A look at seven statistical highlights from games played on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and during the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, Nov. 26, the 12th week of the 2023 season.
- With two games remaining in Week 12, 10 of 14 games (71.4 percent) have been within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter, with seven games having been decided by one score.
This season, 70 percent of all games (125 of 178) have been within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter.
Eight teams – BALTIMORE (8-3, entering Sunday Night Football), JACKSONVILLE (8-3), KANSAS CITY (8-3) and MIAMI (8-3) in the AFC and DALLAS (8-3), DETROIT (8-3), PHILADELPHIA (10-1) and SAN FRANCISCO (8-3) in the NFC – have at least eight wins through Week 12, tied with 2020, 2019 and 2003 for the most such teams with at least eight wins through the first 12 weeks of a season since 2002.
The DENVER BRONCOS, who began the season 0-3, earned their fifth consecutive victory – tied with Philadelphia for the longest active win streak in the NFL – and improved to 6-5 this season with a 29-12 win over Cleveland in Week 12. - Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) as the Eagles overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Buffalo, 37-34, in overtime.
Philadelphia improved to 10-1 for the second-consecutive season and is the fourth team in NFL history to win at least 10 of their first 11 games of a season in consecutive years, joining the 1941-42 CHICAGO BEARS, 2005-06 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and 1972-73 MIAMI DOLPHINS.
Hurts has 11 career games with at least two rushing touchdowns and surpassed CAM NEWTON (10 games) for the most such games by a quarterback in NFL history.
Hurts – who had 10 rushing touchdowns in 2021, 13 rushing touchdowns in 2022 and has 11 rushing touchdowns this season – is the first quarterback ever with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons and joined CAM NEWTON (2011, 2015 and 2020) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in three career seasons.
Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN passed for 339 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 81 yards with two touchdowns in Week 12.
Allen has eight career games with at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (eight games) for the most such games in NFL history.
Allen has eight games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown this season, tied with DAUNTE CULPEPPER (eight games in 2002), STEVE GROGAN (eight in 1976) and CAM NEWTON (eight in 2011) for the second-most such games by a quarterback in a season in NFL history. Only KYLER MURRAY (nine games in 2020) has more.
Allen has seven career games with at least two rushing touchdowns, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer OTTO GRAHAM (seven games) for the second-most such games by a quarterback in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only JALEN HURTS (11 games, currently in his fourth season) has more.
Allen, who had at least eight rushing touchdowns in each of his first three seasons (2018-20) and has nine rushing touchdowns this season, joined CAM NEWTON as the only quarterbacks ever with at least eight rushing touchdowns in four career seasons. - Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns and tight end TRAVIS KELCE had six receptions for 91 yards as the Chiefs overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat Las Vegas, 31-17.
Mahomes has 66 career games with at least two touchdown passes, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (65 games) for the most such games by a player in his first seven seasons in NFL history.
Kelce has 11,076 receiving yards in 154 games, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (191 games) as the fastest tight end to reach 11,000 receiving yards in NFL history
Kelce is the fourth tight end ever with 11,000 career receiving yards, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (15,127 receiving yards), JASON WITTEN (13,046) and ANTONIO GATES (11,841). - On Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys defeated Washington, 45-10, as cornerback DARON BLAND recorded an interception-return for a touchdown and linebacker MICAH PARSONS registered 1.5 sacks.
Bland is the first player in NFL history with five interceptions returned for a touchdown in a season, surpassing ERIC ALLEN (four in 1993 with Philadelphia), Pro Football Hall of Famer KEN HOUSTON (four in 1971 with the Houston Oilers) and JIM KEARNEY (four in 1972 with Kansas City).
Parsons has 11.5 sacks this season and is the third player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to record at least 11 sacks in each of his first three NFL seasons, joining DWIGHT FREENEY and Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE. - On Thursday night, San Francisco defeated Seattle, 31-13, as running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY recorded five receptions, 139 scrimmage yards (114 rushing, 25 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns.
McCaffrey, who has 16 scrimmage touchdowns this season and had 19 scrimmage touchdowns with Carolina in 2019, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (Minnesota and New England) as the only players with at least 16 scrimmage touchdowns in a season with two different teams in NFL history.
McCaffrey has 11 rushing touchdowns and five touchdown receptions this season and is the fifth player in history and first in 48 years with at least 10 rushing touchdowns and five touchdown receptions in his team’s first 11 games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (1962) and O.J. SIMPSON (1975) as well as ABNER HAYNES (1962) and CHUCK FOREMAN (1975).
McCaffrey has 53 career games with at least five receptions, tied with MATT FORTE (53 games) for the fifth-most such games by a running back in NFL history. Only LARRY CENTERS (81 games), Pro Football Hall of Famer MARSHALL FAULK (76), KEITH BYARS (59) and TIKI BARBER (54) have more. - In the first-ever Black Friday game, Miami defeated the New York Jets, 34-13, as wide receiver TYREEK HILL registered nine receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown.
