98 Fun Facts About 2023 NFL Season

Which Bills safety returned to NFL action in 2023, months after his on-field cardiac arrest?

Damar Hamlin was cleared in April after specialists agreed his collapse was commotio cordis, a blow to the chest at the exact wrong moment of a heartbeat.

Super Bowl LVIII was played at Allegiant Stadium in which state?

Nevada got its first Super Bowl because New Orleans, the original host, gave the game up: the new 17-game season had pushed the date into Mardi Gras.

Which quarterback won the 2023 NFL MVP, receiving 49 of 50 first-place votes?

Lamar Jackson took the award less than a year after telling the Ravens he wanted a trade; he then signed a five-year extension he negotiated himself, with no agent.

Who was named MVP of Super Bowl LVIII after the Chiefs' overtime win?

Patrick Mahomes threw for 333 yards and ran for 66, including an 8-yard fourth-and-1 scramble on the winning drive, earning his third Super Bowl MVP.

Which Chiefs receiver caught the walk-off touchdown in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII?

Mecole Hardman caught the 3-yard walk-off score; the Jets had traded him back to the Chiefs in October for a swap of late-round picks.

Who headlined the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show?

Usher reappeared from a costume change on roller skates and turned the field into a rink for "OMG"; his guests included Alicia Keys, Ludacris and Lil Jon.

Which team beat the defending champion Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Kickoff Game on September 7?

The Detroit Lions drew level when rookie Brian Branch caught a pass that bounced off a Chiefs receiver's hands and ran it back 50 yards; they won 21-20.

Which division became the first since 1935 to have all four of its teams finish with a winning record?

The AFC North's last-place team, Cincinnati, still went 9-8 despite losing its star quarterback to a torn wrist ligament in November.

Which quarterback was selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Bryce Young went first to Carolina, which gave Chicago the ninth pick, three more high draft picks and a starting receiver to move up.

Where did the NFL hold its 2023 draft?

Kansas City took its turn between Las Vegas in 2022 and Detroit in 2024: the draft has gone on the road since 2015, after fifty years in New York.

Which rookie quarterback set the record for most pass attempts without an interception to start a career?

C. J. Stroud passed Dak Prescott's 2016 mark of 176 in his fifth game; his team had drafted him second overall, then traded up to pick again at No. 3.

Which receiver caught the winning touchdown in a rookie quarterback's record 470-yard game in 2023?

Tank Dell, a rookie himself, caught the 15-yard winner to cap a drive that took only 40 seconds after Tampa Bay had gone ahead, sealing a 39-37 win.

Which fifth-round rookie set rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486)?

Puka Nacua got his chance because Cooper Kupp opened the season on injured reserve; the rookie yardage record he broke had stood since 1960.

Which team beat Denver 70-20 in September 2023, the most points by any team since 1966?

The Miami Dolphins could have broken the regular-season scoring record with a late field goal, but coach Mike McDaniel had his backup quarterback kneel instead.

Which quarterback tore his Achilles four snaps into his debut for a new team in 2023?

Aaron Rodgers went down on a sack minutes into the Jets' opener; they still beat Buffalo 22-16 in overtime on undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson's 65-yard punt return.

Which quarterback, unsigned until November 2023, went on to win Comeback Player of the Year?

Joe Flacco joined a practice squad on November 20, was starting within two weeks and took his new team to the playoffs; at 39 he tied for the oldest winner of the award.

Which 2023 playoff team had four different quarterbacks each start more than one game?

The Cleveland Browns still went 11-6 after Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder surgery, starting rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker and a November free-agent signing.

Who was named 2023 Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in scrimmage yards?

Christian McCaffrey gained 2,023 scrimmage yards in 2023, a year after San Francisco sent Carolina a package of draft picks to get him in midseason.

Which pass rusher won 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year?

Myles Garrett won with 14 sacks even though Pittsburgh's T. J. Watt, the runner-up in the voting, led the league with 19.

Which rookie, drafted third overall, won 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?

Will Anderson Jr. cost Houston a haul: it sent Arizona the 12th and 33rd picks plus first- and third-round picks in 2024 to move up and take him.

Which head coach won the 2023 AP Coach of the Year award?

