NFL – WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 17

GREEN BAY – SPORTS – The National Football League is heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

Here is what to look for heading into Week 17

RACE TO 5,000: New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES (4,858), Washington quarterback KIRK COUSINS (4,630) and Atlanta quarterback MATT RYAN (4,613) are the NFL’s top three passing yardage leaders this season.

Brees, Cousins and Ryan can each reach 5,000 yards passing on Sunday and would become the second trio of quarterbacks to reach 5,000 passing yards in the same season, joining Brees (5,476), TOM BRADY (5,235) and MATTHEW STAFFORD (5,038) who all accomplished the feat in 2011.

The quarterbacks with 5,000 passing yards in a season:

Brees, who has recorded four of the NFL’s eight 5,000-yard passing seasons, is the only quarterback in league history to pass for at least 5,000 yards in multiple seasons.

— NFL —

BRADY BARELY BLEMISHED: New England quarterback TOM BRADY has passed for 25 touchdowns with two interceptions and leads the NFL with a 12.5 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.

With three touchdowns and no interceptions at Miami on Sunday, Brady would have the highest single-season touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history (minimum 20 passing touchdowns).

The highest single-season touchdown-to-interception ratios in NFL history (minimum 20 passing touchdowns):

— NFL —

ZOOMING ZEKE: Dallas rookie running back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT leads the NFL with 1,631 rushing yards, the third-highest rushing total by a rookie in NFL history.

With 69 rushing yards at Philadelphia on Sunday, Elliott would become the second rookie in NFL history with 1,700 rushing yards in a season. Elliott needs 178 rushing yards against the Eagles to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (1,808) as the NFL’s all-time rookie rushing leader.

The rookies with the most rushing yards in NFL history:

Elliott ranks second in the league with 1,994 yards from scrimmage (1,631 rushing, 363 receiving), the third-highest total by a rookie in NFL history.

With six scrimmage yards on Sunday, Elliott would become the third rookie in NFL history to reach 2,000 scrimmage yards, joining Dickerson (2,212 in 1983) and EDGERRIN JAMES (2,139 in 1999).

The rookies with the most yards from scrimmage in NFL history:

— NFL —

DAK DAZZLES: Dallas quarterback DAK PRESCOTT leads all rookie quarterbacks with 3,630 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes and a 105.6 passer rating this season while helping guide the Cowboys to a 13-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

With a victory at Philadelphia on Sunday, Prescott would record his 14th win as a starting quarterback, passing BEN ROETHLISBERGER (13 in 2004) for the most by a rookie starting quarterback in NFL history.

Prescott (23) needs four touchdown passes on Sunday to surpass PEYTON MANNING (26) and RUSSELL WILSON (26) for the most touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.

The most touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback in NFL history:

Prescott has thrown only four interceptions in 451 passing attempts this season and ranks third among qualifying quarterbacks with a 0.9 interception percentage, trailing only TOM BRADY (0.5 percent) and SAM BRADFORD (0.8 percent).

Prescott is on pace to record the lowest interception percentage by a rookie quarterback in NFL history (minimum 200 passing attempts).

The rookie quarterbacks with the lowest interception percentages in NFL history (minimum 200 attempts):

— NFL —

PROLIFIC PASSERS: Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS passed for 347 yards with four touchdown passes for a 136.6 passer rating and added a rushing touchdown in the Packers’ 38-25 win vs. Minnesota last week. Rodgers leads the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns this season. New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES ranks second in the league with 35 touchdown passes in 2016.

With four touchdown passes at Detroit on Sunday Night Football, Rodgers would become the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least 40 touchdown passes in multiple seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (1984, 1986), PEYTON MANNING (2004, 2013) and Brees (2011, 2012).

With five touchdown passes at Atlanta on Sunday, Brees can become the first quarterback in NFL history with three seasons of at least 40 touchdown passes.

The quarterbacks with at least 40 touchdown passes in multiple seasons:

— NFL —

GOOD COMPANY: Green Bay wide receiver JORDY NELSON had 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 16.

Nelson, who has 91 catches for 1,191 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdown receptions this season, can become the fifth player in NFL history to record at least 100 catches, 1,200 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches in a single season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers CRIS CARTER (1995), JERRY RICE (1995) and MARVIN HARRISON (2001) and RANDY MOSS (2003).

The players with at least 100 catches, 1,200 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches in a season:

— NFL —

ROCKING RAIDER: Oakland wide receiver AMARI COOPER has 78 catches for 1,110 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

With one touchdown catch on Sunday at Denver, Cooper would become the third player in NFL history to have at least 70 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in each of his first two career seasons, joining ODELL BECKHAM JR. (2014-2015) and MARQUES COLSTON (2006-2007).

The players with at least 70 catches, 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in each of their first two seasons:

— NFL —

RINGING THE BELL: Pittsburgh running back LE’VEON BELL ranks third in the NFL with 1,884 yards from scrimmage (1,268 rushing, 616 receiving) this season, despite only appearing in 12 games.

With 116 yards from scrimmage against Cleveland on Sunday, Bell, who had 2,215 scrimmage yards in 2014, can become the seventh player in NFL history to record multiple seasons with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards in his first four career seasons.

The most seasons with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards in a player’s first four seasons:

Bell leads the NFL with a 157.0 scrimmage yards per game average in 2016, the third-highest single-season average in NFL history.

The highest single-season scrimmage yards per game averages in NFL history:

— NFL —

CATCH IT LIKE BECKHAM: New York Giants wide receiver ODELL BECKHAM JR. had 11 catches for 150 yards in the Giants’ Week 16 loss to Philadelphia, his 19th career game with at least 100 receiving yards, tying RANDY MOSS (19) for the most by a player in his first three seasons.

With 100 receiving yards at Washington on Sunday, Beckham would become the only player in NFL history with 20 career games of at least 100 receiving yards in his first three seasons.

The most 100-yard receiving games by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history: