NFL What To Look For – Week 13

ROAD DOMINANCE: The ARIZONA CARDINALS (9-2) enter Week 13 with the league’s best record. In road games this season, Arizona is 6-0 and has outscored its opponents by at least 10 points in each win.

At Soldier Field against Chicago on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), the Cardinals can become the third team ever to win seven consecutive road games within a single season, each by a least 10 points.

The teams to win seven consecutive road games within a single season, each by at least 10 points, in NFL history:

Arizona is led by third-year quarterback KYLER MURRAY, who is expected to return to the field this week. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick has 9,969 career passing yards and can become the fourth-youngest player (24 years, 120 days old on Sunday) to reach 10,000 passing yards in NFL history, surpassing CAM NEWTON (24 years, 191 days).

The youngest players to reach 10,000 career passing yards in NFL history:

Murray also has 1,510 career rushing yards and can join Newton as the only players ever with at least 10,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards in their first three seasons.

This season, Murray has 17 touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns. With three touchdown passes on Sunday, he will join ANDREW LUCK and DAK PRESCOTT as the only players ever with at least 20 touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns in each of their first three seasons.

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TOP DEFENSES BATTLE IN BUFFALO: The top two teams in the AFC East are set to meet on Monday Night Football, as the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (8-4) travel to play the BUFFALO BILLS (7-4) at Highmark Stadium (8:15 PM ET, ESPN). The Patriots enter the contest with the top scoring defense in the league (15.8 points allowed per game), while the Bills rank second (16.5).

Monday’s game will mark the third matchup in the past 10 seasons featuring the league’s top two scoring defenses in Week 13 or later.

The games in the past 10 seasons featuring the league’s top two scoring defenses in Week 13 or later:

New England, led by rookie quarterback MAC JONES, has won six consecutive games, the league’s longest active winning streak. With a win on Monday, Jones will become the fourth rookie quarterback to win at least seven consecutive games as a starter in the Super Bowl era.

The rookie quarterbacks to win the most consecutive games as a starter in the Super Bowl era:

The Patriots are 5-0 on the road this season and Jones can join DAK PRESCOTT (2016) and BEN ROETHLISBERGER (2004) as the only rookie quarterbacks ever to win each of their first six career road starts.

The rookie quarterbacks to win the most consecutive road starts to begin a career in NFL history:

Over the past three games, Jones has passed for six touchdowns against one interception and completed 64 of 81 pass attempts (79 percent). He has completed at least 70 percent of his passes in each contest and can become the third rookie quarterback ever with a completion percentage of 70-or-higher (minimum 20 attempts) in four consecutive games.

The rookie quarterbacks with a completion percentage of 70-or-higher (minimum 20 attempts) in the most consecutive games in NFL history:

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SOPHOMORE QBs SURGING: Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT each have their teams in playoff position entering Week 13.

Burrow, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, leads the AFC with a 101.6 passer rating this season, while Herbert, the No. 6 pick, ranks fourth in the NFL with 3,230 passing yards and fifth with 24 touchdown passes.

Sunday’s game in Cincinnati (1:00 PM ET, CBS) will be the first time the two will meet as opposing starting quarterbacks. In their second seasons, Burrow aims to bring the Bengals to the postseason for the first time since 2015, while Herbert is looking to secure a Chargers playoff berth for the first time since 2018.

The Miami Dolphins, led by quarterback TUA TAGOVAILOA, have won each of their past four games. Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, has completed over 80 percent of his passes in each of the last two weeks and became the fourth player in NFL history with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher (minimum 30 attempts) in consecutive games.

If he does it against the New York Giants again on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Tagovailoa can become the first player ever with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher (min. 30 attempts) in four games within a single season. Tagovailoa’s three career games with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher (min. 30 attempts) are already the most by a player in his first two seasons all-time.

Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS, a second-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, leads all quarterbacks with eight rushing touchdowns this season and ranks second at the position with 695 rushing yards.

With at least 50 rushing yards at the New York Jets on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Hurts will join LAMAR JACKSON as the only quarterbacks with at least 50 rushing yards in seven-or-more consecutive games in the Super Bowl era. He would also tie KYLER MURRAY (12 games) for the third-most games with at least 50 rushing yards by a quarterback in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era.

The quarterbacks with at least 50 rushing yards in the most consecutive games in the Super Bowl era:

The quarterbacks with the most games with at least 50 rushing yards in their first two seasons in the Super Bowl era:

As a team, Philadelphia has rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in each of its past three games and can become the first team to rush for at least 200 yards in four consecutive games since the New England Patriots in 1978 (Weeks 12-15).

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YARDAGE LEADERS MAKING HISTORY: Indianapolis running back JONATHAN TAYLOR leads the NFL with 1,541 scrimmage yards, while Los Angeles Rams wide receiver COOPER KUPP leads the league with 1,237 receiving yards. Each player can make history this Sunday.

Taylor also leads the league with 16 touchdowns (14 rushing, two receiving) and has rushed for a touchdown in each of the past nine games. With a rushing touchdown at Houston on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Taylor will become the fifth player ever with a rushing touchdown in at least 10 consecutive games within a single season.

The players with a rushing touchdown in at least 10 consecutive games within a single season in NFL history:

Last season, Taylor led all rookies with 12 touchdowns (11 rushing, one receiving) and enters Sunday with 28 touchdowns in 27 career games. With two touchdowns in Houston, Taylor will tie Pro Football Hall of Famer EARL CAMPBELL (28 games) and BILLY SIMS (28) as the third-fastest player to reach 30 touchdowns in the Super Bowl era. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers EDGERRIN JAMES (25) and CURTIS MARTIN (27) reached the mark in fewer games.

The players to reach 30 touchdowns in the fewest games in the Super Bowl era:

Kupp enters Week 13 leading the league with 92 receptions and 1,237 receiving yards, while tying for the league lead with 10 touchdown receptions. He has surpassed 90 receiving yards in each of the past seven games.

If he reaches the mark against Jacksonville on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, FOX), Kupp will become the sixth player to record at least 90 receiving yards in eight-or-more consecutive games in the Super Bowl era.

The players with at least 90 receiving yards in the most consecutive games in the Super Bowl era:

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BENGALS BREAKING RECORDS: Cincinnati running back JOE MIXON ranks tied for third in the league with a career-high 13 touchdowns (11 rushing, two receiving) and has scored two touchdowns in each of his past four games.

With two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Mixon will become the sixth different player to score at least two touchdowns in five-or-more consecutive games within a single season since 1970.

The players with at least two touchdowns in the most consecutive games within a single season since 1970:

Mixon has also eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards in each of the past three games and can become the third player ever with at least two touchdowns and 100 scrimmage yards in four-or-more consecutive games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (eight consecutive games in 2006) and RICKY WILLIAMS (four in 2002).

The players with at least two rushing touchdowns and 100 scrimmage yards in the most consecutive games in NFL history:

Cincinnati wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE leads all rookies with 906 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions this season. With 94 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on Sunday, Chase will become the fifth rookie with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions in the Super Bowl era.

The rookies with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions in the Super Bowl era:

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2,500 IN A HURRY: Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON enters Week 13 ranking third in the league with 1,027 receiving yards. After setting the single-season rookie receiving yards record last year (1,400), he now has 2,427 receiving yards in 27 career games.

With 73 receiving yards at Detroit on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Jefferson will tie Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (28 games) as the fourth-fastest player ever to reach 2,500 receiving yards. Only ODELL BECKHAM JR. (25 games), CHARLIE HENNIGAN (26) and BILL GROMAN (27) reached the mark in fewer games.

The players to reach 2,500 receiving yards in the fewest games in NFL history: