NFL Week 17 milestones: From Tom Brady's 14 straight playoff runs to Jerick McKinnon's receiving TD streak
Week 17 of the NFL regular season is a big one, with teams clawing for a spot in the playoffs, some just hoping to not embarrass themselves and others with eyes on home-field advantage. This week was a historic one in the league and it was not all about the playoff picture.
This week saw records being broken, extended and players making their mark in the history books with incredible performances. There was a little bit of everything, so let's take a look at just what went on around the league.
Here are some of the milestones reached in Week 17:
Tom Brady reached the playoffs for a 14th straight season with the Buccaneers' win over the Panthers. Brady's last playoff miss was in 2008 with the Patriots and his last healthy miss was in 2002, marking 19 straight playoff appearances when he was healthy. This will be his 20th playoff appearance in his 23rd season, not bad for a 45-year-old. Brady extended his own quarterback record with his 19th divisional title. Despite the Bucs having an off year and only standing at .500 heading into the final week of the regular season, they got help being in a less than challenging division. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans is now the third player in NFL history with nine straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, along with Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. He is also the first player in Tampa Bay history with 200 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions in a game and the first in franchise history with three 30-yard receiving touchdowns in a game. Brady is tied with Drew Brees for the second most career games (11) with 400 passing yards and three touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes is the third player in NFL history with multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons, joining only Brees and Brady.Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon is the first running back in the Super Bowl era with a receiving touchdown in five straight games. The Bears' nine-game losing streak marks the longest in franchise history, a franchise that has been around since 1920. Justin Fields now has the most rushing yards by any Chicago ball carrier in a first quarter since the start of the 1991 season. He finished the first quarter with 105 rushing yards.
Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz's 31.4 passer rating today was the worst in a game in his career. Teams are now 0-14 the week after facing the 49ers after the Commanders' loss; head coach Kyle Shanahan previously said, "It could be a coincidence, but we like to think not." 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history with 3 seasons of 1,000 rushing yards and 75 catches (Le'Veon Bell had three such seasons, Marshall Faulk four). The Giants scored 30 points for the first time in 44 games, defeating the Colts 38-10 and securing a playoff spot. Geno Smith is the second player in Seahawks history with 4,000 passing yards in a season. Russell Wilson accomplished the milestone four times. Chargers running back Austin Ekeler is the second undrafted player in NFL history with 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in consecutive seasons. The first to do it was
