NFL Notebook: Kansas City Defeats Carolina, 30-27, to Improve to 10-1 this Season

 By Nancy Delander Beecher, Florida Sports Wire

NEW YORK – A look at seven statistical highlights from NFL games played on Sunday, Nov. 24, the 12th week of the 2024 season.

With two games remaining in Week 12, seven games were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter and five games were decided by eight-or-fewer points, including three teams – Cleveland, Kansas City and Minnesota – that recorded a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter or in overtime. There have been 82 games decided by six-or-fewer points this season, the most such games through Week 12 in NFL history.

KC deated Carolina, 30-27, to improve to 10-1 this season as head coach Andy Reid became the third coach all-time with 19 seasons with 10-or-more wins, joining Bill Belichick (20 seasons with 10-or-more wins) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula (20).

Reid has 10 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins, the second-longest such streak in NFL history, trailing only Bill Belichick (17 consecutive seasons from 2003-19 with New England).

Detroit defeated Indianapolis, 24-6, to improve to 10-1 this season, the first time in 90 years that the team has won 10 of its first 11 games (began 10-1 in 1934). The Lions, who tied a franchise record with 12 wins last year, have won at least 10 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Including the postseason, Detroit has rushed for a touchdown in 25 consecutive games, the longest such streak in NFL history.

Detroit has rushed for a touchdown in 22 consecutive regular-season games, surpassing the 1974-76 Miami Dolphins (21 consecutive regular-season games) for the third-longest such streak in NFL history. Only the 1959-62 Green Bay Packers (35 consecutive regular-season games) and 2003-05 San Francisco 49ers (24) have longer such streaks.

Minnesota (9-2) defeated Chicago, 30-27, in overtime and Green Bay (8-3) defeated San Francisco, 38-10, in Week 12. Along with Detroit (10-1), the 2024 NFC North is the first division since 2002 with three teams each having at least eight wins in the first 12 weeks of the season.

Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two touchdowns and David Montgomery rushed for one touchdown in the Lions’ 24-6 win at Indianapolis.

Montgomery, with 11 rushing touchdowns this season and 13 rushing touchdowns last season, and Gibbs, with 10 rushing touchdowns in 2024 and 10 rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2023, are the first pair of running back teammates each with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons in NFL history.

Montgomery and Gibbs joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame duo of Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor (1960-61 with Green Bay) as the only running back teammates each with at least 10 scrimmage touchdowns in consecutive seasons in NFL history.

Montgomery and Gibbs are the fourth pair of running back teammates in the Super Bowl era to each rush for a touchdown in five games in a season, joining Tennessee’s Chris Johnson and LenDale White (six games in 2008), Detroit’s D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams (five in 2022) and Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter (five in 2003).

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 269 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 120.2 rating while tight end Travis Kelce had six receptions for 62 yards in the Chiefs’ 30-27 win at Carolina.

Mahomes has 24 career games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tied with Russell Wilson (24 games) for the most such games by a player in his first eight seasons in NFL history.

Mahomes has 73 career games with at least two touchdown passes and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (72 games) and Russell Wilson (72) for the second-most such games by a player in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (74 games) has more.

Kelce has 11,897 regular-season receiving yards and surpassed Antonio Gates (11,841 receiving yards) for the third-most regular-season receiving yards by a tight end all-time. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (15,127 receiving yards) and Jason Witten (13,046) have more.

Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had 10 receptions and linebacker Micah Parsons had two sacks while both wide receiver KaVontae Turpin and safety Juanyeh Thomas recorded kickoff-return touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 34-26 win at Washington.

Lamb has 12 career games with at least 10 receptions, tied with Brandon Marshall (12 games) for the second-most such games by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history. Only Michael Thomas (18 games) has more.

Lamb has 77 receptions this season and joined Jarvis Landry as the only players in NFL history with at least 70 receptions in each of his first five seasons.

Parsons has 13 career games with at least two sacks, tied with Elvis Dumervil (13 games), Tim Harris (13) and Aldon Smith (13) for the fifth-most such games by a player in his first four seasons since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White (22 games) and Richard Dent (16) as well as J.J. Watt (15) and Simeon Rice (14) have more.

Turpin, who had a 60-yard punt-return touchdown in Week 1, is the first player since Jamal Agnew (2019 with Detroit) with both a kick-return touchdown and punt-return touchdown in the same season.

Dallas became the first team since the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 of the 2022 season with multiple kick-return touchdowns in a game.

Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. recorded his second sack of the season in the Buccaneers’ 30-7 win at the New York Giants and became the third defensive back with at least two sacks in each of his first five seasons since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, joining Adam Archuleta and Keith Bostic.

New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers had six catches for 64 yards in Week 12 and became the first player ever with at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards in eight of his first nine career games.

Nabers has 67 receptions this season and surpassed Puka Nacua (64 receptions) for the most receptions by a player in his first nine games in NFL history.

Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels totaled 349 yards (275 passing, 74 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in Week 12.

Daniels joins Marcus Mariota (Week 13, 2015) as the only rookie quarterbacks all-time with at least 250 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a game.

Daniels, who has 2,613 passing yards and 556 rushing yards this season, is the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history with at least 2,500 passing yards and 500 rushing yards, joining Robert Griffin III (2012), Kyler Murray (2019) and Cam Newton (2011).

Additional notes from Sunday include:

Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 38-10 win over San Francisco.

Jacobs has 944 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns this season and became the fourth player since 2000 with at least 800 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in each of his first six career seasons, joining Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.

Arizona tight end Trey McBride had 12 receptions for 133 yards in Week 12.

McBride became the third tight end in NFL history with at least five receptions in nine consecutive road games, joining Travis Kelce (10 consecutive road games from 2019-20) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (nine from 2004-05).

Las Vegas rookie tight end Brock Bowers had four receptions and defensive end Maxx Crosby had three tackles for loss in Week 12.

Bowers has 74 receptions this season – the most by a Raiders rookie all-time, tied with Jeremy Shockey (74 receptions in 2002 with the New York Giants) for the third-most receptions by a rookie tight end in NFL history. Only Sam LaPorta (86 receptions in 2023 with Detroit) and Keith Jackson (81 in 1988 with Philadelphia) have more.

Crosby has 102 tackles for loss in 93 career games, tied with Von Miller (93 games) as the third-fastest player since 2000 to reach 100 career tackles for loss, trailing only J.J. Watt (64) and Aaron Donald (81).