Stats & trends for Week 6, starring AP, Favre, Holt & McDaniels

CLIMBING BACK:  Teams off to a slow start are justified in believing that they can turn it around.

 

Since the current playoff system (12 teams) was instituted in 1990, 11 teams have rebounded from being at least three games under .500 after the season's first five weeks or later to qualify for the postseason.  That includes five 1-4 teams that ultimately won their division.

 

Since 1990, teams that were three or more games below .500 after Week 5 or later and made the playoffs:

 

PETERSON ON POINT:  Minnesota Vikings running back ADRIAN PETERSON has an NFL-best 3,582 rushing yards since entering the league in 2007, including 3,185 yards in his 29 starts. With 133 yards in his start against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Peterson will have the third-highest rushing yards per game average of any running back since 1970 in his first 30 starts.  Peterson averages 134.1 rushing yards per game in his eight career games against the AFC.

 

The players with a 100+ rushing yards per game average in their first 30 career starts, since 1970:

 

* Through 29 starts       

 

 

DOME SWEET DOME:  With two touchdown passes against the Ravens on Sunday, Minnesota Vikings quarterback BRETT FAVRE will record his 11th consecutive two-plus passing touchdown game at the Metrodome (eight with Green Bay, three with Minnesota). 

 

Favre passed for at least two touchdowns in 12 consecutive games at Lambeau Field from 1994-96, a streak equaled by Arizona Cardinals QB KURT WARNER at the Trans World Dome (now Edward Jones Dome) from 1999-2000, the longest such streaks in NFL history.

 

The most consecutive games with two-plus touchdown passes in a stadium:

 

 

BIG GAME TORRY HOLT:  Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver TORRY HOLT will face his former team, the St. Louis Rams, for the first time on Sunday.  Holt spent 10 seasons with the Rams after they selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, totaling 12,670 receiving yards with the club.  Holt will become just the sixth player in NFL history to face a team for which he had 10,000+ receiving yards.

 

The players with 10,000+ receiving yards with one team who later faced that team:

 

 

Holt is also 34 receiving yards from 13,000.  If he reaches the mark against the Rams, he will have done so in 164 career games, making him the third-fastest to 13,000 receiving yards in NFL history.

 

The fewest number of games to reach 13,000 receiving yards in NFL history:

 

* Has 12,966 career receiving yards in 163 career games

 

 

STORM THE GATES:  Coming off of a two-touchdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to their bye week, San Diego Chargers tight end ANTONIO GATES is one receiving touchdown from tying five-time All-Star WESLEY WALLS for fourth on the all-time list by a tight end.  Gates will look to notch his 54th career receiving touchdown on Monday Night against the division-leading Denver Broncos.

 

The most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history:

 

* Active

 

 

TOP-RATED QB PLAY:  Entering Week 6, there are eight qualifying (min. 14 attempts/game) quarterbacks with a passer rating of 100.0 or better, including New York Giants QB ELI MANNING and New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES, who meet on Sunday.  If that number holds, it would surpass 2007 and 2008 (five) for the most quarterbacks with a 100+ rating through Week 6 since the passer rating system was officially implemented in 1973.  The record for most 100+ rated passers in a season is four (1998, 2004).

 

The quarterbacks with a 100+ rating this season as compared to the record-setting seasons of 1998 and 2004:

 

 

HEAD START:  Denver Broncos head coach JOSH MC DANIELS and Indianapolis Colts head coach JIM CALDWELL are each off to 5-0 starts in their first season as a head coach.  With a Broncos win on Monday night against San Diego, McDaniels can tie for the best start by a rookie head coach since 1970.  Jim Caldwell and the Colts have a bye.

 

The best starts by a rookie head coach since 1970:

 

 

# # #