50 Fun Facts About 2010s NFL

Which team opened the decade by upsetting the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010?

It was the first major pro championship for a New Orleans team, and Drew Brees was MVP.

What surprise play did the Saints open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with?

An onside kick: the 'Ambush' call had Thomas Morstead kick short, Chris Reis recovered in a pile-up, and the Saints drove for a touchdown to take their first lead of the game.

The 2010 Packers became the first team to reach the Super Bowl as what?

An NFC sixth seed: at 10-6 they were the conference's last qualifier, won every playoff game on the road, then beat Pittsburgh 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV, with Aaron Rodgers named MVP.

What regular-season record did the 2011 Giants post before winning Super Bowl XLVI?

9–7: the Giants scraped into the playoffs by winning the NFC East, then beat the 13-3 Patriots 21-17 on Ahmad Bradshaw's late touchdown, a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

The Ravens–49ers championship game of February 2013 was nicknamed what, after its coaches?

The Har-Bowl: John Harbaugh's Ravens beat brother Jim's team 34-31 in the first Super Bowl to pit brothers as head coaches; a 34-minute power outage also earned it the name 'Blackout Bowl'.

How long was Jacoby Jones's record kickoff-return touchdown to open the second half of Super Bowl XLVII?

108 yards: Jones fielded the kickoff deep in his own end zone and went the distance, then the longest play in Super Bowl history; minutes later the Superdome lights went out for 34 minutes.

By what score did the Seahawks crush the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII?

43–8: Seattle scored 12 seconds in on a safety from a snap sailing over Peyton Manning's head, the fastest score in Super Bowl history, and led 36-0 before allowing a point.

Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium was the first played where?

Outdoors in a cold-weather city: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was the first open-air, cold-weather venue awarded a Super Bowl; the game-time temperature turned out to be a mild 49°F.

Which Patriots cornerback intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to win Super Bowl XLIX?

Malcolm Butler: the undrafted rookie jumped Ricardo Lockette's slant at the goal line with 20 seconds left, after Seattle chose to throw from the 1 rather than hand to Marshawn Lynch.

Which Broncos linebacker was MVP of Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning's final game?

Von Miller: he had 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles that set up both of his team's touchdowns, as the defense sacked Cam Newton seven times in a 24-10 win; the NFL dropped Roman numerals for that game.

From what deficit did the Patriots come back to beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI?

28–3: trailing 28-3 midway through the third quarter, the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points and won 34-28 in the first Super Bowl ever to go to overtime.

Which Patriots running back set Super Bowl records with 14 receptions and 20 points in Super Bowl LI?

James White: his 14 catches and 20 points (one receiving touchdown, two rushing touchdowns and a two-point run) were both Super Bowl records, and his 2-yard run ended the game in overtime.

The Patriots' 13-3 win in February 2019 set what Super Bowl record?

Lowest-scoring championship game ever: just 16 total points, with Sony Michel's 2-yard run the only touchdown; the losers became only the second Super Bowl team never to reach the end zone.

How old was Sean McVay, then the youngest Super Bowl head coach, at Super Bowl LIII?

33: born in January 1986, McVay was 33 when he lost Super Bowl LIII to 66-year-old Bill Belichick, who was winning his sixth title as a head coach.

Whom did the Chiefs beat in Super Bowl LIV for their first title in 50 years?

San Francisco 49ers: Kansas City trailed the 49ers 20-10 entering the fourth quarter and scored 21 unanswered points to win 31-20, with Patrick Mahomes named MVP.

'Deflategate' arose from the Patriots' win over which team in the AFC Championship Game of January 2015?

Indianapolis Colts: the 45-7 AFC title win over the Colts on January 18, 2015 triggered the under-inflated-ball investigation; the team was fined $1 million and forfeited two draft picks.

How many games was Tom Brady ultimately suspended for over Deflategate?

Four: Judge Richard Berman voided the four-game ban in September 2015, but the Second Circuit reinstated it in April 2016 and he sat out the first four games of that season.

Which head coach was suspended for the entire 2012 season over the Saints' 'Bountygate' scandal?

