Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, #FANation!
If you’re like me, this whole weekend is filled to the brim with turkey, family, and football.
This week I’m doing things a little differently. I want you to play this game with friends and family. All the surprising stats for Week 12 are in question and answer form.
Now go out there and win yourself a trivia contest.
Who is the only safety in the NFL with at least 1.5 sacks and three interceptions?
Harrison Smith of the Minnesota Vikings
How many of the Lions’ last four Thanksgiving games were victories?
All of them. They also beat the Vikings in Week 4 in Minnesota to the tune of 14-7. That was the last time Minnesota lost a football game.
How many touchdowns does Antonio Gates have on the season?
One. And that was all he needed to break Tony Gonzalez all-time touchdowns record for tight ends. Gates only has 16 catches for 147 and that one touchdown on the season. Since 2004, there is only one other season in which Gates scored less than seven touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Focus, which edge rusher has the most QB pressures so far this season?
Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers, with 54. Second is Melvin Ingram (53), also on the Chargers.
How many times have the Cowboys played on Thanksgiving?
This is the 50th time. They are 30-18-1 over that span of time. Jason Witten has 73 career catches on Thanksgiving, the absolute most in history. He only needs 26 more yards to surpass Herman Moore (843) for most of all-time. Later that night, the Washington Redskins will host their first Thanksgiving game in franchise history.
Who was the highest scoring wide receiver on the New York Giants in Week 11?
Roger Lewis. He caught three of his four targets for 55 yards. Sterling Shepard became the de facto No. 1 wide out in New York once Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall were ruled out for the season. However, Shepard is still questionable heading into Week 12 due to migraines. He could be a game time decision.
Which Washington wide receiver has the most receptions over the course of the last four weeks?
Despite missing Week 9 due to a hamstring injury, Crowder still has the most targets (32 – tied for ninth most among wide outs) and most catches (20- tied for eighth most among all wide receivers) and 271 yards (12th most among receivers).
Which quarterback has more wins this season: Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Trick question. They are tied. Both quarterbacks have two wins in games wherein they were the starter. Ryan Fitzpatrick won the only two games he started.
How many receiving yards has Julio Jones posted in the 2017 season, and where does it rank at the position?
Julio Jones has 786 receiving yards over the course of 10 games. That is tied with Brandin Cooks for the fourth most among wide outs. Jones is the only wide receiver with more than 500 yards with one or fewer touchdowns on the season.
Which NFL team allows the absolute fewest yards per carry in the league to opposing runners?
The Cleveland Browns. They only allow 3.1 yards per carry. The Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings are tied, allowing the second fewest (3.3).
Over his last three games played against the Browns, did A.J. Green average more than 100 receiving yards per game? Over 110? Over 120?
Green averaged exactly 120 receiving yards per game against the Cleveland Browns over his last three games against them. He also scored three touchdowns in those outings.
Is Rishard Matthews on pace for more than 1,000 receiving yards this season?
Yes. He’s on pace for 1,001.6 yards. He’s only scored three touchdowns this year, but two of the three came in his last three games.
How many yards does Frank Gore need to rush for to pass LaDainian Tomlinson and have the fifth most rushing yards in NFL history?
Currently, Frank Gore has 13,574 career-rushing yards. He needs 89 more rushing yards to pass Jerome Bettis and become the 6th highest rusher in history. He need 111 to beat out Tomlinson.
How many more interceptions did Nathan Peterman throw in one half of football (the only time he’s played in the NFL), than Tyrod Taylor has thrown on the season?
Two. Over the course of the first half of the game in Week 11, Peterman threw five interception in his first NFL game. Tyrod Taylor has thrown three on the season.
Who leads the AFC in yards from scrimmage?
It is still Kareem Hunt (1,208). He has 100+ scrimmage yards in three of his last four home games.
Who is Matt Moore’s favorite target?