Kevin Stefanski won it for the second time in four seasons, steering Cleveland to the playoffs after losing running back Nick Chubb to a knee injury in Week 2.

Which Steelers defensive lineman received the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award?

Cameron Heyward's charity work honours his father, former NFL running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, who died of brain cancer when Cameron was 17.

Which Cowboys cornerback returned a record five interceptions for touchdowns in 2023?

DaRon Bland became a starter only when Trevon Diggs tore his ACL in practice before Week 3; his record fifth pick-six came on Thanksgiving.

Which two quarterbacks each ran for 15 touchdowns in 2023, a season record for the position?

Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen finished level: Hurts broke Cam Newton's mark of 14 on Christmas Day, Allen caught him within a week, and neither added to it in the finale.

Which kicker opened his NFL career in 2023 with a record run of field goals without a miss?

Brandon Aubrey never played college football: a former MLS draft pick, he was working as a software engineer when his wife suggested he try kicking.

Which quarterback in 2023 became the first player with 40,000 passing and 5,000 rushing yards?

Russell Wilson reached the mark early in 2023, yet by December his team had benched him, a move reported to protect it from a $37 million injury guarantee; it released him the following March.

Which head coach earned his 300th regular-season win in 2023, joining Don Shula and George Halas?

Bill Belichick got there by upsetting Buffalo in October, but New England finished 4-13 and he and the team agreed to part ways in January after 24 seasons.

Which German city hosted NFL games for the first time in 2023, at Deutsche Bank Park?

Frankfurt was no newcomer to the sport: NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy played in the same stadium until that league folded in 2007.

Which team played London games at Wembley and Tottenham on consecutive weeks in 2023?

The Jacksonville Jaguars treat the city as a second home: owner Shad Khan also owns London soccer club Fulham, and the team plays there nearly every year.

Which players were left out when the NFL legalised jersey number 0 in 2023?

Linemen stayed put because their numbers do a job: an offensive lineman's 50 to 79 tells officials he is not eligible to catch a pass.

A 2023 rule change let teams dress an emergency third quarterback on game day without using what?

A roster spot on the game-day active list is no longer needed, though he must be on the 53-man roster; the fix came after the 49ers lost two quarterbacks to injury in a playoff game.

A 2023 rule let a kickoff returner at his own 5 start at the 25 by doing what?

Signalling a fair catch: the NFL copied the rule from college football, which had brought it in five years earlier, so even a kick caught at the 1 came out to the 25.

Which foul was upgraded from a 10-yard penalty to a 15-yard personal foul in 2023?

Tripping was moved in beside striking and kneeing an opponent in the rulebook, so a flagrant trip can get a player thrown out of the game as well as costing his team the yards.

Whose group bought the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for a then-record $6.05 billion?

Josh Harris, co-owner of the NBA's 76ers and NHL's Devils, led a group that included Magic Johnson; Snyder sold while under league and congressional scrutiny over the club's workplace culture.

Which team put up 42 first-half points on the Chargers in December 2023, days after being shut out?

The Las Vegas Raiders had lost 3-0 to Minnesota four days earlier; this time they forced five turnovers, and receiver Jakobi Meyers even threw a touchdown pass.

Which streaming service exclusively carried the Chiefs-Dolphins wild-card game played in minus-4 degree cold in January 2024?

Peacock's was the first NFL playoff game shown only on a streaming service, and the league made it a yearly fixture, selling the next season's to a rival streamer.

Which team became the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game, beating No. 2 Dallas in January 2024?

The Green Bay Packers were the league's youngest team, yet they led 48-16 in the fourth quarter before Dallas made the final score 48-32.

Which team did the Lions beat 24-23 in January 2024 for their first playoff win in 32 years?

The Rams' quarterback, Matthew Stafford, had spent 12 seasons in Detroit without a playoff win before the trade that brought Jared Goff the other way.

Whose catch off a defender's facemask sparked the 49ers' comeback in the January 2024 NFC title game?

Brandon Aiyuk dived to catch a 51-yard ball that had bounced off Kindle Vildor's facemask; Detroit, 24-7 up at half-time, had just passed up a field goal on fourth down and never recovered.

Which 49ers rookie kicked a record 55-yard field goal in Super Bowl LVIII, only for Harrison Butker to top it?

