A small parade of NFL squads led by the Denver Broncos were the first to report to training camp on Wednesday.
Along with that all-important calendar note, Wednesday likewise marked Day 50 until the 2019 NFL Kickoff Game between age-old archrivals the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
Get excited! That's right, only 50 days until National Football League games that matter in the standings.
In the famous words of one of the most storied No. 50s in NFL chronicle, BearsHall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, "I like this kind of party!"
So, in celebration of this milestone countdown day, the tireless NFL Research staff delivered up some notable 50s-themed notes.
»Only two years into his NFL career, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is already special enough to be compared to Sweetness. Walter Payton and McCaffrey are the only players in the Super Bowl era with 50-plus passing yards, 50-plus rushing yards and 50-plus receiving yards in the same game or the only members of the single game 50-50-50 club. In Week 16 of 2018 against the Saints, McCaffrey had 50 yards passing, 53 yards rushing and 67 receiving yards, while Payton's Week 16 in 1985 against the Lions saw him throw for 50 yards, rush for 81 and haul in 55 receiving yards.
»Fifty years following the inception of the National Football League in 1920, the NFL officially merged with the American Football League, bestowing upon the old guard 10 new teams and creating the AFC.
»Three teams in the Super Bowl era have played in 50 or more postseason games: the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers and Patriots are tied for tops with 36 wins.
»A spectacular half-dozen Pro Football Hall of Famers have donned No. 50 during their playing days: Len Ford, Jim Otto, Steve Owen, Ken Strong, Alex Wojciechowicz and the aforementioned Mike Singletary.
»In the storied history of the NFL, only three franchises have 50-plus winning seasons and they are the Green Bay Packers (61), Chicago Bears (58) and New York Giants (51).
»On 12 occasions, the Patriots of New England have scored 50-plus points, the most of any squad in the Super Bowl era.
»What do the 1966 Cowboys, 1969 Vikings and 2013 Broncos have in common? All three scored 50 or more points on three occasions, which is the most since the Super Bowl became a thing.
»Starting with Tom Brady in 2007, three quarterbacks have thrown at least 50 TD passes in a season. Peyton Manning followed with an NFL-record 55 in 2013 and Patrick Mahomes had 50 on the nose in 2018.
»More than any running back in the Super Bowl era, Priest Holmes put together 38 straight games of 50 or more rushing yards. The streak started in Week 5 of 2001 and ran all the way through Week 13 of 2003. Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys legend and keeper of all touchdown balls, owns the Super Bowl-era record with 173 games of 50 or more yards rushing.
»To absolutely no one's surprise, 49ers legend Jerry Rice owns the record for career 50-plus-yards receiving games in the Super Bowl era with 198. Larry Fitzgerald's 154 are tops among active players and second all-time. Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton will streak into 2019 with eight consecutive games of 50-plus yards receiving.
»In the Super Bowl era of the postseason, only one player has thrown more than 50 touchdown passes. Yes, it's Tom Brady if you needed clarification, coming in at 73.
»Only three players have tallied 50-plus yards passing and rushing in a Super Bowl: Colin Kaepernick (Super Bowl XLVII), Steve McNair (XXXIV) and Joe Montana (XIX).
»As the NFL speeds on into its 100th season, there are two current players, veterans as they might be by now, who had historic 50-game starts. Matthew Stafford had 14,331 yards through the air in his first 50 contests, the most in Super Bowl-era history. Odell Beckham Jr.'s 337 receptions for 4,695 yards were the most in each category.
