback CAM
NEWTON passed for 340 yards with five touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards
in the Panthers’ 38-35 win at the New York Giants. Newton is the first
player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and
five touchdown passes in a single game.
Newton has 3,402 passing yards and 580 rushing yards this
season and is the only player in NFL history to have five different seasons
with at least 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards. Newton has
accomplished the feat in each of his five NFL seasons.
-- NFL --
BIG
BEN:
Pittsburgh quarterback BEN
ROETHLISBERGER completed 40 of 55 passes (72.7 percent) for 380 yards and
three touchdowns in the Steelers’ 34-27 win over Denver.
Roethlisberger, who completed 40 passes against Indianapolis
on October 26, 2014, is the first player in NFL history with two career
games with at least 40 completions.
Roethlisberger’s two games with 40 completions:
DATE | OPPONENT | COMP-ATT (PCT.) | YARDS | TDs | INTs | RATING |
December 20, 2015 | Denver | 40-55
(72.7) | 380 | 3 | 2 | 94.5 |
October 26, 2014 | Indianapolis | 40-49
(81.6) | 522 | 6 | 0 | 150.6 |
--
NFL --
DOMINANT DOUG: Seattle wide receiver DOUG BALDWIN caught
four passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 30-13 win against
Cleveland.
Baldwin, who has had at least
two touchdown receptions in each of his previous three games, joined Pro
Football Hall of Famer CRIS CARTER (1995) and CALVIN JOHNSON
(2011) as the only players in NFL history to have multiple touchdown catches in
four consecutive games.
Baldwin, who has 10 touchdown
receptions in Seattle’s past four games, tied Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY
RICE (1987) for the most touchdown catches in a four-game span in a single
season in NFL history.
Baldwin’s past four games:
WEEK | OPPONENT | RECEPTIONS | YARDS | TOUCHDOWNS |
12 | Pittsburgh | 6 | 145 | 3 |
13 | at Minnesota | 5 | 94 | 2 |
14 | at Baltimore | 6 | 82 | 3 |
15 | Cleveland | 4 | 45 | 2 |
-- NFL --
CONSISTENT CATCHERS: Pittsburgh WR ANTONIO BROWN had 16 receptions
for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 34-27 win against Denver,
while Atlanta wide receiver JULIO JONES had nine receptions for 118
yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ 23-17 victory at Jacksonville.
Brown (116 receptions, 1,586
receiving yards) and Jones (118, 1,544) rank in the top two in both receptions
and receiving yards this season.Jones, who had 104 receptions
for 1,593 yards last season, and Brown, who had 129 receptions for 1,698 yards
in 2014, join MARVIN HARRISON (2001-02) and ANDRE JOHNSON
(2008-09) as the only players in NFL history with consecutive seasons with at
least 100 receptions and 1,500 receiving yards.
-- NFL --
GREAT GURLEY: St. Louis rookie running back TODD GURLEY
rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ 31-23 victory over Tampa Bay
on Thursday Night Football.
Gurley, who has 1,023 rushing
yards this season, joins Pro Football Hall of Famers ERIC DICKERSON
(1,808 yards in 1983) and JEROME BETTIS (1,429 in 1993) as the only Rams
rookies with at least 1,000 rushing yards.
Gurley’s, Bettis’ and
Dickerson’s rookie seasons:
PLAYER | YEAR | RUSHING
YARDS | RUSH
TOUCHDOWNS |
Todd
Gurley | 2015 | 1,023* | 9* |
Jerome Bettis | 1993 | 1,429 | 7 |
Eric Dickerson | 1983 | 1,808 | 18 |
*Through Week 15 |
-- NFL --
HOT
PEPPERS:
Green Bay linebacker JULIUS PEPPERS
had 2.5 sacks in the Packers’ 30-20 win at Oakland.
Peppers, who now has 135 career sacks, surpassed JOHN ABRAHAM (133.5) and DE MARCUS WARE (133.5) for the 10th-most
sacks since the stat became official in 1982.
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