Jake Moody's record fell a quarter later; his blocked extra point then left the 49ers only three points ahead, a gap the Chiefs closed with a field goal.

Which 49ers receiver both threw and caught a touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII, matching Nick Foles' feat?

Jauan Jennings took a backwards pass and threw 21 yards back across the field to a running back for one score, then caught a 10-yard touchdown himself.

What did Super Bowl LVIII's new overtime rules guarantee?

Both teams get at least one possession under playoff rules rewritten after Buffalo lost a January 2022 thriller to the Chiefs without touching the ball in overtime.

Which children's network aired its own alternate telecast of Super Bowl LVIII?

Nickelodeon's version, "Live from Bikini Bottom", put SpongeBob and Patrick in the booth and fired animated slime cannons after scoring plays.

From which city did Taylor Swift fly overnight to reach Super Bowl LVIII the day after a concert?

Tokyo: she closed a four-night Eras Tour stand there the evening before and crossed the Pacific in time for kick-off, the 13th Chiefs game she attended that season.

Which pass-catcher passed Jerry Rice for the most career postseason receptions during the 2023 playoffs?

Travis Kelce passed Rice's 151 with 11 catches in the AFC title game at Baltimore, weeks after his first regular season under 1,000 yards since 2015.

Which pass rusher first led two teams in sacks in one season after an October 2023 trade to Chicago?

Montez Sweat left Washington after eight games, yet nobody there caught his 6.5 sacks, and the six he added for the Bears topped their list too.

Which team's throwback "creamsicle" orange uniforms returned in 2023 for the first time since 2012?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore them once a year from 2009 to 2012, until a change in the league's helmet rules shelved the look for a decade.

Who set the record for most 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career, reaching 10 in 2023?

Mike Evans kept the streak alive in the first season after Tom Brady retired, catching passes from Baker Mayfield, who was on his fourth team in three seasons.

Which left tackle, who played 10,363 straight snaps, entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023?

Joe Thomas never missed an offensive snap until a triceps injury ended his career in 2017, yet Cleveland managed just one winning season in his eleven years.

Which franchise wore throwback Houston Oilers uniforms for two home games in 2023?

The Tennessee Titans own the look because the franchise was the Houston Oilers until it moved in 1997; one of the two throwback games was against Houston's new team.

Which team signed quarterback Derek Carr after Las Vegas released him in 2023?

The New Orleans Saints got him as a free agent because Carr had vetoed any trade, so the Raiders released him rather than guarantee him another $40.4 million.

Which receiver did Carolina send to Chicago in the trade for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick?

D. J. Moore went to Chicago along with Carolina's 2024 first-rounder, which became the No. 1 pick again and turned into Caleb Williams.

Which three-time Defensive Player of the Year joined CBS's The NFL Today in 2023 after retiring?

J. J. Watt retired after the 2022 season, joined the CBS studio show and, with his wife Kealia, became a minority investor in English soccer club Burnley.

Dick Butkus, who died in October 2023, played his whole career for which team?

The Chicago Bears learned of his death on the day of a Thursday night game at Washington, then won it 40-20 to end a 14-game losing streak.

Which team revived Kelly green throwback uniforms in 2023, a first since 2010?

The Philadelphia Eagles copied their Randall Cunningham-era look; a change to the league's alternate-helmet rules is what finally let them add the matching green helmet.

Which platform streamed the NFL's first Black Friday game in November 2023?

Amazon Prime Video made the game free to watch without a subscription, putting an NFL audience on its site in the middle of one of the year's biggest shopping days.

Which service took over NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023 after DirecTV had carried it since 1994?

YouTube TV's parent Google won a contest in which Apple and ESPN had both been in talks with the league; rights for bars and restaurants were sold separately.

Who in 2023 became the first Super Bowl-era player with 1,200 receiving yards through 10 team games?

Tyreek Hill had openly targeted the first 2,000-yard receiving season, but finished on 1,799 after an ankle injury slowed him late in the year.

Which rookie tight end caught 86 passes in 2023, a record for a first-year player at the position?

Sam LaPorta filled the hole left when Detroit traded tight end T. J. Hockenson to Minnesota the season before, and added 10 touchdowns.

