This article was written by JOSH DUBOW, a writer for the Associated Press who covers professional football.

Each week, Inside the Numbers delves into statistics, streaks, and trends in the NFL. For additional Inside the Numbers content, visit this source.

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The San Francisco 49ers and their extensive collection of talented players achieved a unique accomplishment.

The Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions may soon join them.

George Kittle, the tight end for the Niners, has joined the ranks of Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel as the latest player to surpass 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season.

This accomplishment made San Francisco only the sixth team in history to have four players reach that milestone in a single season. The other teams to achieve this were the 2020 Carolina Panthers, 2004 Indianapolis Colts, 1995 Atlanta Falcons, 1990 Houston Oilers, and 1989 Washington.

McCaffrey leads the way with 2,023 yards for the fifth-best total in franchise history. It is the second time he has eclipsed 2,000 yards from scrimmage after doing it with Carolina in 2019. He joins Erik Dickerson and Marshall Faulk as the only players to do it with two franchises.

Brock Purdy, a quarterback for San Francisco, became the first player in franchise history to pass for 4,280 yards in a single season, surpassing Jeff Garcia’s record of 4,278 yards in 2000.

Out of the past teams that had four players with 1,000 yards, the Colts, Falcons, and Oilers were the only ones to also have a passer with 4,000 yards.

If rookie De’Von Achane gains 64 yards next week, the Dolphins will be able to join a group of players that includes Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, and Jaylen Waddle, all of whom have at least 1,000 yards. Tua Tagovailoa has already surpassed 4,000 passing yards.

The Lions have a slim chance as well, but they would rely on rookie Sam LaPorta gaining 136 yards to join Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and David Montgomery in reaching at least 1,000 scrimmage yards. Jared Goff has already surpassed 4,000 passing yards.

The Kansas City Chiefs secured their eighth consecutive AFC West championship with a victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.

This is the second longest consecutive achievement in NFL history, with only New England’s 11 consecutive division titles from 2009-2019 ahead of it.

Kansas City has achieved nine consecutive playoff appearances, which is equal to the record held by Indianapolis (2002-2010) and Dallas (1975-1983). This impressive streak is second only to the Patriots’ 11-year streak.

The AFC West has been consistently dominated by the Chiefs, while no team in the NFC East has been able to achieve the same level of success. Should the Cowboys emerge victorious on Sunday, or if the Eagles suffer a loss, it will continue the trend of no team successfully defending their division title for 19 consecutive seasons. The last time this feat was achieved was by Philadelphia in 2003-04.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin extended his impressive streak of never having a losing record after the Steelers beat Seattle for their ninth win of the season.

For 20 consecutive seasons, the Steelers have not had a losing record, which is just one season less than Dallas’ record from 1965 to 1985. Tomlin has been the coach for 17 of those seasons, ranking behind only Tom Landry (21 seasons) and Bill Belichick (19 seasons) for the longest streaks as a coach.

The New England Patriots will conclude their season by facing their most frequent rival, with hopes of securing a 16th consecutive victory against the New York Jets.

Only four teams have ever beaten an opponent 16 straight times in the regular season. Kansas City’s 16-game streak against Denver ended earlier this season.

Between 1968 and 1997, Washington achieved a string of 16 consecutive wins against Detroit. From 1990 to 1998, San Francisco also bested the Rams in 17 back-to-back games. Similarly, Miami had a remarkable winning streak of 20 games against Buffalo from 1970 to 1979.

In the event of a Patriots defeat, more than just their winning streak will be at stake. It would also mark Belichick’s 178th career loss, including playoff games, putting him on par with Landry for the most all-time. A loss on Sunday would also tie the record held by Jeff Fisher and Dan Reeves for the most regular-season losses at 165.

Joe Flacco went from sitting on his couch to being in the Cleveland Browns’ huddle, resulting in one of the most successful months for a quarterback.

In December, Flacco played his first game for Cleveland after not playing at all during the season. He passed for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns, contributing to the Browns’ four wins out of five games and securing a spot in the playoffs. Flacco threw more touchdown passes in December than the Jets (11), Titans (12), and Steelers (12) have thrown all season.

This was only the fifth instance in NFL history where a quarterback achieved a minimum of 1,600 passing yards and 13 touchdowns in a single month. The previous instances were by Patrick Mahomes in October 2018, Peyton Manning in November 2014 and December 2013, and Jim Kelly in September 1991.

In the last four games of Cleveland’s winning streak, Flacco has achieved 300 passing yards and two or more touchdowns in each game. This feat has only been accomplished by Manning (twice), Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Kurt Warner during a four-game winning streak in a single season since 2000.

For the second year in a row, the Chicago Bears have been awarded the top pick in the draft. Unlike last year, they did not have to suffer multiple losses in order to secure it.

The Carolina Panthers secured the lowest record in the NFL in under 10 months after exchanging their 2024 first-round pick with Chicago to move up from No. 9 to No. 1 in last year’s draft.

In 1983, the last time a team traded the pick that ultimately became No. 1 before the season was when Cincinnati traded quarterback Jack Thompson to Tampa Bay.

In 1983, the Buccaneers had a record of 2-14 and were required to give up their first draft pick in 1984 to Cincinnati. The Bengals then transferred that pick to New England, who used it to select Irving Fryar as the top pick.

Five years prior, a similar event occurred when San Francisco exchanged the pick that ultimately became the No. 1 overall pick for O.J. Simpson with Buffalo.

The Bills selected Tom Cousineau in the draft, but he ultimately chose to play in Canada instead of signing with Buffalo. He later returned to the NFL and was traded to Cleveland.

The 1979 draft proved successful for San Francisco, even without the first overall pick. The team selected Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana in the third round.

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The AP NFL can be found at: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL.

Source: wralsportsfan.com