Benedict Bermange
Cricket Statistician
The best stats from Week 18 in the NFL; Tom Brady sets new completions record but returns first losing season of his career; Nyheim Hines becomes just the 11th player in NFL history to have two kick-off return TDs in same game; Rams return worst record by a defending Super Bowl champion
Last Updated: 10/01/23 6:19pm
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A penalty for holding denied the Kansas City Chiefs’ a touchdown on their ‘carousel’ trick play against the Las Vegas Raiders, but they scored on the very next play anyway!
A penalty for holding denied the Kansas City Chiefs’ a touchdown on their ‘carousel’ trick play against the Las Vegas Raiders, but they scored on the very next play anyway!
Sky Sports statistician – and big Buffalo Bills fan – Benedict Bermange picks out the best stats the NFL has to offer from Week 18, including Patrick Mahomes setting a new record for the most total yards in a season and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin avoiding a losing season for a record 16th-straight year…
The Kansas City Chiefs claimed the No 1 seed in the AFC with their win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes ending the season with the most total offensive yards in NFL history – comprising of 5,250 passing yards, 358 rushing yards and six receiving yards. Also, 28 of Mahomes’ 41 touchdown passes were to either running backs or tight ends this season, equalling the NFL record set by Y.A. Tittle of the Giants in 1963.
Most total offensive yards in NFL history
| Player | Team | Year | Yards |
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | 2022 | 5,614 |
| Drew Brees | Saints | 2011 | 5,562 |
| Peyton Manning | Broncos | 2013 | 5,446 |
| Tom Brady | Buccaneers | 2021 | 5,397 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | 2018 | 5,369 |
The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South division title with victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night – the first time the team has secured five successive wins since Weeks 8-12 of the 2005 season. The 2022 Jaguars join the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals and 2020 Washington Football Team as the only teams to reach the playoffs having started the season 2-6. The Jaguars also managed to score 10 points in the fourth quarter against the Titans, despite having -1 total yards.
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Highlights of the Tennessee Titans against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 of the NFL season.
Tom Brady set new NFL records both in pass attempts (733) and completions (490) for the 2022 season, but suffered his first career defeat in 12 games against the Atlanta Falcons. Despite winning the NFC South, Brady also suffered his first losing season as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ending 8-9. But Brady will take solace in the fact that his career record is 7-0 against their opponents on Super Wild Card Weekend of the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys.
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Nyheim Hines returned the opening kick-off to score for the Buffalo Bills in front of an emotional home crowd showing support for Damar Hamlin.
The Buffalo Bills clinched the No 2 seed in the AFC with victory over the New England Patriots, with Nyheim Hines becoming just the 11th player in NFL history to have two kick-off return touchdowns in the same game. The last player to achieve the feat was Leon Washington for the Seattle Seahawks against the Chargers in 2010.
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Nyheim Hines scored an incredible second kick-off return touchdown for the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots.
The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears to end the season with a record of 13-4 despite conceding more points than they scored this season. Their -3 point differential is the worst in NFL history by a team with a winning percentage of at least .750 in a season.
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Highlights of the Minnesota Vikings’ clash with the Chicago Bears in Week 18 of the NFL.
The Bears will have the No 1 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft – the first time the franchise will have the first pick since 1947. On that occasion, they selected running back Bob Fenimore, who ended his NFL career with just one touchdown.
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Highlights of the Cleveland Browns’ clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 of the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have missed out on a playoff spot, due to the Miami Dolphins’ late win over the New York Jets, but head coach Mike Tomlin has now finished each of his first 16 seasons in charge with a winning percentage of .500 or better, the longest such start to a career by any head coach in NFL history.
Most consecutive seasons for a head coach without a losing record
| Head coach | Team | Seasons | Streak |
| Mike Tomlin | Steelers | 2007-2022 | 16 |
| Marty Schottenheimer | Browns and Chiefs | 1984-1997 | 14 |
| Don Shula | Colts and Dolphins | 1963-1975 | 13 |
| Curly Lambeau | Packers | 1921-1932 | 12 |
| George Allen | Rams and Washington | 1966-1977 | 12 |
The Steelers have now had 19 successive ‘non-losing’ seasons, the joint-second longest streak in NFL history. The only longer streak is the 21-year stretch of the Cowboys from 1965 to 1985.
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Highlights of the New York Giants’ clash with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18 of the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the No 1 seed in the NFC with victory over the New York Giants – their 14th win of the season. On both previous occasions when they have won at least 13 games in a regular season. They reached the Super Bowl – in 2004 and 2017. The Eagles led the NFL with 70 sacks this season, the first team since the 1989 Vikings to have that many in a single season.
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Jason Myers’ field goal to end regulation hit the post, but he made up for it in overtime to ultimately clinch a playoff place for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks snuck into the playoffs with an overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams, coupled with defeat for the Green Bay Packers to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. Quarterback Geno Smith set franchise records for completions, pass attempts, completion percentage and passing yards. Running back Kenneth Walker led all rookies this season with 1,050 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. In addition, Tariq Woolen led all rookies with six interceptions.
Worst records by defending Super Bowl champions in NFL history
| Team | Year | Record | Win percentage |
| Rams | 2022 | 5-12 | .294 |
| 49ers | 1982 | 3-6 | .333 |
| Broncos | 1999 | 6-10 | .375 |
| Giants | 1987 | 6-9 | .400 |
The Rams clinched the worst record by a defending Super Bowl champion in history, ending their season at 5-12. No other reigning champ had ever lost more than 10 games. The San Francisco 49ers and Giants played in strike-shortened seasons.
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Highlights of the Arizona Cardinals’ clash with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18 of the NFL.
Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a 10-straight win and became just the fourth rookie quarterback to win each of their first five starts. The others were Mike Kruczek and Ben Roethlisberger – both with the Steelers, in 1976 and 2004 respectively, and Dieter Brock of the 1985 Rams.
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