59 Fun Facts About NFL Stats

Who is the NFL's career passing yards leader with 89,214 yards?

Tom Brady threw for 89,214 yards over 23 seasons and also holds the career records for pass attempts (12,050) and completions (7,753).

The NFL's career leader in touchdown passes retired with how many?

649 is the total: nobody else has reached 600, and the same passer set the single-season attempts record of 733 in his final year at age 45.

Who holds the single-season passing yards record, 5,477 yards set in 2013?

Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards in 2013, his second season in Denver, and added 55 touchdown passes, another single-season record.

Which quarterback has the most 5,000-yard passing seasons, with five?

Drew Brees passed for 5,000 yards in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016; his 5,476 yards in 2011 were then the single-season record.

Which quarterback was the first to pass for 5,000 yards in a season, in 1984?

Dan Marino threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, his second season, a record that stood for 27 years; Joe Namath had been the first to 4,000 in 1967.

The single-game passing record of 554 yards was set in 1951 by which Los Angeles Rams quarterback?

Norm Van Brocklin threw for 554 yards against the New York Yanks on September 28, 1951, while sharing the Rams' quarterback job with Bob Waterfield.

Which quarterback threw seven touchdown passes with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a single 2013 game?

Nick Foles threw seven touchdown passes with a perfect 158.3 rating at Oakland on November 3, 2013, the only seven-touchdown game ever paired with a perfect passer rating.

Which quarterback threw the most career interceptions, 336?

Brett Favre threw 336 interceptions and also holds the career fumbles record with 166, the price of a record 297 consecutive regular-season starts at quarterback.

The single-season record for interceptions thrown, set in 1962, is how many?

42 is the record, thrown in a 14-game AFL season for the 1962 Houston Oilers by a quarterback who also served as the team's placekicker.

Which quarterback set the single-season passer rating record of 122.5 in 2011?

Aaron Rodgers posted a 122.5 passer rating in 2011 on 45 touchdown passes against six interceptions, and won his first MVP award that season.

Which quarterback was sacked a record 76 times in the 2002 season?

David Carr, the first draft pick of the expansion Houston Texans, was sacked 76 times as a rookie in 2002, the most ever in one season.

Which quarterback set the rookie record for passing yards, 4,374 in 2012?

Andrew Luck threw for 4,374 yards as a 2012 rookie with Indianapolis, breaking the rookie record set just one year earlier.

Who is the NFL's career rushing leader with 18,355 yards?

Emmitt Smith ran for 18,355 yards and also holds the records for carries (4,409) and rushing touchdowns (164); he passed Walter Payton in October 2002.

Who set the single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in 1984?

Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards in 1984, his second season, a year after setting the rookie record with 1,808 yards.

Who ran for a single-game record 296 yards in a November 2007 game?

Adrian Peterson, then a rookie, ran for 296 yards against San Diego on November 4, 2007, in only his eighth NFL game.

LaDainian Tomlinson's record-setting 2006 season produced how many total touchdowns?

31 touchdowns: 28 rushing, itself a record, plus three receiving, worth a single-season record 186 points.

Which running back holds the record for most carries in a season, 416 in 2006?

Larry Johnson carried 416 times for Kansas City in 2006; James Wilder Sr. holds the record for combined rushes and receptions in a season, 492.

Which running back averaged a record 104.3 rushing yards per game over his career?

Jim Brown averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game, led the NFL in rushing eight times in nine seasons, and left football after the 1965 season to act in films.

Which quarterback set the single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,206 yards in 2019?

Lamar Jackson ran for 1,206 yards in 2019, the most ever by a quarterback in one season, and was the unanimous NFL MVP that year.

Which quarterback ran for 14 touchdowns in 2011, then a single-season record for quarterbacks?

Cam Newton ran for 14 touchdowns as a Carolina rookie in 2011, then a single-season record for quarterbacks, while also passing for 4,051 yards.

How many career receiving yards did Jerry Rice finish with?

