NFL 2013 Week 14: The Week That Was

The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts each clinched a playoff berth in week 14.

The Broncos, who defeated Tennessee 51-28, secured a playoff spot. With the Titans' loss, the Colts clinched the AFC South division title.

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Minnesota Vikings 29-26 in a game that featured six different lead changes in the fourth quarter. That is the most fourth-quarter lead changes in a single game in NFL history.

Kicker Matt Prater converted a 64-yard field goal, the longest field goal in NFL history.

Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 34-20 win over Detroit. McCoy set the single-game franchise record with 217 rushing yards, surpassing the previous mark of 205 yards by Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren on November 27, 1949.

McCoy leads the NFL this season with 1,305 rushing yards and can become the first Eagle to lead the league in rushing since Van Buren in 1949.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had 12 catches for 96 yards and one touchdown in the Cardinals' 30-10 win over St. Louis. Fitzgerald, who has 10 touchdowns this year, is the ninth player in NFL history to record at least five seasons with 10 or more touchdown receptions. He joins Jerry Rice (Nine), Randy Moss (Nine), Marvin Harrison (Eight), Terrell Owens (eight), Cris Carter (Six), Lance Alworth (Five), Bob Hayes (Five) and Art Powell (five).

Cleveland wide receiver JOSH GORDON had seven catches for 151 yards and a touchdown in the Browns' 27-26 loss at New England. Gordon has 774 receiving yards in his past four games, the most in any four-game span in a single season in NFL history. The previous mark was 746 yards by Detroit's CALVIN JOHNSON set earlier this season.

In Week 14, two teams -- the New England Patriots (trailed 19-3; won 27-26) and the Philadelphia Eagles (trailed 14-0; won 34-20) -- each overcame a 14-point deficit to win. That brings the season total to 17 such games, tied for the most through the first 14 weeks of a season in NFL history.

The New England Patriots, who have erased deficits of 10 and 24 points in their previous two games, are the first team since the 2000 Kansas City Chiefs to win three in a row by overcoming a 10+ point deficit in each game.

The most comeback victories of at least 14 points through Week 14 in NFL history:

Season 14+ Point Comeback Wins
Source: NFL
201317
198717
201116

 

With three weeks to play, the 17 such games are already tied for the second-most in a season all-time (18 in 2011).

The most comeback victories of at least 14 points in a season in NFL history:

Season 14+ Point Comeback Wins
Source: NFL *Through Week 14
201118
2013*17
199617
198717
198317
197917

 

Exciting Finishes

Through Week 14, there have been 102 games decided by seven points or fewer, tied for the third-most through the first 14 weeks of a season in NFL history (105 in 2012).

Touchdowns Galore

NFL teams combined to score 104 touchdowns in Week 14, the most in a single week in NFL history.

Ninety of those touchdowns were scored on Sunday, the most in a single day in NFL history.

That brings the season total to 1,096 TDs scored, the most at this point in NFL history (1,055 in 2012). Of the 1,096 touchdowns, 662 have been TD passes, the most through the first 14 weeks of any season. The previous high was 620 in 2012.

Touchdowns Galore II

Denver's Peyton Manning and New Orleans' Drew Brees each threw four touchdowns with zero interceptions in Week 14.

For Peyton, it's his seventh game this season with at least four touchdown passes which is the most times in a single season in NFL History.

It marked also Peyton Manning's NFL record 29th career game with four or more touchdown passes. Drew Brees (24) surpassed Brett Favre (23) for the second-most such games in NFL history.

The players with the most games with at least four touchdown passes in NFL history:

Season Games 4+ TD Passes
Source: NFL *Active
Peyton Manning*29
Drew Brees*24
Brett Favre23
Dan Marino21
Tom Brady*19

 

Brees and Manning also moved up the ranks for the most games with four or more touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Brees (16) surpassed TOM BRADY (15) for the most such games and Manning (14) ranks third in NFL history.

