The 2021 National Football League regular season has now come to a conclusion. Here were five of the top storylines from Week 18.
5) Rob Gronkowski sets NFL record for most 100-yard receiving games by a tight end.
According to ESPN on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski recorded his 32nd 100-yard receiving game of his NFL career, the most ever by a tight end in NFL history. He had seven catches for 137 yards as the Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 41-17. Tony Gonzalez had the former record with 31 100-yard receiving games.
4) Tom Brady sets Buccaneers record for most passing yards in a season.
Also in the Buccaneers’ 24-point win over the Panthers, Tom Brady set the Buccaneers’ single season record for passing yards with 5316, which broke Jameis Winston’s record of 5109 yards in 2019. Brady led the NFL this season in passing yards, completions (485), and touchdown passes (43). He has definitely made a strong case for the NFL’s most valuable player for 2021.
3) Four NFL coaches fired.
According to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun on Saturday, the Denver Broncos fired head coach Vic Fangio. In three seasons coaching Denver, Fangio had a record of 19 wins and 30 losses. Then on Monday, three more coaches were fired. They were Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings, Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears, and Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins.
2) Dak Prescott sets Cowboys record for most touchdown passes in a season.
In the Cowboys’s 51-26 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, Dak Prescott set the Cowboys record for most touchdown passes in a season with 37. He broke the old record previously set by Tony Romo, who had 36 touchdown passes in 2007.
1) T.J. Watt ties NFL record for most sacks in a season.
In the Steelers’s 16-13 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, T.J. Watt tied the NFL record for most sacks in a season with 22.5. The other player to achieve that mark was Michael Strahan of the New York Giants, who had 22.5 sacks in 2001. Watt was instrumental in guiding the Steelers to a playoff berth. In fact the Steelers were one of three teams on Sunday to make the playoffs by winning in overtime. The others were the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-24, and the Las Vegas Raiders, who beat the Los Angeles Chargers 35-32.
In the AFC, the three wildcard games next weekend are Las Vegas at Cincinnati, New England at Buffalo, and Pittsburgh at Kansas City. In the NFC, the three wildcard games next weekend are Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, San Francisco at Dallas and Arizona at the Los Angeles Rams. In the AFC, the number one seed belongs to Tennessee, and in the NFC, the number one seed belongs to Green Bay.
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