Stefon Diggs sets Buffalo Bills record, Baltimore Ravens rush for 400 yards in Week 17: Benedict Bermange's top 10 NFL stats

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry becomes just the eighth player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season; Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson sets NFL record for most receiving yards in a season by a rookie

By Benedict Bermange, Cricket Statistician

A look back at the best of the action from Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season

Sky Sports Cricket statistician - and die-hard Buffalo Bills fan - Benedict Bermange lends his talents to the 2020 NFL season to bring you his top 10 stats from Week 17's action...

The Buffalo Bills scored 56 against the Miami Dolphins in the first-ever 56-26 match in league history. In the game, Stefon Diggs set a new Bills single-season receptions record and ended with the sixth-most in NFL history.

Most receptions in a season in NFL history

Player Team Year Receptions
Michael Thomas Saints 2019 149
Marvin Harrison Colts 2002 143
Antonio Brown Steelers 2015 136
Julio Jones Falcons 2015 136
Antonio Brown Steelers 2014 129
Stefon Diggs Bills 2020 127

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The New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers 33-7 and, in the process, won their 12th game of the season. They have won at least 12 games in each of their last three seasons after having only four such seasons in their first 50 years as a franchise from 1967. They joined the 1949-1953 Rams as the only teams to have averaged at least 28 points per game for five successive seasons.

The Seattle Seahawks clinched the No 3 seed in the NFC with victory over the San Francisco 49ers, with Russell Wilson becoming the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 40 touchdowns while running for at least 500 yards in the same season. The Seahawks have scored 89 fewer points in their last eight games compared to their first eight, but have allowed 115 fewer points than in the first half of the season.

Ravens rookie running back JK Dobbins hits turbo for a 72-yard touchdown against the Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens ran all over the Cincinnati Bengals in their 38-3 victory - Lamar Jackson became the first quarterback in NFL history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons on the ground - as the team rushed for 404 yards in total, the fifth-most in a single game in NFL history.

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Most rushing yards by a team in a single game

Team Opposition Year Yards
Giants Colts 1950 423
Bills Brooklyn 1948 419
Bengals Broncos 2000 407
Bears Packers 1955 406
Ravens Bengals 2021 404

Jonathan Taylor's 253 yards rushing for the Indianapolis Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars set a new franchise record and is tied for the second-most by a rookie in NFL history.

Colts rookie Jonathan Taylor's 45-yard rushing touchdown against the Jaguars all but clinched their place in the playoffs

Most rushing yards in a game by a rookie

Player Team Opposition Year Yards
Adrian Peterson Vikings Chargers 2007 296
Jonathan Taylor Colts Jaguars 2021 253
DeMarco Murray Cowboys Rams 2011 253
Doug Martin Buccaneers Raiders 2012 251
Mike Anderson Broncos Saints 2000 251

By piling up a career-best 250 yards on the ground in victory over the Houston Texans, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans became the eighth player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, posting the fifth-highest total of all time.

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Derrick Henry stormed through the middle of the Texans' defence to score a 52-yard rushing touchdown

Most rushing yards in a season

Player Team Season Yards
Eric Dickerson Rams 1984 2,105
Adrian Peterson Vikings 2012 2,097
Jamal Lewis Ravens 2003 2,066
Barry Sanders Lions 1997 2,053
Derrick Henry Titans 2020 2,027

Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first 11-win season since 2005 and they will play the Washington Football Team on Wild Card Weekend. Ironically, given their collective struggles this season, Brady has lost his last three playoff games against teams from the NFC East - to the New York Giants in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI and to the Philadelphia Eagles in Superbowl LII. Staying with the Buccaneers, Mike Evans became the first player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons.

Justin Jefferson had nine receptions totalling 133 yards for the Minnesota Vikings against the Detroit Lions to give him the most receiving yards by a rookie in the Super Bowl era.

Most receiving yards by a rookie in Super Bowl era

Player Team Season Yards
Justin Jefferson Vikings 2020 1,400
Anquan Boldin Cardinals 2003 1,377
Randy Moss Vikings 1998 1,313
Odell Beckham Jr Giants 2014 1,305

Washington became just the third team to qualify for the playoffs despite losing more games than they won over the course of a full season. Both of the previous teams to do so - Seahawks (2010), Panthers (2014) - won their Wild Card games. Bizarrely, Ron Rivera was also the head coach of that 2014 Panthers team.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield reacts to their Week 17 victory over the Steelers that secured their first postseason trip since 2002

By defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns clinched their first playoff spot after 17 years. This season, the two longest playoff droughts have been broken (Browns 2002, Buccaneers 2007), leaving the New York Jets (2002) now with the longest.

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