The players with the most four+ touchdown passes and zero interception games in NFL history:

Season Games 4+ TD Passes & 0 INTs
Source: NFL *Active
Drew Brees*16
Tom Brady*15
Peyton Manning*14
Brett Favre12

 

Mile-High Points

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos (11-2) defeated Tennessee 51-28, marking their third game this season with 50 or more points (Week 4, 52; Week 5, 51).

The Broncos are the fifth team in NFL history to score 50+ points in three different games in a single season and the first since 1969 (1950 Los Angeles Rams; 1950 New York Giants; 1966 Dallas Cowboys; 1969 Minnesota Vikings).

The Denver Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have four players score at least 10 touchdowns in the same season. The four Broncos with at least 10 touchdowns this season are Knowshon Moreno (12), Demaryius Thomas (11), Julius Thomas (11) and Wes Welker (10). All four scored a touchdown against the Titans.

Winning Model

On Sunday, the New England Patriots (10-3) defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-26, and reached 10 regular-season wins for the 11th consecutive season. The Patriots joined the San Francisco 49ers (1983-1998; 16) as the only teams in NFL history to record 11 consecutive 10-win seasons.

The teams with the most consecutive seasons with 10+ regular-season wins in NFL history:

Team Years 10+ Win Seasons
Source: NFL *Active
San Francisco 49ers1983-199816
New England Patriots*2003-present11
Indianapolis Colts2002-20109

 

With the win, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (11) surpassed Brett Favre (10) for the second-most seasons with at least 10 wins by a quarterback in NFL history (PEYTON MANNING, 13).

Great Texan

Houston wide receiver ANDRE JOHNSON had 13 catches for 154 yards against Jacksonville on Thursday Night Football.

It marked Johnson's 10th career game with at least 10 receptions and 150 receiving yards, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (10) for the most such games in NFL history.

The players with the most 10+ reception and 150+ receiving yard games in NFL history:

Player Team(s) 10+ Win Seasons
Source: NFL *Active
Jerry RiceSan Francisco10
Andre Johnson*Houston10
Tim BrownOakland9
Anquan Boldin*Arizona, San Francisco7
Calvin Johnson*Detroit7
Terrell OwensSan Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Cincinnati7

 

The Show-Me Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs (10-3), who defeated Washington 45-10, tied the 1963 Oakland Raiders (10) and the 1975 Baltimore Colts (10) for the third-most wins by a team that won two or fewer games the previous season.

The teams with the most wins after winning two or fewer games the previous season:

Team Year Wins
Source: NFL
Miami Dolphins200811
Indianapolis Colts201211
Oakland Raiders196310
Baltimore Colts197510
Kanas City Chiefs201310
Many tied 9

 

The 50,000 Passing Yards Milestone

New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES passed for 313 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Saints' 31-13 win over Carolina. Brees now has 50,026 passing yards and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach 50,000.

The quarterbacks with the most passing yards in NFL history:

Quarterback Career Passing Yards
Source: NFL *Active
Brett Favre71,838
Peyton Manning*64,009
Dan Marino61,361
John Elway51,475
Drew Brees*50,026

 

Brees played in his 183rd game on Sunday night and reached 50,000 career passing yards in the fewest games in NFL history.

Quarterback Games
Source: NFL *Active
Drew Brees183
Peyton Manning191
Dan Marino193
Brett Favre211
John Elway229

 

Racking Up the Receiving Yards

Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green had six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 42-28 win over Indianapolis. Green, who is in his third season, now has 3,582 receiving yards and passed Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (3,575) for the third-most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons. Green trails RANDY MOSS (4,163) and TORRY HOLT (3,786).

The players with the most receiving yards in the first three seasons of a career in NFL history:

Player Receiving Yards
Source: NFL *Through 13 games in 2013
Randy Moss4,163
Torry Holt3,786
A.J. Green*3,582
Jerry Rice3,575
John Jefferson3,431

 

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NFL 2013 Week 14: The Week That Was