In this edition of Top-10 Stats of the Week, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow prove what a difference a year can make, Patrick Mahomes proves what a difference a half of football can make, and Tom Brady says… farewell? He certainly didn't look like a quarterback playing in his mid-40s.
Jan. 30 – On Jan. 30, 2021, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Lions. Exactly one year later, Stafford and the Rams won the NFC championship game, advancing to Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium. What a difference a year can make.
5th – During the NFC title game, Stafford picked up his fifth win against teams that finished with 10-plus wins this season (including playoffs).
That's as many as he had in his entire 13-year career with Detroit.
13 – It took Stafford more than 4,000 days after being drafted No. 1 overall to win his first career NFL playoff game. During a 13-day stretch this January, he managed to win three postseason matchups.
38 – Sunday marked the 38th game of Patrick Mahomes' career in which he led by more than 15 points. But this AFC championship game happened to be the first time he ever held a 15-plus point lead and lost.
Twice – Through the first 54 years of Super Bowls, the NFL never had a team play the game in their home stadium. It's now happened twice, in back-to-back years (Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Raymond James Stadium; Rams: SoFi Stadium).
3 – In the first 25 minutes of the AFC championship game, the Chiefs scored 21 points against the underdog Cincinnati Bengals. In the next 45 minutes, Mahomes' unit scored a measly three points.
2 – Following a stellar first-half, in which he threw for 220 yards with three touchdowns, Mahomes committed two crucial second-half turnovers. Mahomes hadn't thrown multiple interceptions in a single game in over three months.
10 – According to multiple reports, Tom Brady has played his last NFL game. Props to the man who won 10 playoff games in his 40s. Ben Roethlisberger – who recently retired after spending 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers – is also a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he won just three playoff games past the age of 28.
170 – Rams superstar receiver Cooper Kupp has now caught 170 passes this season. Pretty impressive for a guy who didn't break 100 receptions in any of his other four seasons. That's the power of Stafford.
7-2 – Bengals second-year quarterback Joe Burrow had an 0-5-1 road record last season as a rookie. He's 7-2 on the road this year. Again, what a difference a year makes for the Super Bowl-bound stud.
