NFL Football 2011
Familiar Foes
Pittsburgh (Wild Card) traveled to play Denver (AFC West Champions) as part of Wild Card Weekend. It marked the seventh postseason meeting between these teams, tying for the third most all-time (Bears vs. Giants, 8; Cowboys vs. Rams, 8). It was the first meeting between the Steelers and Broncos on Wild Card Weekend.
With a 29-23 overtime victory, the Broncos now lead the playoff series against the Steelers, 4-3. Of the six prior meetings, the winning team reached the Super Bowl five times. Three of those five teams won the Super Bowl the same year.
The playoff games between Denver and Pittsburgh in NFL history:
| Date | Round | Winning Team | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL | ||||
| 1/8/12 | Wild Card | Denver | 29-23 (OT) | ??? |
| 1/22/06 | AFC Championship | Pittsburgh | 34-17 | Won Super Bowl XL |
| 1/11/98 | AFC Championship | Denver | 24-21 | Won Super Bowl XXXII |
| 1/7/90 | Divisional | Denver | 24-23 | Lost Super Bowl XXIV |
| 12/30/84 | Divisional | Pittsburgh | 24-17 | Advanced to AFC Championship |
| 12/30/78 | Divisional | Pittsburgh | 33-10 | Won Super Bowl XIII |
| 12/24/77 | Divisional | Denver | 34-21 | Lost Super Bowl XII |
A Resilient Bunch
The Denver Broncos won the AFC West title after starting the 2011 season with a 2-5 record. The Broncos became the fifth team in NFL history to reach the postseason after starting 2-5 or worse after seven games.
With their 29-23 overtime win over Pittsburgh, the Broncos will advance to the Divisional round of the playoffs to face the AFC East champion New England Patriots (13-3).
The teams to reach the postseason after starting a season 2-5 or worse in NFL history:
| Team | Year | Season Start | Final Record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL | ||||
| Bengals | 1970 | 1-6 | 8-6 | Advanced to Divisional |
| Saints | 1990 | 2-5 | 8-8 | Advanced to Wild Card |
| Lions | 1995 | 2-5 | 10-6 | Advanced to Wild Card |
| Jets | 2002 | 2-5 | 9-7 | Advanced to Divisional |
| Broncos | 2011 | 2-5 | 8-8 | ??? |
Passing Frenzy
New Orleans' DREW BREES and Detroit's MATTHEW STAFFORD faced each other on Wild Card Weekend. Their combined passing yards in 2011 (10,514) were the most ever between two opposing starting quarterbacks in a postseason game. Brees (466) and Stafford (380) combined to throw for 846 yards on Saturday, the most combined passing yards by opposing starting quarterbacks in a postseason game.
The most combined passing yards between starting quarterbacks in a postseason game:
| Date | Player, Team | Passing Yards | Player, Team | Passing Yards | Combined Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL | |||||
| 1/7/12 | Drew Brees, NO | 466 | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 380 | 846 |
| 1/16/00 | Jeff George, Min. | 423 | Kurt Warner, Arz. | 391 | 814 |
| 1/10/10 | Aaron Rodgers, GB | 423 | Kurt Warner, Arz. | 379 | 802 |
| 1/5/03 | Kelly Holcomb, Cle. | 429 | Tommy Maddox, Pit. | 367 | 796 |
| 1/9/05 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | 458 | Jake Plummer, Den. | 284 | 742 |
The most combined passing yards between opposing starting quarterbacks in a postseason game (regular-season totals):
| Date | Player, Team | Passing Yards (Playoff Game) |
Player, Team | Passing Yards (Playoff Game) |
Combined Yards (Playoff Game) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * NFL RecordSource: NFL | |||||
| 1/7/12 | Drew Brees, NO | 5,476* (466) | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 5,038 (380) | 10,514 (846) |
| 1/8/12 | Eli Manning, NYG | 4,933 (277) | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 4,177 (199) | 9,110 (476) |
| 2/7/10 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | 4,500 (333) | Drew Brees, NO | 4,388 | 8,888 (621) |
| 1/9/05 | Daunte Culpepper, Min. | 4,717 (284) | Brett Favre, GB | 4,088 (216) | 8,805 (500) |
| 12/29/84 | Dan Marino, Mia. | 5,084 (262) | Dave Krieg, Sea. | 3,671 (234) | 8,755 (496) |
| 1/20/02 | Kurt Warner, StL. | 4,830 (216) | Brett Favre, GB | 3,921 (281) | 8,751 (497) |
| 1/20/85 | Dan Marino, Mia. | 5,084 (318) | Joe Montana, SF | 3,630 (331) | 8,714 (649) |
Rookie QB Record
The Wild Card matchup between the Bengals and the Texans featured two rookie quarterbacks -- Cincinnati's Andy Dalton and Houston's T.J. Yates. It marked the first time in NFL history that two rookie quarterbacks started against each other in a playoff game.
Yates (Round 5, No. 152) became the first rookie quarterback drafted in the fifth round or later to start a playoff game in the era of the common draft. The Texans defeated the Bengals 31-10 and will play the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens (12-4) in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Yates is the fifth rookie to win his first playoff game.
The 11 rookie quarterbacks to start a playoff game (since 1966):
| Player | Season | Team | Game Result | Playoff Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: NFL | ||||
| Dan Marino | 1983 | Miami Dolphins | Lost 27-20 vs. Seattle | Advanced to Divisional |
| Bernie Kosar | 1985 | Cleveland Browns | Lost 24-21 at Miami | Advanced to Divisional |
| Jim Everett | 1986 | L.A. Rams | Lost 19-7 at Washington | Advanced to Wild Card |
| Todd Marinovich | 1991 | L.A. Raiders | Lost 10-6 at Kansas City | Advanced to Wild Card |
| Shaun King | 1999 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Won 14-13 vs. Washington | Advanced to NFC Championship |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 2004 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Won 20-17 vs. NY Jets (OT) | Advanced to AFC Championship |
| Joe Flacco | 2008 | Baltimore Ravens | Won 27-9 at Miami | Advanced to AFC Championship |
| Matt Ryan | 2008 | Atlanta Falcons | Lost 30-24 at Arizona | Advanced to Wild Card |
| Mark Sanchez | 2009 | New York Jets | Won 24-14 at Cincinnati | Advanced to AFC Championship |
| Andy Dalton | 2011 | Cincinnati Bengals | Lost 31-10 at Houston | Advanced to Wild Card |
| T.J. Yates | 2011 | Houston Texans | Won 31-10 vs. Cincinnati | ??? |
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