22,895 yards: Jerry Rice finished more than 5,000 clear of anyone else and also holds the career marks for receptions (1,549), receiving touchdowns (197) and total touchdowns (208).

Who set the single-season receptions record with 149 catches in 2019?

Michael Thomas caught 149 passes in 2019, breaking the 143 Marvin Harrison had in 2002; his 9.31 catches per game that year is also a record.

Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving yards record, set in 2012, stands at how many yards?

1,964 yards, 36 short of 2,000, came while Detroit went 4-12 in 2012; Calvin Johnson also holds the record for receiving yards in a regulation game, 329.

Which receiver caught a single-game record 21 passes in a 2009 game?

Brandon Marshall caught 21 passes for Denver against Indianapolis on December 13, 2009, breaking the single-game record of 20 set by Terrell Owens in 2000.

Who holds the single-game receiving yards record with 336, set in an overtime game in 1989?

Flipper Anderson gained 336 yards for the Rams in an overtime road win on November 26, 1989; the regulation-game record is 329 by Calvin Johnson in 2013.

Randy Moss's 2007 season set the single-season receiving touchdown record at how many?

23 touchdown catches broke the 22 Jerry Rice had in 1987, when Rice needed only 12 games of a strike-shortened year; Randy Moss also holds the rookie record with 17 in 1998.

Which end led the NFL in touchdown catches a record nine seasons?

Don Hutson led the league in touchdown catches nine times between 1935 and 1944, and also led in receptions eight times and receiving yards seven times.

Who is the NFL's official career sack leader with 200?

Bruce Smith reached 200 sacks in his 19th and final season, 2003, and had 13 seasons of 10 or more sacks, another record.

Which player set the single-season sack record with 23 in 2025?

Garrett broke the 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T. J. Watt (2021).

Who recorded a single-game record seven sacks in a 1990 game?

Derrick Thomas sacked Seattle's Dave Krieg seven times on November 11, 1990, but Krieg escaped an eighth and threw the winning touchdown as time expired.

Quarterback sacks became an official NFL statistic in which season?

That is why Deacon Jones, who coined the term, holds no official sack records; the 1982 season was also shortened to nine games by a strike.

Who is the only player with two seasons of 20 or more sacks?

J. J. Watt had 20.5 sacks in both 2012 and 2014, and his 39 tackles for loss in 2012 are also a single-season record.

Who holds the career interceptions record with 81?

Paul Krause intercepted 81 passes over 16 seasons from 1964 to 1979, passing Emlen Tunnell's 79 in his final year.

Which defensive back set the single-season interceptions record with 14 as a rookie?

Dick "Night Train" Lane intercepted 14 passes in a 12-game season for the Rams in 1952 after walking into their offices to ask for a tryout.

Whose 106-yard interception return in November 2004 set a then-NFL record?

Ed Reed returned an interception 106 yards in November 2004, then the longest in NFL history, and broke his own mark with an even longer return in 2008.

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

DaRon Bland returned five interceptions for touchdowns in 2023, breaking a single-season record of four that several players had shared since 1971.

Who is the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points?

Adam Vinatieri scored 2,673 points over 24 seasons with New England and Indianapolis, and also holds the career field goal record with 599.

Who set the single-game scoring record with 40 points in 1929?

Ernie Nevers scored six rushing touchdowns and kicked four extra points for the Cardinals on Thanksgiving 1929; Alvin Kamara tied the six-touchdown mark on Christmas Day 2020.

The longest field goal in NFL history, a 68-yarder in 2025, was kicked by whom?

Cam Little kicked a 68-yard field goal for Jacksonville against the Raiders in November 2025, beating the 66-yarder Justin Tucker made in 2021.

David Akers set a single-season record in 2011 by making how many field goals?

44 field goals for San Francisco in 2011; David Akers also holds the record for attempts in a season with 52, and Rob Bironas kicked a record eight in one game in 2007.

Who kicked a record 10 extra points in a single game in September 2023?

