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SO CLOSE:To date, 85 games have been decided by eight points or fewer, the second-most through the first 11 weeks of a season in NFL history.
The most games decided by eight points or fewer in a season's first 11 weeks:
MOST GAMES DECIDED BY
EIGHT POINTS OR FEWER
SEASON
THROUGH WEEK 11
1988
86
2012
85
2006
84
2002
84
1999
84
Four tied
83
In four games last week, the winning points were scored in the final two minutes or overtime, bringing the season total to 36 such games.
The Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all won in overtime. The Cowboys won on a 38-yard field goal by DAN BAILEY with 6:07 remaining. The Texans, who scored twice in overtime, got the winning score on a 48-yard touchdown pass from MATT SCHAUB to ANDRE JOHNSON with 2:01 remaining. The Buccaneers scored a touchdown on their first possession of overtime capped by a 15-yard TD pass from JOSH FREEMAN to DALLAS CLARK with 10:40 remaining.
The Green Bay Packers scored their winning points with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard pass from AARON RODGERS to RANDALL COBB.
-- NFL --
MORE TIME:There have been 15 overtime games in 2012, tied for the third-most through Week 11 in league history.
Three games on Sunday – Tampa Bay at Carolina, Cleveland at Dallas and Jacksonville at Houston – went into overtime, marking the second time this season three contests were decided in overtime on the same day. It is the first time since 2004 (Week 5, October 10; Week 10, November 14) that two days in one season have each featured three overtime games. Three Week 3 games this season – Detroit at Tennessee, Kansas City at New Orleans and the New York Jets at Miami – were decided in overtime.
DALLAS(13-point deficit), HOUSTON(14) and TAMPA BAY(11) each overcame deficits of at least 11 points to force overtime and claim victory last week.
The NFL record for the most overtime games in a single day is four, which has happened twice (October 8, 1995 and October 20, 2002). Prior to this season, three overtime games most recently occurred on the same day on November 7, 2010.
The most overtime games in a season's first 11 weeks:
MOST OVERTIME GAMES
SEASON
THROUGH WEEK 11
1995
19
2003
16
2012
15
2002
15
2010
14
1983
14
-- NFL --
PASS SUCCESS:In the Texans' 43-37 overtime win against Jacksonville, Houston quarterback MATT SCHAUB completed a franchise-record 43 passes for 527 yards with five touchdowns for a 121.7 passer rating. Schaub's 527 passing yards are tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON(December 16,1990) for the second-most in a game in NFL history. Pro Football Hall of Famer NORM VAN BROCKLIN holds the record with 554 passing yards (September 28, 1951).
The quarterbacks with the most passing yards in a single game in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM
DATE
PASSING YARDS
Norm Van Brocklin
Los Angeles Rams
9/28/1951
554
Matt Schaub
Houston Texans
11/18/2012
*527
Warren Moon
Houston Oilers
12/16/1990
527
Boomer Esiason
Arizona Cardinals
11/10/1996
522*
Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins
10/23/1988
521
*Overtime game
Texans wide receiver ANDRE JOHNSON had 14 catches for a club-record 273 yards with one touchdown and Jaguars rookie wide receiver JUSTIN BLACKMON had seven catches for 236 yards with one touchdown. It marked the first game in league annals in which two players each had 235 receiving yards. The pair combined for 509 receiving yards, the highest total for two players in one game. That is 64 yards more than the previous record of 445 combined receiving yards posted by Pro Football Hall of Famers BOB HAYESand CHARLEY TAYLORin 1966 (November 13).
The most combined receiving yards for two receivers in a single game in NFL history:
DATE
PLAYERS
TEAMS
REC. YARDS
COMBINED REC. YDs.
