One NFL team has never had a 4,000-yard passer. That’s right, In a league ruled by the pass, with rules made to make passing easier and less defensible than ever, the Chicago Bears have never had a quarterback pass for over 4,000 yards in a season. Joe Namath of the New York Jets surpassed the mark all the way back in 1967 in only 14 games (the NFL season now consists of 17 games in the regular season).
This is not to mean that the Bears haven’t had great teams. They have even won a Super Bowl. But the team philosophy has been to utilize a strong running game (when you have great running backs like Gale Sayers and Walter Payton, it makes sense) along with a great defense. Erik Kramer and Jay Cutler have come so close (within 200 yards) but never hit the elusive mark.
Players in the NFL were not required to wear helmets until 1943! Football lore mentions the first protective gear as leather straps to cover ears. One story tells of a player wearing aviator-like headgear so that doctors would allow him to play in a key game. The next step in the evolution of protective headgear was full leather helmets. Unfortunately, the ear flaps on these helmets made it difficult for players to hear.
Next came plastic helmets. They were more comfortable for players and held their shape better when full-force collisions occurred. In 1943, the league made wearing helmets (plastic or leather) mandatory. By 1950, the plastic helmet was the norm. In 1955, the NFL suggested face masks and went so far as to make rules to prevent players from grabbing face masks. That ushered in the modern game.
The NFL had multiple post-season games outside the playoffs at one time. League leaders determined to expand the games to include a “3rd Place” game. The 3rd place game pitted the two teams that lost the playoff game to the teams that went to the championship game. It was short-lived. For a longer period of time, the champions of the NFL played a game against the college All-Stars.
In total, 42 college All-Star games were played. The NFL dominated with 31 wins. The biggest surprise is that the All-Stars won nine and tied in two games. By 1976, the NFL teams were becoming so dominant that the game was eliminated from scheduling. Owners also feared injuries to their future draft picks. The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the final game 24-0. The game was played in a torrential downpour and, as a result of horrendous conditions, was ended early.
Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers passed for more touchdown passes in one Super Bowl game than the Denver Broncos have passed for in eight Super Bowl games. Steve Young passed for an amazing six touchdowns in 1995, but as great as that is, you would imagine that any team that is good enough to make it to the Super Bowl eight times could muster at least one per game.
This is even more surprising when you consider that the Broncos have won three of those Super Bowls and that seven of the games have been during the passing era of the NFL. Add in the fact that they have been led by all-time great quarterbacks John Elway and Peyton Manning for seven of those games. Elway did win Super Bowl MVP in his final game, yet even then, he only threw one touchdown pass. Manning had one TD in two Super Bowls with Denver.
Old-school football fans love hard hits and great defense. The next interesting fact should be particularly enjoyed by those fans. The 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens played five games in which they didn’t even score a touchdown! The only points they were able to put up on the board were scored by their kicker, Matt Stover. Even without scoring a touchdown, the Ravens managed to win two of those games.
The Ravens' offense was based upon a strong running game featuring Jamal Lewis. He rushed for over 1300 yards and six touchdowns. Ravens quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Tony Banks were mainly responsible for “controlling” the offense rather than great play. The team relied on superior defense to win games. It is quite amazing and surprising that these champions failed to score touchdowns in so many games while accomplishing such greatness.
Four teams in the NFL have never won a Super Bowl. More bewildering is that 12 NFL franchises have never made it to the Super Bowl! That makes up over one-third of the league. The NFL raves about parity but truly is dominated by upper-tier teams. The Patriots, Steelers, 49ers, and Cowboys have been dominant during the Super Bowl era. The Lions, Browns, Texans, and Jaguars reside on the opposite end of the spectrum of success.
To add insult to injury, the Lions have had two separate periods of mediocrity, going over 30 years without a playoff win in each. One playoff win in over 60 seasons is a bitter pill for that fan base. The Browns have to look all the way back to the pre-Super Bowl era to remember championships with Jim Brown and Otto Graham. The Texans and Jaguars are two of the newest franchises.
No NFL list seems to be complete without Tom Brady and/or the New England Patriots. Tom Brady has numerous NFL records (no surprise here). He has been to 10 Super Bowls. He won seven Super Bowls, which is more than any other franchise has won! He did it with a perennial power (the Patriots) and then led an also-ran NFL franchise (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), cementing his legacy as the greatest player ever.
Some fans may or may not realize that Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are the only team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Super Bowls are almost always played in warm-weather cities or domed stadiums for obvious reasons, with the game being played in the winter. Tampa Bay has been the site for five Super Bowls. It just so happened that acquiring Tom Brady brought the home team to the 2021 Super Bowl.
One player once threw four touchdown passes and had four interceptions in the same game. To make that clear, he intercepted four passes while he also played defense! Slingin’ Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins played offense, defense, and even special teams for the 1943 season. Due to so many athletes being away for war, the best athletes played multiple positions on teams. Baugh was possibly the best athlete in the league.
Baugh didn’t just wow the fans for this one extraordinary game. He was named All-Pro at quarterback, he led the league in interceptions with 11, and, most amazingly, led the league in punting. A quarterback leading the league in punting would be unheard of now. But a quarterback leading the NFL in interceptions would be otherworldly. The days of two-way athletes seemingly ended in the 1960s. Baugh may have been the best ever.
Team names lead to many interesting facts. The Seattle Seahawks mascot was chosen by a public contest. Over 1700 suggestions were received in the more than 20,000 entries. Another fact about team names includes the Green Bay Packers being the oldest club to retain its original title. They have been the Packers since 1919! The Cardinals are also one of the original NFL teams and have kept their name but changed locations from Chicago to St. Louis and finally to Arizona.
Speaking of names, Dallas had a franchise in the old AFL called the Texans. They became the Kansas City Chiefs. Then, the NFL added the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL now has the Houston Texans. Houston used to be the Oilers. They became the Tennessee Titans as they moved from Houston to Memphis to Nashville. When discussing NFL team names, you can find a number of surprises.
The Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings are widely regarded as the biggest losers of the NFL. The surprising fact is that they are looked at as losers because each lost four Super Bowls within one decade! Yes, losers, even though they were winners. Minnesota was a top-tier team from 1969 to 1979 led by many Hall of Fame players, including Fran Tarkenton. But each time the Vikings made it to the Super Bowl, they faced an even better team (Chiefs, Dolphins, Steelers, and Raiders).
The Bills could have been the team of the 90s. They were loaded with talent, including Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas. They were explosive on offense and tenacious on defense. Many Bills fans point to the last-second missed field goal, which would have won the Super Bowl as the reason for the losses. Whatever the reason, the Bills became known as lovable losers by going to four consecutive Super Bowls.