Jason Sanders kicked all 10 extra points as Miami beat Denver 70-20 on September 24, 2023, a game in which the Dolphins gained a single-game record 726 yards.

Who holds the record for most games played, 382?

Morten Andersen played 382 games while kicking for 25 seasons, returning to Atlanta at 46, and retired as the career scoring leader, a mark that stood until 2018.

Who played a record 26 NFL seasons?

George Blanda quarterbacked and kicked from 1949 to 1975, a record 26 seasons, and played his final game at 48, the oldest in NFL history.

The record for consecutive games played, 352, belongs to which punter?

Jeff Feagles played 352 consecutive games, never missing one in 22 seasons from 1988 to 2009; the record for consecutive starts by a quarterback is 297.

Which defensive lineman set the record by recording a sack in 11 straight games?

Chris Jones recorded a sack in 11 consecutive games for Kansas City in 2018, breaking the record of 10 set by Denver's Simon Fletcher in 1992-93.

Who scored the most return touchdowns in NFL history, 20?

Devin Hester scored 20 return touchdowns on punts, kickoffs and a missed field goal; a 21st came in the postseason, on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI.

The longest scoring play in NFL history covered how many yards?

Antonio Cromartie (2007, missed field goal return), Cordarrelle Patterson (2013, kickoff) and Jamal Agnew (2021, missed field goal) all went 109 yards.

Who kicked the longest punt in NFL history, 98 yards?

Steve O'Neal, a Jets rookie, punted 98 yards from his own end zone at Denver in September 1969; the ball rolled dead at the Broncos' 1-yard line.

Which team recorded a single-season record 72 sacks?

The 1984 Chicago Bears recorded 72 sacks, with Richard Dent taking 17.5; Buddy Ryan's 46 defense peaked statistically the year before the team's Super Bowl season.

Which team gained a single-season record 7,474 yards of offense?

The 2011 New Orleans Saints gained 7,474 yards; their quarterback passed for 5,476 that season and completed a then-record 71.2 percent of his passes.

Which team overcame a record 33-point deficit to win a game in December 2022?

The Minnesota Vikings trailed Indianapolis 33-0 at halftime on December 17, 2022 and won 39-36 in overtime, beating the 32-point comeback Buffalo managed in the 1992 season's playoffs.

Which franchise holds the record for the longest losing streak, 26 games?

The expansion Bucs lost every game in 1976 and the first 12 of 1977; they still have the lowest all-time winning percentage of any current franchise.

Which franchise has the most ties in NFL history, 42, including six in the 1932 season alone?

The Chicago Bears have tied 42 games, six of them in 1932 alone, when they went 6-1-6 and won the championship; ties were common before sudden-death overtime arrived in 1974.

Which franchise has the most NFL championships, 13, counting the pre-Super Bowl era?

The Green Bay Packers have 13 NFL titles, nine of them won before the Super Bowl existed, plus four Super Bowls, the last after the 2010 season.

Which franchise holds the record for most consecutive winning seasons, 20, from 1966 to 1985?

The Dallas Cowboys posted winning records in 20 straight seasons from 1966 to 1985, all under Tom Landry, with quarterbacks from Don Meredith through Roger Staubach to Danny White.

Which team scored a single-season record 606 points in 2013?

The Denver Broncos scored 606 points in 2013, breaking the 589 the New England Patriots had scored in 2007, and went on to reach Super Bowl XLVIII.

Which team became the first to finish a season 0-16, in 2008?

The Detroit Lions lost all 16 games in 2008, the first winless season since the NFL schedule expanded to 16 games in 1978.

Which team allowed a record 104 sacks in a single season, in 1986?

The Philadelphia Eagles gave up 104 sacks in 1986, Buddy Ryan's first season as their head coach, with Randall Cunningham and Ron Jaworski absorbing the punishment.

Which team holds the record for most consecutive league championship game appearances, six, from 1950-55?

The Cleveland Browns played in the NFL Championship Game every season from 1950, their first in the league, through 1955, winning the title in 1950, 1954 and 1955.