Sean Payton: he became the first head coach the NFL had ever suspended, sitting out all of 2012 for failing to stop the pay-for-injury bounty pool run by his defensive staff.

The 2012 'Fail Mary' game, decided by replacement officials, was won by the Seahawks over which team?

Green Bay Packers: Golden Tate and Green Bay's M.D. Jennings both grabbed Russell Wilson's last-play heave, two officials signalled differently, and Seattle won 14-12; the referee lockout ended two days later.

Which Jets quarterback ran into his own lineman's backside in the 2012 'Butt Fumble'?

Mark Sanchez: he slammed into guard Brandon Moore's backside, fumbled, and Steve Gregory returned it for a touchdown during a 52-second Patriots scoring burst on Thanksgiving night 2012.

Which Vikings receiver caught the 61-yard walk-off 'Minneapolis Miracle' touchdown in 2018?

Stefon Diggs: with 10 seconds left and no timeouts, Case Keenum found Diggs on the sideline, safety Marcus Williams whiffed, and Diggs ran in as time expired for a 29-24 win.

Which Dolphins running back scored on the multi-lateral 'Miracle in Miami' in 2018?

Ryan Tannehill hit Stills, who lateraled to Parker, who lateraled to Drake, who ran past a badly positioned Rob Gronkowski.

Which kicker's 64-yard field goal in December 2013 broke the NFL distance record?

Matt Prater: his 64-yarder on the last play of the first half against Tennessee on December 8, 2013 broke Tom Dempsey's 63-yard record from 1970; Justin Tucker kicked 66 in 2021.

Tim Tebow's 2011 Broncos beat the Steelers on an 80-yard overtime touchdown pass to whom?

Demaryius Thomas: on the first play of overtime he caught a Tebow slant and stiff-armed Ike Taylor on the way to an 80-yard score for a 29-23 win.

How many rushing yards did Adrian Peterson finish with in 2012, nine short of Eric Dickerson's record?

2,097: Peterson ran for 2,097 yards, finishing nine short of Eric Dickerson's 2,105, barely a year after tearing his ACL and MCL, and was named 2012 MVP.

How many receiving yards did Calvin Johnson post in 2012 to set the single-season record?

1,964: Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards in 2012 passed Jerry Rice's 1,848 from 1995; he had just beaten Cam Newton in the fan vote for the Madden 13 cover.

How many touchdown passes did Peyton Manning throw in his record 2013 season with Denver?

55: Manning's 55 touchdown passes in 2013 broke the previous record of 50 set in 2007, and he set the yardage record with 5,477 before losing Super Bowl XLVIII to Seattle.

Which 49ers quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality?

Colin Kaepernick: he first sat, then knelt, during the anthem in the 2016 preseason, never played another NFL game after that season, and settled a collusion grievance with the league in 2019.

Which Colts quarterback shocked the league by retiring at 29, two weeks before the 2019 season?

Andrew Luck: the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year announced his retirement on August 24, 2019, citing an endless cycle of injury, pain and rehab, and was booed by the home crowd as he left the field.

Which team left St. Louis and returned to Los Angeles for the 2016 season?

The Rams: they played in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994 before two decades in St. Louis; San Diego's team followed them to Los Angeles a year later.

How many seasons did the Chargers play in San Diego before leaving after 2016?

56: the Chargers moved from Los Angeles to San Diego in 1961, their second season, and played 56 seasons there through 2016 before returning to Los Angeles in 2017.

Which player did the Ravens release in 2014 after a domestic assault video surfaced?

Ray Rice: the Ravens cut him on September 8, 2014, hours after TMZ published the elevator video; he won his appeal of the indefinite ban that November but never played again.

Which Seahawks secondary of the 2010s was nicknamed the 'Legion of Boom'?

Sherman, Thomas, Chancellor and Browner: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner anchored a unit that led the league in points allowed every season from 2012 to 2015 and powered the Super Bowl XLVIII rout.

How many times did J. J. Watt win Defensive Player of the Year in his first five seasons?

