NFL Research spotlights the best nuggets from each slate of games. Here are the most eye-popping statistical accomplishments from Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.
1) Saquon Barkley's Sunday Night effort among best single-game performances in NFL history
Look, I’m not saying MVP … but I’m not not saying MVP.
Saquon Barkley rushed for an Eagles’ single-game record 255 yards on Sunday Night Football at SoFi Stadium, with 182 of those yards coming after halftime.
Barkley did the bulk of his damage on two monster touchdown runs in the second half -- first with a 70-yarder to open it up on the first play after halftime, and then later with a 72-yard run to put the game fully out of reach late in the fourth quarter.
The 2024 free-agency acquisition became the first player in NFL history with multiple rushing touchdowns of 70-plus yards in the second half of a single game.
Barkley is just the 13th player in NFL history to top 300 scrimmage yards in a single game, and only the second to do so in a primetime game (joining Flipper Anderson in 1989 against the Saints).
The former Giants first-round pick is on pace for 2,151 rushing yards at his current clip … that is, if he plays the rest of the season. With the way that the Eagles have been rolling and the Commanders have been faltering, the Eagles may not have any reason to play Barkley in Week 18 … oh wait, the Eagles face the Giants in Week 18. That would be a special way to achieve a 2,000-yard season.
2) Lions RB duo approaches history with pair of rushing TDs
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have now scored rushing touchdowns in the same game nine times as teammates, tied for the third-most such games by any running back duo in NFL history.
The only duos with more such games are pairs of Hall of Famers from the 1950s and 1960s: Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung had 10 such games while playing for Vince Lombardi’s Packers, and Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny also had 10 such games with the 49ers.
The Lions have now scored a rushing touchdown in 25 consecutive games including playoffs, the first ever team to do so.
3) Tennessee NT records titanic sack in win over rival
While he was only one of three ‘Sweats’ to record a sack on Sunday (also Bears' Montez Sweatand Eagles' Josh Sweat), the Titans' T'Vondre Sweat certainly recorded the ‘biggest’ one in Sunday's win over the Texans.
Weighing in at 366 pounds, Sweat is the second-heaviest player to ever record a sack (since sacks became official in 1982).
The only player heavier than Sweat to record a sack was Ted “Mt.” Washington, who was listed at 375 pounds (some may have called this ‘generous’). Washington’s most recent quarterback takedown came in 2004 with the Raiders.
4) Bo Nix continues recent success in Broncos' win
Bo Nix and the Broncos handled the Raiders a 29-19 loss in Week 12 to move to 7-5 on the season. Denver has now won 7 of its last 10 games and is firmly in the wild card picture (the 5-6 Dolphins are the current No. 8 seed).
In just his last three games, Nix has eight passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is just the second rookie in NFL history to throw at least eight touchdowns and stay interception-free in a three-game span (joining 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott).
Nix already holds the Broncos rookie records for wins (seven), passing yards (2,548) and passing touchdowns (16, passing Marlin Briscoe with his first touchdown of Week 12) and could be the first ever rookie quarterback to lead Denver to the playoffs.
The 12th overall pick in the 2024 Draft has now thrown multiple touchdowns and zero interceptions in five games. The only rookies in the common draft era with more games of multiple touchdowns and zero interceptions were C.J. Stroud (2023), Justin Herbert (2020) and Russell Wilson (2012) who all had six such games.
5) Texans kicker's history-making field goal overshadowed by later miss
Kicking was not an easy task for anyone in Week 12, as there were numerous missed (or blocked) field goals and PATs around the league -- look no further than the fiasco in Landover, Maryland, for example.
Well, Ka'imi Fairbairn’s day may be the perfect example of the highs and lows of being an NFL kicker.
Fairbairn entered Week 12 with 11 made field goals of 50-plus yards, tied with Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (2022) for the most in a season in NFL history.
A 54-yarder in the fourth quarter to increase the Texans’ lead to 27-23 over the Titans broke that tie and gave Fairbairn sole possession of that record.
Unfortunately for him and the Texans, the only field goal that people will remember from that game is the potentially game-tying 28-yarder that he missed with under 2:00 left in the game.
6) Patrick Mahomes ties Chiefs' TD record in close win
While it wasn’t easy, or necessarily pretty, the Chiefs escaped the three-win Panthers with a 30-27 win in Week 12.
Patrick Mahomes finished with 269 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was the 24th time in Mahomes’ career in which he threw at least three touchdown passes and avoided tossing an interception, tied with Russell Wilson for the most such games by a player through their first eight seasons all-time. Just a friendly reminder that Mahomes played in only one game during his entire rookie season.
Those three touchdown passes also raised Mahomes’ career total to 237, which ties Hall of Famer and Chiefs legend Len Dawson for the most touchdown passes in franchise history.
Research shoutouts: Tony Holzman-Escareno (@FrontOfficeNFL), Henry Gold (@henryisgold) and Blake Warye (@bwaryeofblake)