11/18/2012
Andre Johnson
Houston Texans
273
509
Justin Blackmon
Jacksonville Jaguars
236
11/13/1966
Bob Hayes
Dallas Cowboys
246
445
Charley Taylor
Washington Redskins
199
11/26/1989
Flipper Anderson
Los Angeles Rams
336
443
Eric Martin
New Orleans Saints
107
10/28/1962
Del Shofner
New York Giants
269
427
Bobby Mitchell
Washington Redskins
158
9/23/2007
Kevin Curtis
Philadelphia Eagles
221
425
Roy Williams
Detroit Lions
204
Blackmon's 273 receiving yards are the third-most by a rookie in a single game in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM
YEAR
REC. YARDS
Jerry Butler
Buffalo Bills
1979
255
Jerry Rice
San Francisco 49ers
2009
241
Justin Blackmon
Jacksonville Jaguars
2012
236
Eddie Kennison
St. Louis Rams
1996
226
Anquan Boldin
Arizona Cardinals
2003
217
-- NFL --
EARLY SACK-CESS:Second-year linebackers ALDON SMITH(5.5 sacks) of San Francisco and VON MILLER(3 sacks) of Denver posted the most sacks in Week 11. With six games remaining in 2012, Smith (29 sacks) and Miller (24.5 sacks) are already among the top-six for the most sacks registered in a player's first two seasons. Pro Football Hall of Famers REGGIE WHITE(31 sacks) and DERRICK THOMAS (30 sacks) rank first and second, respectively, while Smith currently has the third-most.
Smith's 5.5 sacks on Monday Night Football are tied for the fifth-most in a game since 1982. He is one of only four players to record at least 5.5 sacks in a game since sacks became an official statistic. He is the first to accomplish the feat since 2007 (OSI UMENYIORA, 6 sacks, September 30).
The players with the most sacks in their first two seasons since 1982:
PLAYER
TEAM
YEARS
SACKS
Reggie White
Philadelphia
1985-1986
31
Derrick Thomas
Kansas City
1989-1990
30
Aldon Smith
San Francisco
2011-2012
*29
Shawne Merriman
San Diego
2005-2006
27
Jevon Kearse
Tennessee
1999-2000
26
Von Miller
Denver
2011-2012
*24.5
Dwight Freeney
Indianapolis
2002-2003
24
*Currently in second season
Miller (24.5 sacks), who played in his 25th game on Sunday, has the second-most sacks through a player's first 25 games since 1982. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer DERRICK THOMAS (25) has more sacks through a player's first 25 games.
The players with the most sacks in their first 25 games since sacks became an official statistic in 1982:
PLAYER
TEAM
YEARS
SACKS
Derrick Thomas
Kansas City
1989-1990
25
Von Miller
Denver
2011-2012
24.5
Aldon Smith
San Francisco
2011-2012
23.5
Shawne Merriman
San Diego
2005-2006
22.5
Clay Matthews
Green Bay
2009-2010
21.5
* *
-- NFL --
GRIFFIN SOARS:**Washington rookie quarterback ROBERT GRIFFIN III completed 14 of 15 passes (93.3 percent) for 200 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 158.3 passer rating and added 84 rushing yards in the Redskins' 31-6 win over Philadelphia.
Griffin is the only rookie quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 200 yards, complete more than 50 percent of his passes without throwing an interception and post more than 75 rushing yards. His 158.3 single-game passer rating is the highest among rookie quarterbacks (min. 15 attempts) in league annals, surpassing BEN ROETHLISBERGER's 158.0 passer rating on December 5, 2004.
Among all quarterbacks who threw for at least 200 yards with zero interceptions and rush for 75 or more yards in a game since 1970, Griffin is the only player to complete more than 75 percent of his passes and one of three all-time with four or more touchdown passes (MICHAEL VICK, November 15, 2010; RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, November 4, 1990).
-- NFL --
YOUNG BUC:**Tampa Bay rookie running back DOUG MARTIN rushed for 138 yards and had four catches for 23 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-21 overtime win at Carolina.
Martin has gained 1,019 scrimmage yards in his past six games and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (1983) and EDGERRIN JAMES (1999) as the only rookies in NFL history to gain at least 1,000 yards in a six-game span.
The most scrimmage yards by a rookie in a six-game span:
PLAYER
YEAR
MOST SCRIMMAGE YARDS BY ROOKIE IN SIX-GAME SPAN
Eric Dickerson
1983
1,066
Edgerrin James
1999
1,045
Doug Martin
2012
1,019
Eric Dickerson
1983
1,016
Edgerrin James
1999
1,003
