Seven From Sunday - Week 17

A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 1, the final week of the 2016 regular season. 

• The NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, who defeated Miami 35-14, clinched the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. 
  
  The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, who defeated San Diego 37-27, won the AFC West and earned a first-round bye due to today’s victory combined with Oakland’s 24-6 loss at Denver. 
  
  The OAKLAND RAIDERS will enter the postseason as the No. 5 seed and visit the HOUSTON TEXANS, who won the AFC South, in the Wild Card round. 
  
  The PITTSBURGH STEELERS, who won the AFC North, will host the MIAMI DOLPHINS in the Wild Card round.  
  
  In the NFC, the DALLAS COWBOYS own the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.  
  
  The ATLANTA FALCONS, who had already clinched the NFC South, locked up a first-round bye with today’s 38-32 win over New Orleans.  
  
  The NFC North champion will be determined tonight when the DETROIT LIONS host the GREEN BAY PACKERS. Both teams clinched a playoff berth earlier today with the NEW YORK GIANTS’ 19-10 win at Washington. The winner will secure the No. 4 seed and host the Giants in the Wild Card round.  
  
  The SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, who had already clinched the NFC West, will host the loser of tonight’s game between Green Bay and Detroit. 
   
• New England quarterback TOM BRADY completed 25 of 33 passes (75.8 percent) for 276 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 130.4 passer rating in the Patriots’ 35-14 win at Miami. Brady finished the regular season with 28 touchdown passes and two interceptions, recording the highest touchdown/interception ratio in NFL history. 
  ​Brady has 51 career games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tying PEYTON MANNING for the most such games in league history. 

• Dallas rookie quarterback DAK PRESCOTT finished the regular season with a 104.9 passer rating and surpassed ROBERT GRIFFIN III (102.4 in 2012) for the highest single-season passer rating by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.  
  
  Prescott completed 311 of 459 passes (67.8 percent) for 3,667 yards with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. His 0.9 interception percentage is the lowest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history (minimum 200 passing attempts).  
  
  Cowboys rookie running back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT leads the league with 1,631 rushing yards. Elliott, who has the third-highest rushing total by a rookie in NFL history, would be the fifth rookie since 1970 to lead the league in rushing yards and the first since EDGERRIN JAMES (1,553 yards) in 1999. 

• Atlanta quarterback MATT RYAN completed 27 of 36 passes (75.0 percent) for 331 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 139.9 passer rating in the Falcons’ 38-32 win over New Orleans.  
  
  Ryan completed 373 of 534 passes (69.9 percent) for 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 117.1 passer rating, the fifth-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history. 

New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES passed for 350 yards and two touchdowns against Atlanta. Brees has 5,208 passing yards this season, the fourth-highest single-season passing total in NFL history. 

Brees, who also recorded 5,000 passing yards in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013, owns five of the NFL’s nine all-time 5,000-yard passing seasons and is the only quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 5,000 yards in multiple seasons. ​

• Minnesota quarterback SAM BRADFORD completed 25 of 33 passes (75.8 percent) for 250 yards with three touchdowns in the Vikings’ 38-10 victory over Chicago. Bradford completed 395 of 552 passes for a 71.6 completion percentage this season, the highest single-season completion percentage in NFL history, surpassing DREW BREES’ mark of 71.2 percent (468 of 657) in 2011. 
  
• Tampa Bay quarterback JAMEIS WINSTON passed for 202 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ 17-16 win over Carolina. Winston, who passed for 4,042 yards as a rookie last year, finished this season with a career-high 4,090 passing yards. He is the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,000 passing yards in each of his first two seasons. Winston has 50 career touchdown passes and is the fifth player in league history to throw at least 50 touchdown passes in his first two seasons. 
   
• Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD had five receptions, including a touchdown, in the Cardinals’ 44-6 win at Los Angeles. Fitzgerald leads the NFL with 107 catches and at 33 years, 123 days old, would be the oldest player to lead the league in receptions since Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (34 years, 71 days) in 1996.