Hill has 1,324 receiving yards this season, the most receiving yards by a player in his team’s first 11 games of a season in the Super Bowl era and he is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,300 receiving yards in his team’s first 11 games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer ELROY “CRAZY LEGS” HIRSCH (1,349 receiving yards in 1951), CHARLIE HENNIGAN (1,327 in 1961) and JULIO JONES (1,305 in 2018).
Hill, who has 80 scrimmage touchdowns (73 receiving, seven rushing) since entering the NFL in 2016, is the fifth wide receiver ever with at least 80 scrimmage touchdowns in his first eight seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (108 scrimmage touchdowns), RANDY MOSS (98), MARVIN HARRISON (83) and TERRELL OWENS (83). - Houston rookie quarterback C.J. STROUD passed for 304 yards and had three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and rookie wide receiver TANK DELL had five receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown in Week 12.
Stroud has 3,266 passing yards this season and surpassed JUSTIN HERBERT (3,224 passing yards) for the second-most passing yards by a player in his first 11 career games in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (3,434) had more.
Stroud is the first rookie in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards in four consecutive games.
Stroud has six games with at least 300 passing yards this season, tied with ANDREW LUCK (six games in 2012) for the second-most such games by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. Only JUSTIN HERBERT (eight games in 2020) has more.
Stroud has five games with at least 300 passing yards and two touchdown passes, tied with JUSTIN HERBERT (five games in 2020) and ANDREW LUCK (five games in 2012) for the most such games by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.
Dell is the third rookie in NFL history with at least five receptions and a touchdown reception in four consecutive games, joining ODELL BECKHAM JR. (Weeks 14-17, 2014) and AMON-RA ST. BROWN (Weeks 15-18, 2021).
Stroud and Dell have connected for seven touchdowns this season and are sixth rookie quarterback-receiver pairing in NFL history to connect for at least seven touchdowns, joining New England’s JIM PLUNKETT and RANDY VATAHA (nine touchdowns in 1971), the New York Giants’ CHARLIE CONERLY and BILL SWIACKI (nine in 1948), Cleveland’s TIM COUCH and KEVIN JOHNSON (eight in 1999), Indianapolis’ ANDREW LUCK and T.Y. HILTON (seven in 2012) and the St. Louis Rams’ TONY BANKS and EDDIE KENNISON (seven in 1996). - Additional notes from Sunday include:
- Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. WATT had two sacks and a forced fumble in the Steelers’ 16-10 win at Cincinnati.
Watt has 91 sacks in 98 career games and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (82 games) as the only player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to reach 90 sacks in fewer than 100 NFL games.
Watt has 13.5 sacks this season and is the second player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least 13 sacks in five of his first seven seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (six seasons).
Watt, in his 98th career game, recorded his 20th career game with at least two sacks and became the sixth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to record at least two sacks in 20-or-more of his first 100 NFL games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers REGGIE WHITE (29 games), RICHARD DENT (23) and BRUCE SMITH (20) as well as his brother, J.J. WATT (23) and JARED ALLEN (20).
Watt has a sack in 57 career games, tied with AARON DONALD (57 games) for the fifth-most career games with at least one sack in a player’s first seven NFL seasons since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers DEMARCUS WARE (68 games) and REGGIE WHITE (63) as well as VON MILLER (61) and MYLES GARRETT (59) have more. - New York Giants rookie quarterback TOMMY DEVITO passed for 191 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 103.9 rating in the team’s 10-7 win over New England.
DeVito is the fifth undrafted rookie quarterback to win two of his first three starts in the common-draft era, joining DEVLIN HODGES (three wins in 2019 with Pittsburgh), ED RUBBERT (three in 1987 with Washington), MATT MOORE (two in 2007 with Carolina) and JOE PISARCIK (two in 1977 with the New York Giants).
DeVito, who had a 137.7 passer rating in Week 11 and a 103.9 passer rating in Week 12, is the first undrafted rookie in the common-draft era to record a passer rating of 100-or-higher in consecutive starts. - Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ 17-10 win over Carolina.
Henry has six rushing touchdowns this season and became the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least five rushing touchdowns in each of his first eight career seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers MARSHALL FAULK and LADAINIAN TOMLINSON as well as EDDIE GEORGE and RICKY WATTERS. - Los Angeles Rams running back KYREN WILLIAMS had six receptions, 204 scrimmage yards (143 rushing, 61 receiving) and two touchdown receptions in the Rams’ 37-14 win over Arizona.
Williams is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 140 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in a game, joining LARRY BROWN (Dec. 16, 1973), BILLY CANNON (Dec. 10, 1961) and KAREEM HUNT (Sept. 7, 2017). - Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY had two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in Week 12.
Murray has 18 career games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown, tied with DAUNTE CULPEPPER (18 games) for the third-most such games by a quarterback in his first five seasons in NFL history. Only CAM NEWTON (31 games) and JOSH ALLEN (25) have more.
- Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. WATT had two sacks and a forced fumble in the Steelers’ 16-10 win at Cincinnati.
