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Welcome to the week 13 edition of Did’ja Know, delving into the facts, figures, stats, and quirks of the NFL. Here are some of the things you might not have known about this past week in the NFL:
Did’ja Know... who holds the Jaguars record for the most passes attempted without an interception?
Yep – David Garrard. He’s now attempted 209 passes in a row without an interception. Garrard has completed 136 of them (65.1%) for 1,626 yards and 9 TDs for a passer rating of 103.1, and has yet to be intercepted this year. The Jaguars haven’t been around that long (1995 was their first season), and breaking records on a team where Mark Brunell was the starting QB for the longest time might not seem that impressive, but Garrard is also on pace to break the NFL record for lowest percentage of passes intercepted in a season.
Did’ja Know who holds the top three spots for that NFL record among qualifying QBs? Marino? Montana? Elway? Unitas? Nope – it’s instead these three familiar QB names:
Damon Huard (KCC – 2006): 1 interception out of 244 passes – 0.41%
Joe Ferguson (BUF – 1976): 1 interception out of 151 passes -- 0.66%
Steve DeBerg (KCC – 1990): 4 interceptions out of 444 passes – 0.90 %
Hmmmm… OK, so maybe this record isn’t really an indication of how great a QB actually plays…
- Yeah, sure – everyone knows Garrard is playing pretty well in Jacksonville since they named him the starter and released Byron Leftwich. But Did’ja Know that Garrard and Leftwich had a record-setting conflict before they ever reached the NFL?
Did’ja Know... that last Monday night’s sloppy, muddy game between Miami and Pittsburgh was the lowest scoring NFL game since 1993?
Heinz Field was a rainy, nasty mess Monday night, and freshly laid sod only made the horrible footing worse. The Steelers and the Dolphins went scoreless for most of the game – a game-winning field-goal by the Steelers with 17 seconds left led to the 3-0 final score, the lowest since the Jets beat the Redskins 3-0 December 11, 1993. Did’ja Know that late field goal prevented the game from being the first regular-season 0-0 tie since November 11, 1943? The game was also the lowest-scoring game in Monday Night Football TV history.
But during that slop-fest, Willie Parker was still able to rush for 81 yards, giving him 1,006 for the season. Did’ja Know that gives him three consecutive seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards, making him only the second un-drafted RB in NFL history to do so. The first? Priest Holmes.
The game was also notable for featuring the short-lived return of Ricky Williams to the NFL – a return that lasted all of 6 carries for 15 yards and a fumble before an injury that will keep him off the field for the rest of the year.
- I suppose Monday Night Football trivia’s not that hard. Well, how about “Rasta Ricky”? There are tons of Ricky Williams’ facts that could be used for a “Did’ja Know”, but here’s one that might keep you guessing: Did’ja Know what Ricky Williams, actress Annette Benning, and professional wrestler Rey Mysterio all have in common?
Did’ja Know... what career milestone Buffalo RB Anthony Thomas hit in last week’s game against the Jaguars?
No, it’s not, “get hurt and not be able to play the next week.” That he’s done before. No, while Thomas now has a torn calf muscle which will likely keep him off the field, the milestone he last week was something else…
Thomas has been in the league since 2001, and has played for the Bears, Cowboys, Saints, and now the Bills. During his career, he has carried the ball 1,044 times for 3,891 yards, and has 113 receptions for a total of 756 yards. This year for the Bills, he has 36 carries for 89 yards – only enough for third on the Bills rushing totals behind Marshawn Lynch (1,204 yards) and J.P. Losman (110 yards). But this last week against the Jaguars, with Lynch hurt, Thomas was the lead ball-carrier and had 15 carries for 46 yards. During the game, he also caught 8 receptions for 45 yards, and the first receiving touchdown of his NFL career.
- Hmmm – you think these are too easy, huh? OK how’s this one: Thomas won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award with Chicago in 2001, with 1,183 yards (4.3 avg.) and 7 TDs. Did’ja Know what other 2001 RB rookie Thomas beat out to win the O-ROY award? (Hint: This other guy had more yards and TDs than Thomas in his rookie year, and is still a starting RB for the team that drafted him).
Did’ja Know... that the once-feared Baltimore Ravens defense has dwindled to become a shadow of its former self?
Last week, the Ravens lost to the Chargers 14–32. That was the second week in a row that the Baltimore Ravens gave up over 30 points, the first time since 1999 they’ve given up that many points two games back to back. The Ravens also lost five in a row for the first time in their franchise history. The Baltimore defense is still tough against the run, with the #3 rushing defense of only 77.9 yards allowed per game, but they are 17th in the league in terms of points allowed at 22.1 per game.
Also, Did’ja Know that for this week’s Monday game against the Patriots, the Ravens are a 20 point underdog? In Baltimore. Sure, undefeated New England should be favored the way they are playing, but to have the Ravens projected to lose by almost three TDs in Ray Lewis’s own house? Unthinkable just a few seasons ago…
- “Know it, know it, know it,” you say… ‘kay, how ‘bout this: Did’ja Know that the Ravens NFL football team is named after a poem?
Did’ja Know... that last week Eli Manning managed to throw four interceptions against what had been the NFL’s last-ranked passing defense?
In a horrible 41-17 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, Manning managed to tie a career high for interceptions in one game with 4, and he did it against what had been the 32nd ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Vikings also returned three of the four interceptions for TDs, marking only the 10th time in NFL history that’s been done. Did’ja Know that the Vikings also set an NFL record by returning at least one each of an interception, punt, AND a kickoff for touchdowns in the same game?
It was probably one of Eli Manning’s worst days as a Giants QB – there was only one other time he has thrown four interceptions in a single game -- November 13, 2005. Did’ja Know that other 4-interception game was also a loss against the Vikings? Eli must just hate Scandinavia…
- Yep, you knew it all… Well, last shot, then: Did’ja Know why the speed-limit at Eli Manning’s alma mater is officially set to 18 mph?
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