WHAT TO LOOK FOR – A LOOK BACK

EXCELLENCE ON DISPLAY:  For the first time in NFL history, there are two 13-0 teams in the same season.  The INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS both improved to 13-0 with their victories yesterday.  The Colts defeated Denver 28-16 and the Saints won 26-23 at Atlanta.  Entering this season, only five teams had started 13-0: 2007 New England (16-0), 1972 Miami (14-0), 1934 Chicago (13-0), 1998 Denver (13-0) and 2005 Indianapolis (13-0). 

The Colts have now won 22 consecutive regular-season games, surpassing the 2006-08 New England Patriots (21) for the longest streak in NFL history. 

Indianapolis has 114 regular-season wins since the start of the 2000 season, the most by a team in a single decade.  The San Francisco 49ers registered 113 wins in the 1990s.

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ON THE OFFENSIVE:  NFL teams are producing yards at a historic pace this season.  With tonight’s 49ers-Cardinals Monday Night Football game still to be played, NFL games are averaging 670.31 total yards per game (207 games).  That number includes an average of 439.30 net passing yards per contest.

If both averages maintain their current pace, the total-yards-per-game average would be the highest in a season in NFL history and the net-passing-yards-per-game average would be the second-highest:

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DECEMBER DOMINANCE:  The San Diego Chargers improved to 10-3 with a 20-17 win at Dallas.  Dating back to a 24-21 win at Buffalo on December 3, 2006, the Chargers have won an NFL-record 16 consecutive games in December.  The previous mark was set by the 1968-1972 Dallas Cowboys, who won 13 games in a row during the month. 

The longest December win streaks in NFL history:

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SHOOTING FOR THE MOON:  With 220 passing yards against Denver, Indianapolis Colts quarterback PEYTON MANNING surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON (49,325) for fourth on the all-time list.  In his 12-year career, Manning has 49,533 passing yards.

The NFL’s all-time passing yardage leaders:

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MORE OR WES:  New England wide receiver WES WELKER had 10 receptions for 105 yards in the Patriots’ 20-10 win over Carolina.  Welker, who played in his 11th game yesterday, leads the NFL with 105 receptions and tied MARVIN HARRISON for the fewest individual games played to reach 100 receptions in a season in NFL history.  Harrison caught 100 passes in his first 11 games of the 2002 season en route to an NFL-record 143 catches.

Welker also joined Harrison (4), JERRY RICE (3) and HERMAN MOORE (3) as the only players to have 100 receptions in three consecutive seasons.

The players to reach 100 receptions in a season in the fewest individual games played:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON MNF:  One more note to keep in mind for tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the 49ers and Cardinals…

GIMME FIVE:  Arizona Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER has posted a passer rating of 120.0 or better in each of his past four games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHNNY UNITAS (1965) as the only players in NFL history to accomplish the feat (minimum 15 attempts).

Warner can become the first player with five such consecutive games.

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