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Home , AFC East, AFC North, AFC West, Al Davis, Chuck Knox, Green Bay Packers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/17/19 http://twitter.com/nfl345

WEEK 16 PAIRS PACKERS, IN NFC NORTH BATTLE

To help celebrate the NFL’s 100th , each week will feature an NFL 100 Game of the Week. Each game is a nod to a momentous game played, a fierce rivalry that spans decades, a matchup of original teams and/or a game in which history was made. The NFL has designated the OAKLAND RAIDERS- CHARGERS matchup as the NFL100 Game of the Week because the contest recognizes two original AFL teams, each with ties to late Pro Football Hall of Famer . From 1957-60, Davis served as the line coach at the University of Southern before tabbed him as the ’ offensive ends coach. After helping the Chargers to two titles in three seasons, Davis had the opportunity to lead his own team in 1963. That’s when he took over the Oakland Raiders and changed the team colors to silver and black, then personified the rival league’s exciting new image by developing the vertical passing game. The upstart AFL finalized a formal merger with the NFL later in the decade and began playing as one league in 1970.

AND THE STRETCH THEY COME: Seventeen teams remain in contention for a trip to LIV. Two playoff berths in each conference are up for grabs. Welcome to late December in the NFL.

The , BAY PACKERS and 49ERS have each qualified for the postseason after missing the last season. From 1990-2018 – a streak of 29 consecutive years – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.

The VIKINGS can join that group with a win on (8:15 PM ET, ESPN) at against the Packers. Something significant will happen on Monday night. Either the Packers will clinch the division for the first time since 2016, or the Vikings will clinch a playoff berth.

It’s also a division clash featuring teams with 10-or-more wins. That has happened just three times since the beginning of the 2015 season, and for the second time the game is featuring the Packers and Vikings.

The last five games that featured teams with 10-or-more wins from the same division during the regular season:

DATE DIVISION TEAMS RESULT SEASON RESULT 12/13/2018 AFC West L.A. Chargers (10-3) LAC, 29-28 Advanced to AFC Divisional at Kansas City (11-2) Advanced to AFC 1/1/2017 AFC East (13-2) NE, 35-14 Won Super Bowl LI at (10-5) Advanced to AFC 1/3/2016 NFC North Minnesota (10-5) MIN, 20-13 Advanced to NFC Wild Card at Green Bay (10-5) Advanced to NFC Divisional 12/28/2014 AFC North (10-4-1) PIT, 27-17 Advanced to AFC Wild Card at (10-5) Advanced to AFC Wild Card 12/28/2014 NFC North (11-4) GB, 30-20 Advanced to NFC Wild Card at Green Bay (11-4) Advanced to NFC Championship

Green Bay MATT LAFLEUR has an opportunity to become the 10th rookie head coach in NFL history to win at least 12 games in a season.

The rookie head coaches who have won at least 12 games in NFL history, by wins:

COACH, TEAM W L T PCT SEASON Jim Caldwell, 14 2 0 .875 2009 , San Francisco 14 2 0 .875 1989 , San Francisco 13 3 0 .813 2011 , San Francisco 13 3 0 .813 1997 John MaddenHOF, Oakland 12 1 1 .893 1969 , 12 4 0 .750 2018 , 12 4 0 .750 1994 , 12 2 0 .857 1977 , L.A. Rams 12 2 0 .857 1973

IN THE NFC EAST: The can clinch the NFC East division title with a road win over the EAGLES Sunday at (4:25 PM ET, FOX). Winning a division has proven significant this decade as the last team to advance to the Super Bowl without winning a division title was the 2010 , who won Super Bowl XLV. Since, all 16 teams to appear in the Super Bowl have won their divisions.

IN THE AFC EAST: On Saturday (4:30 PM ET, NFL Network), the BUFFALO BILLS and meet with the AFC East division title on the line. With a win, the Patriots (11-3) would take the division for an 11th year in a row. They also would reach 12 wins in a season for the 13th time and match the (13 seasons) for the most seasons of 12-or-more wins since the 1970 merger. The DALLAS COWBOYS also have 12 seasons of at least 12 victories since 1970.

Patriots (538) can surpass No. 2 (539) on the NFL’s career passing list. And with four passes, Brady would eclipse No. 1 (541) and hold the record for at least 21 hours, when Brees and the Saints meet the Titans on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX).

Buffalo, meanwhile, has already clinched a playoff berth and can still win its first division title since 1995. The Bills’ bid for the division is spearheaded by quarterback , who leads NFL with nine rushing touchdowns. In fact, the 2019 season has tied the single-season NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks.

The seasons with the most rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks in NFL history:

SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS BY QUARTERBACKS 2019 73 2002 73 2018 71 2017 66 2012 66 2011 66

IN THE NFC SOUTH: The SAINTS (11-3), who clinched the division on Thanksgiving night, travel to play the (8-6) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX). Including New Orleans, four NFC teams share the best record in the conference. This year marks just the second time since the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule in 1978 that four NFC clubs are tied for the conference’s best record with two-or-fewer weeks to play. It also happened in 2014, when five NFC teams were 11-4 heading into the final week.

Overall, six NFL teams have won at least 11 games, making the 2019 season just the second since 1978 in which six-or- more NFL clubs have won 11-plus through 14 games. It also happened in 2004, when six teams had at least 11 wins heading into the final two weeks.

DREW BREES, who surpassed PEYTON MANNING’s career passing touchdowns record to close Week 15 on Monday night, also recorded his 36th career game of four-or-more touchdown passes, breaking Manning’s NFL record of 35. Brees (10,093) also needs 77 pass attempts to become the all-time leader in that category; the record is held by Pro Football Hall of Famer (10,169).

IN THE AFC SOUTH: The TEXANS need a win Saturday at Tampa Bay (1:00 PM ET, NFL Network) to clinch their division for a second straight season, and for the fourth time in the last five years. Houston would join New England and Kansas City as the only NFL teams with four-or-more division titles since 2015.

NFL SCHEDULE, DECEMBER 21-23 (All times Eastern)

Saturday Sunday (cont.) at 1:00 PM NFLN at Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM FOX Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots 4:30 PM NFLN Giants at Washington Redskins 1:00 PM FOX at San Francisco 49ers 8:15 PM NFLN at 4:05 PM CBS Sunday Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers 4:05 PM CBS at Falcons 1:00 PM FOX Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 PM FOX Ravens at Browns 1:00 PM CBS Cardinals at Seahawks 4:25 PM FOX at 1:00 PM FOX at 8:20 PM NBC at 1:00 PM CBS Monday at 1:00 PM CBS Green Bay Packers at 8:15 PM ESPN