No, this isn’t an opinion. Kenny Still is the correct answer because he’s been the recipient of four of the five last touchdowns thrown by Moore, dating back to 2016. Jay Cutler is still in concussion protocol.
Which quarterback has thrown for the most yards this season?
Tom Brady. Before you yawn, most years that answer would be Drew Brees. Brady is also second in the league with 22 passing touchdowns. The league leader in that category is Carson Wentz, with 25.
Since 2012, there is only one player with over 700 tackles and at least 15 interceptions. Who is it?
Luke Kuechly. And he has two interception in his past three games while leading the team this season with 71 tackles.
How many games in a row has Robby Anderson logged a touchdown?
Four. If he scores this week, that’s five weeks in a row with a score. DeAndre Hopkins is the only wide receiver with touchdowns scored over five weeks in a row.
Who received the highest grade from Pro Football Focus at the tight end position in Week 11?
Adam Shaheen, rookie tight end for the Chicago Bears. In Week 10, he caught both of his targets for 39 yards against the Packers, who have allowed the absolute fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends on the season and NO tight end has scored a touchdown on them all year. But in Week 11 he caught all 4 of his targets for 41 yards and a touchdown against Detroit. He was only the third tight end to score on the Lions all season.
The Eagles have a nice winning streak at home. Since last season, how many home games have the Eagles won in a row.
Seven. Over his last four home games, Carson Wentz has thrown for 982 yards, 14 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Which tight end scored the most touchdowns over the last four weeks?
Jimmy Graham. He scored five. That’s more than any wide receiver over that same time frame.
Three quarterbacks scored a rushing touchdown in two of the last three weeks. Who are they?
Tyrod Taylor, Dak Prescott… and C.J. Beathard. Beathard scored on his feet in both Week 9 and Week 10. He didn’t score on his feet last week because he was on bye.
How many passing yards are quarterbacks averaging when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars?
185.3 yards. Baltimore only allows 202.3, the second fewest.
Who is the only receiver with 10 or more receptions and 100 or more receiving yards in each of his last three home games?
Larry Fitzgerald. His 69 receptions in 2017 is the second in the league, only behind Antonio Brown.
Who is the first team in the Super Bowl ear to win eight games in a row after losing their first two games of the season?
The New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, Drew Brees has the fourth most passing yards in the league (2,783). Mark Ingram has the fourth most rushing yards among running backs (806). Alvin Kamara has the second most receiving yards among running backs (447). Ingram and Kamara have combined for 15 touchdowns.
Which running back has the most scrimmage yards and most total touchdowns scored in the league?
Todd Gurley. His 1,216 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns are the tops.
Only one wide receiver has three lost fumbles on the season. Who is it?
Tavon Austin. The rest of his season-long stats are as follows: 12 targets, seven catches, for 43 yards.
Demaryius Thomas scored a touchdown in each of his last three games. If he scores this week, that will be four games in a row. Has Thomas every scored four weeks in a row in his career.
No. But he has scored a touchdown in three consecutive weeks four other seasons.
Over the course of his career, Marshawn Lynch has faced the Broncos four times. How many touchdowns has he scored in those games?
Four. He’s also scored four total touchdowns this season.
Complete the sentence: If Davante Adams scores a touchdown this week at Pittsburgh, that will be the _____ away game in a row with a score.
Sixth. He has at least one touchdown in each of the four away games he’s played this year, with or without Aaron Rodgers.
Which Hall of Fame quarterback did Ben Roethlisberger pass last week in terms of career passing yards?
Warren Moon. Moon finished his career with 49.325 yards. Roethlisberger will enter Week 12 with 49,411 passing yards, the eighth most in NFL history.
Over the last three games, how many times has Tom Savage targeted Bruce Ellington?
23 times. DeAndre Hopkins has 39 targets over that same time frame.
Only three active players have over 500 career catches and average over 15 yards per catch. Who are they
Julio Jones, DeSean Jackson, and Mike Wallace.