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11/26 05:00 CST Smith-Njigba and Garrett put two NFL records in jeopardy before
Thanksgiving
Smith-Njigba and Garrett put two NFL records in jeopardy before Thanksgiving
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
Jaxon Smith-Njigba already wrapped up the most prolific receiving season in
Seattle history and is on pace to be the NFL's first 2,000-yard receiver.
Smith-Njigba isn't alone in putting together a season that could end in the
record book with Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett closing in on the
single-season sacks record after accumulating 13 in the last four games.
The calendar hasn't even hit Thanksgiving and two NFL single-season records are
in serious jeopardy of being broken.
Smith-Njigba had 167 yards receiving on Sunday against Tennessee to give him
1,313 in games this season. He broke D.K. Metcalf's franchise record of 1,303
yards set in 2020 and has the third most yards receiving of any player in his
team's first 11 games. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch had the most with 1,349 yards
in 1951, followed by Charley Hennigan's 1,327 in 1961 and Tyreek Hill's 1,324
in 2023.
Smith-Njigba's 119.4 yards per game are just behind Calvin Johnson's 122.8 in
2012 when he set the single-season record with 1,964 yards receiving. But with
a 17th game, Smith-Njigba is on pace to pass that record and become the first
player to break the 2,000-yard barrier.
Smith-Njigba has put up those lofty receiving numbers despite playing for the
only team in the NFL that runs on more than half its offensive plays.
Smith-Njigba has accounted for 46.9% of Seattle's yards receiving so far this
season, a mark topped only four times since 1948 with the last player with a
higher share coming 50 years ago when Ken Burroughs had 50.6% of the yards
receiving for the Houston Oilers.
Garrett's 18 sacks so far this season are the most by a player in a team's
first 11 games of a season, passing the 17 1/2 for Mark Gastineau in 1984 when
he set the record with 22. Michael Strahan broke Gastineau's record with 22 1/2
sacks in 2001 --- a total that was matched four years ago by Pittsburgh's T.J.
Watt.
Garrett needs just five sacks in his final six games to break the record. He
has posted at least three sacks in three of the last four games with latest big
performance coming when he brought down Geno Smith three times on Sunday in a
win over Las Vegas.
The only player with more three-sack games in a season was Lawrence Taylor, who
had four in 1986 when he won the AP NFL MVP for the New York Giants.
While Garrett is on a record-setting pace, he is behind what Reggie White did
in the strike-impacted 1987 season. Teams played only 15 games that season with
White missing three that featured replacement players. White had 19 sacks in
his first 11 games that season and finished with 21 in 12 games.
Comeback weekend On a day that featured four double-digit wins, none were as improbable as Dallas' comeback from 21 points down to beat Philadelphia 24-21 in what was tied for the NFL's largest comeback since Minnesota's record 33-point rally against Indianapolis in 2022. The win was tied for the largest comeback ever for the Cowboys, who had been 3-127 in the regular season and playoffs after falling behind by at least 21. Dallas had comeback wins from 21 points in 2014 against the Rams, 1999 against Washington and 1984 against the Saints. The Eagles matched the second largest blown lead in franchise history, behind only a game in 1985 against Minnesota when they trailed 23-0 before winning 28-23. Philadelphia had been 210-3-2 when leading by at least 21 points. The other double-digit comebacks on Sunday featured New England coming back from 10 points down to beat Cincinnati 26-20, Detroit rallying from 10 points down to beat the Giants 34-27 in overtime and another big comeback by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Kansas City trailed Indianapolis 20-9 early in the fourth quarter before rallying to force overtime and win it 23-20 for the Chiefs first one-score victory after five losses this season. The win gave Mahomes his first fourth-quarter comeback of the season and improved his career record in the regular season and playoffs to 20-18 in games Kansas City trailed by at least 10 points. No other player with at least five opportunities has a winning record with Tim Tebow's 5-6 mark ranking second best. Teams other than the Chiefs with Mahomes have a .139 win percentage after trailing by at least 10 points.
