NFL

5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 16

Zach Ertz broke an NFL record in the Eagles victory on Sunday. What were some of the other key statistical performances in Week 16?

Week 16 provided a host of exciting moments, as well as clearing up a whole host of important matters at the business end of the 2018 NFL season.

The New England Patriots clinched the AFC East for the 10th season in a row, joining the Atlanta Braves as the only team in any of the Big Four sports to win 10 straight division titles. It marked the 16th consecutive season that the Patriots have won at least ten games, tying the record held by the San Francisco 49ers (1983-1998).

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has not enjoyed his best season, but Sunday did see him eclipse 4,000 yards passing for the year. Brady joins Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers as the only quarterbacks with 10 or more seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards in NFL history. But it wasn’t such a banner day for tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was held without a catch for the just the 4th time in his career.

Despite laughably being overlooked for the Pro Bowl, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard continued his rookie dominance on Sunday, as he finished the victory over the New York Giants with nine combined tackles, giving him 155 for the season. Leonard is just the 5th rookie since 2000 to record at least 150 tackles in a season.

If festive songs teach us anything, it’s that at this time of year you really need a Rudolph to help you out in a big spot. The Minnesota Vikings called upon Kyle Rudolph, who caught a 44-yard Hail Mary as time expired in the first half in their victory over the Detroit Lions. Rudolph caught a second TD pass later in the game, on his way to 31.4 Fantasy points. Rudolph had scored 33.2 combined in his previous five games.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the other key stats -- both traditional as well as our advanced statistics -- to have emerged from Week 16