Thanksgiving Day Offers Pigskin, Ponies and Other Fun

Football Hike If you’re like me — and I pray on behalf of your family and friends that you’re not — Thanksgiving means three things: ponies, pigskins and puking. Well, hopefully not the latter; that hasn’t been an issue for me since I learned that microwaving a turkey wasn’t a great idea.

So, in addition to offering my betting reports on some of Thursday’s better races, I’m also including a few National Football League nuggets o’ wisdom to peruse while grandma is dipping a bit too heavily into the eggnog.

From the NFL Communications:

New England quarterback TOM BRADY, who faces the New York Jets (1:00 PM ET, CBS) on Sunday, needs 147 passing yards and four touchdown passes to surpass PEYTON MANNING (79,279 passing yards and 579 touchdown passes) for the most passing yards and touchdown passes in NFL history, including the postseason.

The INDIANAPOLIS COLTS rank second in the NFL with only 10 sacks allowed this season and have not given up a sack in five consecutive games. On Sunday against Miami (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Indianapolis can become the fourth team to allow zero sacks in six consecutive games during a single season since 1963 (when team sacks became an official statistic).

The teams with the most consecutive games without allowing a sack in a season since 1963:

1988 Miami Dolphins (12)
1991 Washington Redskins (8)
1989 Miami Dolphins (7)
2018 Indianapolis Colts (5*)

*Active streak.

Carolina defensive end JULIUS PEPPERS recorded a sack in Week 11 and has 158 ½ during his 17-year NFL career. With at least two sacks on Sunday against Seattle (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Peppers would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer KEVIN GREENE (160 sacks) for the third-most sacks since 1982 (when individual sacks became an official statistic).

The players with the most sacks since 1982:

*Bruce Smith (Buffalo, Washington) – 200
*Reggie White (Philadelphia, Green Bay, Carolina) – 198
*Kevin Green (Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh, Carolina, San Francisco) – 160
Julius Peppers (Carolina, Chicago, Green Bay) – 158 ½

*In Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback PHILIP RIVERS is tied for third in the AFC with 23 touchdown passes this season and has thrown for at least 25 touchdowns in 10 consecutive seasons.

Rivers, who faces Arizona on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, FOX), needs two touchdown passes to tie DREW BREES (11 consecutive seasons) for the second-longest streak of seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes in league annals.

The players with the most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes in NFL history:

Peyton Manning (Indianapolis 1998-2010) – 13
Drew Brees (New Orleans 2006-16) – 11
Philip Rivers (San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers 2008-17) – 10*

*Active streak.

AARON RODGERS has thrown 26 touchdowns against zero interceptions for a 115.6 passer rating in his past 10 games against NFC North opponents.

Rodgers, who plays at Minnesota on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC), needs three touchdown passes without an interception to have the most consecutive touchdowns without an interception by a player against any division since 2002.

The players with the most consecutive touchdowns without an interception against any division since 2002:

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) vs. NFC North (2013-15) – 28
Drew Brees (New Orleans) vs. NFC North (2009-14) – 28
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) vs. NFC North (2016-present) – 26*

*Active streak.

Pittsburgh wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN ties for the league-lead with 11 touchdown receptions in 2018 and has recorded at least one touchdown catch in eight consecutive games.

With a touchdown reception on Sunday at Denver (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Brown would tie Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (nine consecutive games in 1963) and A.J. GREEN (nine consecutive games in 2012) for the third-longest streak of games with a touchdown catch during a single season in NFL history.

The players with the most consecutive games with a touchdown reception within a single season in NFL history:

*Jerry Rice (San Francisco, 1987) – 12
*Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch (Los Angeles Rams, 1951) – 10
A.J. Green (Cincinnati, 2012) – 9
*Lance Alworth (San Diego, 1963) – 9
Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh, 2018) – 8**

*In Pro Football Hall of Fame. **Active streak.