Big-play merchants Detroit's win over the Giants featured some noteworthy performances from Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and New York quarterback Jameis Winston. Gibbs had 15 carries for 219 yards and two TDs and caught 11 passes for 45 yards and a score, joining LaDainian Tomlinson as the only players with at least 200 yards rushing and 10 receptions in the same game. Tomlinson did it against Denver on Dec. 1, 2002. Gibbs joined Barry Sanders and Cloyce Box as the only Lions players with at least 250 yards from scrimmage and three TDs in a single game with Sanders doing it in 1991 against Minnesota and Box in 1950 against the Colts. The performance gave Gibbs 44 career touchdowns in the regular season, tying Randy Moss for the second most ever before a player turned 24. Sanders' 47 for the Lions are the most. Gibbs' 24th birthday is March 20. Winston threw two TD passes --- including a 39-yarder to Wan'Dale Robinson --- and also caught a 33-yarder on a trick play from Gunner Olszewski. That made Winston the 16th player with a TD catch and TD pass of at least 30 yards in the same game with Jamison Crowder the last to do it in 2020 for the Jets against Cleveland. The only other Giants to do it were Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018 against Carolina and Frank Gifford in 1959 against the Cardinals. ___ Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Comeback weekend On a day that featured four double-digit wins, none were as improbable as Dallas' comeback from 21 points down to beat Philadelphia 24-21 in what was tied for the NFL's largest comeback since Minnesota's record 33-point rally against Indianapolis in 2022. The win was tied for the largest comeback ever for the Cowboys, who had been 3-127 in the regular season and playoffs after falling behind by at least 21. Dallas had comeback wins from 21 points in 2014 against the Rams, 1999 against Washington and 1984 against the Saints. The Eagles matched the second largest blown lead in franchise history, behind only a game in 1985 against Minnesota when they trailed 23-0 before winning 28-23. Philadelphia had been 210-3-2 when leading by at least 21 points. The other double-digit comebacks on Sunday featured New England coming back from 10 points down to beat Cincinnati 26-20, Detroit rallying from 10 points down to beat the Giants 34-27 in overtime and another big comeback by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Kansas City trailed Indianapolis 20-9 early in the fourth quarter before rallying to force overtime and win it 23-20 for the Chiefs first one-score victory after five losses this season. The win gave Mahomes his first fourth-quarter comeback of the season and improved his career record in the regular season and playoffs to 20-18 in games Kansas City trailed by at least 10 points. No other player with at least five opportunities has a winning record with Tim Tebow's 5-6 mark ranking second best. Teams other than the Chiefs with Mahomes have a .139 win percentage after trailing by at least 10 points.
Big-play merchants Detroit's win over the Giants featured some noteworthy performances from Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and New York quarterback Jameis Winston. Gibbs had 15 carries for 219 yards and two TDs and caught 11 passes for 45 yards and a score, joining LaDainian Tomlinson as the only players with at least 200 yards rushing and 10 receptions in the same game. Tomlinson did it against Denver on Dec. 1, 2002. Gibbs joined Barry Sanders and Cloyce Box as the only Lions players with at least 250 yards from scrimmage and three TDs in a single game with Sanders doing it in 1991 against Minnesota and Box in 1950 against the Colts. The performance gave Gibbs 44 career touchdowns in the regular season, tying Randy Moss for the second most ever before a player turned 24. Sanders' 47 for the Lions are the most. Gibbs' 24th birthday is March 20. Winston threw two TD passes --- including a 39-yarder to Wan'Dale Robinson --- and also caught a 33-yarder on a trick play from Gunner Olszewski. That made Winston the 16th player with a TD catch and TD pass of at least 30 yards in the same game with Jamison Crowder the last to do it in 2020 for the Jets against Cleveland. The only other Giants to do it were Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018 against Carolina and Frank Gifford in 1959 against the Cardinals. ___ Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