Who became Denver's head coach in 2023 after the Broncos traded a first-round pick for him?

Sean Payton had spent 2022 as a Fox studio analyst while still under contract to the Saints, so Denver had to send them first- and second-round picks to hire him.

Which team in 2023 became the first to win a division with both a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback?

The Houston Texans had gone 3-13-1 the year before; DeMeco Ryans, once a linebacker for the club, came back as head coach and won the AFC South at 10-7.

Which rapper performed 'America the Beautiful' before Super Bowl LVIII?

Post Malone sang it with just a guitar, a taste of the move into country music he completed that summer with the album F-1 Trillion.

Which undrafted rookie took over as Giants quarterback in 2023 after Daniel Jones tore his ACL?

Tommy DeVito was still living at home with his parents, and praising his mother's chicken cutlets, while he led the Giants to three straight wins.

Which Vikings quarterback ruptured his Achilles against Green Bay in Week 8 of 2023?

Kirk Cousins was hurt in a win at Lambeau Field; with a rotating cast of passers the Vikings went 1-6 down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

Which head coach did Carolina fire after a Week 12 loss in 2023, his only season with the team?

Frank Reich, the Panthers' first starting quarterback back in 1995, lasted 11 games at 1-10; the Colts had also fired him in midseason a year earlier.

Which former No. 3 overall pick did the 49ers trade to Dallas for a fourth-rounder in August 2023?

Trey Lance had cost San Francisco three first-round picks in 2021, but made only four starts before a seventh-round pick took his job.

Which defensive lineman did the Giants trade to Seattle in 2023 for a 2024 second-round pick?

Leonard Williams ended up playing 18 regular-season games in a 17-game season, a first since 1930: Seattle had already had its bye week and the Giants had not.

Which team acquired tight end Darren Waller from Las Vegas for a third-round pick in 2023?

The New York Giants paid with the 100th pick, which they had received from the Chiefs for Kadarius Toney; Waller retired after a single season with them.

Which running back requested a trade in summer 2023, then signed a three-year extension with his team that October?

Jonathan Taylor asked out after a meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay on the team bus and opened the season on the injured list, then re-signed on the day he was activated.

Cleveland's stadium dropped which sponsor's name in 2023 after an Ohio bribery scandal?

FirstEnergy and the team ended the deal by mutual agreement in April 2023, ten months after the city council had urged the utility to give up the name over its part in the scandal.

Which Lions receiver's six-game gambling ban was cut short by a 2023 policy rewrite?

Jameson Williams's ban was for betting on non-NFL sports at the team facility; the September rewrite cut that offense to two games and he returned after four.

Which Pixar franchise starred in an animated alternate feed of a 2023 London game?

The Toy Story Funday Football feed on ESPN+ and Disney+ used the league's player-tracking data to redraw the game live as a cartoon starring Pixar's characters.

Which rookie threw four touchdown passes in his 2023 debut, tying Mariota and Tarkenton?

Will Levis had sat through the whole first round at the draft without hearing his name, tipped as he was to go near the top; Tennessee traded up to take him 33rd.

Which quarterback won in Atlanta for Minnesota five days after being traded from Arizona in 2023?

Joshua Dobbs was not meant to play, but came on for an injured rookie and led the winning drive throwing to teammates whose names he did not yet know.

Who in 2023 broke Michael Thomas's record for receiving yards in a player's first four seasons?

Justin Jefferson reached 5,899 yards despite missing seven games of 2023 with a hamstring injury, finishing nearly 400 clear of anyone else's first four seasons.

Which Chargers head coach was fired after a 63-21 loss in Week 15 of 2023?

Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were dismissed the next morning; the 63 points were the most the Chargers had ever allowed in a game.

Which Olympic great carried out the ball before the Ravens hosted the AFC Championship Game in January 2024?

Michael Phelps, a Baltimore native, delivered the game ball; the city had not hosted an AFC title game since the Colts played there in the 1970 season, long before the Ravens existed.

Which offensive coordinator did Buffalo fire after 10 games in 2023?

Ken Dorsey gave way to Joe Brady in mid-November; Buffalo slipped to 6-6, then won its last five games to take a fourth straight AFC East title.

What nickname did the Chiefs give the play that won Super Bowl LVIII in overtime?

