Jack Andrade and the NFL Media Research team put together the best stats and records from Sunday's slate of games. Here are the most notable research notes from Week 12:
- Patrick Mahomes had 462 passing yards and Tom Brady had 345 passing yards in the Chiefs' win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. The 807 combined passing yards were the most by opposing QBs in a game this season, while Mahomes' 462 passing yards were the most ever by a QB in a game against Brady.
- Mahomes had 462 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the Chiefs' win on Sunday. Mahomes has 4 career games with at least 400 passing yards, at least 3 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions. In the Super Bowl era, no other player has had more than 2 such games over their first 4 NFL seasons, and only Drew Brees (9), Brady (5) and Peyton Manning (5) have had more such games in their entire career.
- The Chiefs got off to a lightning fast start in their 27-24 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. Tyreek Hill had 7 receptions and 203 receiving yards in the 1st quarter, the only player with at least 7 receptions and at least 200 receiving yards in a single quarter since play-by-play data has been tracked (since 1991). Mahomes had 359 passing yards in the 1st half, the most passing yards by any player in the 1st half of a regular season game since at least 1978.
- Brady threw 2 interceptions and the Buccaneers lost on Sunday, the 3rd consecutive Tampa Bay home game in which both of those things occurred. It is the first time in Brady's career that he has had at least 2 interceptions in 3 consecutive home games, as well as the first time Brady has ever lost 3 consecutive home starts.
- Derrick Henry had 178 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns in the Titans' win over the Colts on Sunday, his 7th career game with at least 150 rushing yards and at least 2 rushing touchdowns. Only Hall of Famers Jim Brown (13), LaDainian Tomlinson (12), Barry Sanders (10), Eric Dickerson (9) and Emmitt Smith (9) have more such games among all players since 1950, and only Brown (9) and Dickerson (8) had more such games over their first 5 NFL seasons.
- Henry has had at least 100 rushing yards in each of his last 8 road games dating back to 2019, tying former Titans running back Chris Johnson (8-game streak from 2009-10) for the 2nd-longest such streak since the 1970 merger. Sanders had at least 100 rushing yards in 10 consecutive games from 1996-97.
- With Brees out injured and the entire Broncos quarterback unit sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols/contact tracing, the Saints & Broncos combined for 91 gross passing yards (does not include yardage lost on sacks) on Sunday. That is the fewest gross passing yards in a game since the Dolphins & Patriots combined for 89 in Week 14, 1982. That game was played in cold, snowy conditions and won 3-0 by the Patriots in the infamous "snow plow game"
- Taysom Hill had 44 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in the Saints' win over the Broncos on Sunday, following his 49 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in his first QB start last week against the Falcons. Hill joined Cam Newton (Weeks 1 and 2 of this season) as the only quarterbacks since the 1970 merger with at least 40 rushing yards and at least 2 rushing touchdowns in consecutive games.
- Aaron Rodgers had 4 passing touchdowns in the Packers' 41-25 win over the Bears on Sunday night. Rodgers has 51 passing touchdowns and a 105.3 passer rating in his career against the Bears, as well as 50 passing touchdowns and a 108.5 passer rating in his career against the Vikings. No other quarterback in NFL history has at least 50 passing touchdowns and a 100+ passer rating against a single opponent.
- The Browns held off the Jaguars 27-25 on Sunday and improved to 8-3 this season. Cleveland is assured of finishing no worse than .500 this season, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons.
- Nick Chubb had 144 rushing yards in the Browns' win on Sunday, raising his season average to 102.7 rushing yards per game. Chubb — who has averaged 6.3 yards per carry this season — would be the 3rd player in the last 40 seasons to finish a season with at least 5 games played, at least 100 rushing yards per game, and at least 6 yards per carry. The previous 2: Adrian Peterson in his 2012 MVP season and Sanders in his 1997 MVP season.
- Justin Herbert had 316 passing yards in the Chargers loss to the Bills on Sunday, tying Andrew Luck's all-time rookie record (set in 2012) with his 6th game with at least 300 passing yards. Herbert has lost 4 of those 6 games, matching Manning (in 1998) for the most losses by a rookie in games with at least 300 passing yards in NFL history.
- Newton completed 9 passes for a career-low 84 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a career-low 23.6 passer rating in the Patriots' win Sunday. Newton is the first Patriots QB to start and win a game with fewer than 10 completions, fewer than 100 passing yards, 0 passing touchdowns, and at least 2 interceptions since Tony Eason (8-16, 65 pass yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) in a 14-3 win over the Bills in Week 6, 1985.
- DeAndre Hopkins had 5 receptions and 55 receiving yards in the Cardinals' loss to the Patriots on Sunday. Hopkins has played 8 career games (including playoffs) against Bill Belichick's Patriots, and has been held to fewer than 80 receiving yards and 0 receiving touchdowns in all of them.
- Kirk Cousins had 307 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns in the Vikings' win on Sunday. Minnesota has won 4 of its last 5 games after starting the season 1-5. Cousins has had 12 passing touchdowns and 1 interception over the last 5 games after he had 11 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions over the first 6 games.
- Jeremy Chinn returned fumbles by Cousins and Dalvin Cook for touchdowns on consecutive plays in the Panthers' loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Chinn is the first player to score a defensive touchdown on consecutive plays from scrimmage since at least 1991, and the first player in the Super Bowl era to return multiple opponent fumbles for touchdowns in a single game.
- The 49ers defeated the Rams 23-20 on Sunday, sweeping the season series for the 2nd consecutive season. The 49ers were 2-3 entering their Week 6 win over the Rams and 4-6 entering Week 12, while the Rams were 4-1 entering Week 6 and 7-3 entering Week 12. This is the first time the 49ers have ever swept the season series against the Rams despite entering both meetings with a losing record and facing a Rams team with a winning record entering the game.