Three: Watt won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015, with 20.5 sacks in two of those seasons, and even caught three touchdown passes on offense in 2014.

With what record did the Panthers, led by MVP Cam Newton, reach Super Bowl 50?

15–1: Carolina won its first 14 games, led the league with 500 points, and routed Arizona 49-15 in the NFC title game before losing Super Bowl 50 to the AFC's top-ranked defense.

How long did the NFL lockout, the decade's major labor dispute, last?

March to July 2011: owners locked players out from March 12 to July 25 over the salary cap, revenue sharing and rookie pay; only the Hall of Fame preseason game was lost.

The Broncos' Super Bowl 50 win made it how many straight seasons with different champions?

Eight: from the 2008 Steelers through the 2015 Broncos, eight different teams won in eight seasons; the Patriots, champions in 2014, ended the streak by winning again in 2016.

Which quarterback did the Chiefs trade to Washington in 2018 to clear the way for Mahomes?

Alex Smith: after a 2017 Pro Bowl season he was dealt to Washington in March 2018 for Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick, and Mahomes won MVP in his first year as starter.

The 2019 campaign was celebrated as which milestone for the NFL?

Its 100th season: the league founded in 1920 marked its centennial year in 2019 with an NFL 100 patch on every jersey, while the Bears celebrated their own 100th anniversary as a charter member.

Which record did the Oakland Raiders set in the 2016 season?

Most penalties in a game (23): in the 2016 season opener the Raiders were flagged 23 times for 200 yards, the most accepted penalties in NFL history, and still won 35-34.

Which quarterback was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth time in Super Bowl LI, at age 39?

Tom Brady: at 39 he set Super Bowl records for attempts (62), completions (43) and passing yards (466) in the comeback over Atlanta, and his fourth MVP award was one more than Joe Montana ever won.

Which Seahawks defensive end scored a safety on the first play from scrimmage of Super Bowl XLVIII?

Cliff Avril: when Manny Ramirez's snap sailed past Peyton Manning, Knowshon Moreno fell on the ball in the end zone and Avril was credited with the tackle for a safety 12 seconds in.

Which Colts receiver caught the 64-yard TD capping the 28-point playoff comeback against Kansas City in 2014?

T. Y. Hilton: his 64-yard catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter completed a rally from 38-10 down to a 45-44 win, then the second-largest comeback in playoff history; Hilton finished with 224 yards.

Which Saints defensive coordinator was suspended indefinitely for running the Bountygate program?

The suspension was overturned the following year; general manager Mickey Loomis also sat out eight games.

Which venue hosted the first Super Bowl in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, Super Bowl XLV in 2011?

Cowboys Stadium: the Arlington venue, renamed AT&T Stadium in 2013, hosted Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, when Aaron Rodgers's team beat Pittsburgh 31-25 before 103,219 fans.

Which backup quarterback caught a touchdown on the "Philly Special" trick play in Super Bowl LII?

Foles had taken over after Wentz's December ACL tear; the Eagles' 41-33 win was their first Super Bowl title.

The Packers' Super Bowl XLV win gave them how many NFL championships, then a league record?

13: the win over Pittsburgh on February 6, 2011 was the team's 13th league title, counting nine pre-Super Bowl championships from 1929 to 1965 plus Super Bowls I, II, XXXI and XLV.

Which player became the first publicly gay man to be drafted into the NFL, in 2014?

Michael Sam: the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year at Missouri went 249th overall in the seventh round to St. Louis and was cut at the end of the preseason.

Which team ended the NFL's longest playoff drought on the final day of the 2017 season?

Buffalo Bills: their win at Miami plus Cincinnati's last-minute upset of Baltimore ended a drought dating to the 1999 season; they then lost 10-3 at Jacksonville in the Wild Card round.

How old was Lamar Jackson when he became the youngest quarterback ever to start an NFL playoff game?

21: born January 7, 1997, Jackson was a day short of 22 when he started the January 6, 2019 wild-card loss to the Chargers; he had replaced an injured Joe Flacco and won the division.