"Tom and Jerry" was Andy Reid's reworking of "Corn Dog", the fake-motion play that had scored twice in the previous Super Bowl: a receiver starts across, then doubles back.

The 2021-23 Cowboys were the first NFL team to win 12 games three years running without reaching what?

A conference title game has eluded Dallas since the 1995 season; the 2023 exit was a 48-32 loss in a stadium where the Cowboys had won 16 straight.

Whose five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023 made him the NFL's highest-paid player?

Joe Burrow was the fourth quarterback that year to set the mark, each new deal topping the last; a torn wrist ligament then ended his season in November.

The Chiefs wore a memorial patch all season in 2023 for which person, who died June 4?

Norma Hunt, widow of team founder Lamar Hunt, was the only woman to have attended every Super Bowl; the one her Chiefs won that season was the first played without her.

Under the NFL's revised 2023 gambling policy, betting on NFL games draws what minimum ban?

One year is the floor for betting on NFL games, and two if a player's own team is involved; three players banned that spring could not even apply to return for a year.

Which streamer became the home of NFL Game Pass outside the U.S. and China in 2023?

DAZN already held Game Pass and Sunday Ticket rights in Canada before the February 2023 deal.

Which Colts kicker in 2023 became the first to make four 50-plus-yard field goals in one game?

Matt Gay hit from 54, 53, 53 and 53 yards, all after half-time and the last in overtime, to give the Colts a 22-19 win at Baltimore.

Which team ended a 16-game losing streak against the Chiefs in October 2023?

Denver Broncos: a defence that had given up 70 points in one game five weeks earlier held the champions to three field goals in a 24-9 win, the team's first over them since 2015.

Which quarterback led the NFL in passing yards in 2023?

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 4,624 yards and started every game for the first time, having taken jiu-jitsu classes to learn how to fall after a 2022 season marred by concussions.

Which team won the only Super Bowl before LVIII to reach overtime?

New England Patriots: seven years earlier they wiped out a 25-point deficit against Atlanta in Super Bowl LI, then scored on the opening drive of overtime.

Which head coach was fired just eight games into 2023, along with his general manager?

Josh McDaniels went out at 3-5; under interim coach Antonio Pierce, promoted from linebackers coach, the team went 5-4 the rest of the way.

Which kicker, the last Super Bowl 50 holdover, did Denver release in 2023?

Brandon McManus's release made safety Justin Simmons, a 2016 draft pick, the Broncos' longest-tenured player.

Which team did HBO's Hard Knocks follow through training camp in summer 2023?

New York Jets: the series made a favourite of undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson, who weeks later won the season opener with a punt return in overtime.

What nickname stuck to the Eagles' near-automatic quarterback sneak, which NFL owners declined to ban for 2023?

The tush push, also called the Brotherly Shove, had converted more than nine in ten Eagles sneaks in 2022; left legal, it was soon being copied by teams across the league.

Super Bowl LVIII's crowd was the smallest apart from the pandemic-limited game in which city?

Tampa staged Super Bowl LV in February 2021 with seating capped at 25,000 by COVID-19 protocols; LVIII's 61,629 simply reflected the compact size of its stadium.

Which coach did the Chargers hire in January 2024, weeks after he won college football's national title?

Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for a team he had once quarterbacked, in 1999 and 2000; his last NFL job had been coaching the 49ers, which ended in 2014.

Super Bowl LVIII umpire Terry Killens was the first official who had also done what?

Played in one: Killens was a Titans linebacker in Super Bowl XXXIV, 24 years earlier, which ended with his team stopped one yard short of the touchdown it needed.

Which Super Bowl-winning head coach stepped aside in January 2024 after 14 seasons with one team?

Pete Carroll, who brought Seattle its first Super Bowl title, was moved into an advisory role one day before Bill Belichick left New England.

Which quarterback led the NFL in passer rating in 2023?

Brock Purdy posted 113.0 a year after being "Mr. Irrelevant", the 262nd and last pick of the draft, and while coming back from an elbow injury.

Which rookie quarterback, the fourth overall pick, needed season-ending shoulder surgery in October 2023?

Anthony Richardson sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in a Week 5 win over Tennessee; without him the Colts still went 9-8, missing the playoffs only in the final week.