50 Fun Facts About 2017 NFL Season

Which team lost all 16 games in 2017, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the NFL's only 0–16 teams?

The Cleveland Browns went winless a year after finishing 1–15. Fans marked the season with a mock parade whose route formed a circle, for the number zero.

Which backup quarterback took over Philadelphia's offense in December 2017 and was named MVP of Super Bowl LII?

Nick Foles had reportedly thought about retiring less than two years earlier. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns to beat New England 41–33.

What nickname stuck to the trick play on which the Eagles' quarterback caught a touchdown in Super Bowl LII?

The Philly Special had tight end Trey Burton throw the pass on fourth-and-goal just before halftime. A statue of the moment the play was called now stands at the Eagles' stadium.

Which Vikings receiver scored the last-play, 61-yard touchdown known as the Minneapolis Miracle in January 2018?

Stefon Diggs caught a 27-yard pass, kept his feet when a New Orleans safety missed the tackle, and ran in. No NFL playoff game had ever been won in regulation on a touchdown as time expired.

Which quarterback, at age 40, became the oldest MVP in NFL history for his 2017 season?

Tom Brady led the league with 4,577 passing yards, the oldest player ever to do so. He then threw for a Super Bowl record 505 yards and still lost.

Which quarterback did Kansas City trade up 17 spots to draft tenth overall in 2017?

Patrick Mahomes started just one game as a rookie, the Week 17 finale, while Alex Smith ran the offense. A year later he was the league's MVP.

Which Bengals quarterback got a flood of charity donations from Bills fans for ending their playoff drought?

Andy Dalton threw a touchdown with 44 seconds left to beat Baltimore, which put Buffalo in the playoffs. Most gifts came in $17 amounts, one dollar for each year of the drought.

What unusual object did referee Gene Steratore use to confirm a Dallas Cowboys first down in December 2017?

An index card, normally used for noting penalties, settled the measurement in Dallas's favor against Oakland. Steratore's last game as an official was Super Bowl LII, seven weeks later.

The 2017 NFL Draft was the first held entirely outdoors, on museum steps made famous by which film?

Rocky made the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art famous, and the draft's outdoor theater was built on them. More than 250,000 people attended, the most in draft history to that point.

Which singer headlined the Super Bowl LII halftime show in February 2018, his third appearance at the event?

Justin Timberlake paid tribute to Minneapolis native Prince, performing beside a video projection of him. His earlier halftime appearances came in 2001 and 2004.

NFL owners voted 31–1 in March 2017 to let the Oakland Raiders move to which city?

Las Vegas won the vote with only the Miami Dolphins opposed. The Raiders then played three more seasons in Oakland while their new stadium was built.

Which team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 and played in the NFL's smallest full-season venue since 1956?

The Chargers had last called the city home in 1960, their first season. Their temporary base was a suburban soccer stadium, where they stayed for three years.

Which unsigned quarterback filed a 2017 grievance accusing NFL owners of colluding to keep him out of the league?

Colin Kaepernick had started a Super Bowl for San Francisco five seasons earlier. He withdrew the grievance in 2019 after a confidential settlement with the league.

Which newly retired quarterback replaced Phil Simms as lead analyst in the CBS booth for the 2017 NFL season?

Tony Romo had lost his Dallas job to rookie Dak Prescott after a preseason back injury in 2016. In the booth he won praise for predicting plays before the snap.

Which Houston Texans star raised over $37 million for flood relief in 2017 after setting a goal of $200,000?

J.J. Watt was named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for the Hurricane Harvey appeal. His own season ended early when he broke his left leg.

What did the NFL's relaxed 2017 rules let players do again after scoring a touchdown?

Players could celebrate in groups again, use the ball as a prop and go to the ground. Dunking stayed banned, because it can knock the goalposts out of line.

Which company paid $50 million to stream ten Thursday Night Football games in 2017, taking over from Twitter?

Amazon put the streams behind its Prime subscription, where Twitter had shown the same games free around the world a year earlier.

Which star quarterback broke his collarbone on a hit from Minnesota's Anthony Barr in October 2017?

Aaron Rodgers needed surgery and played only once more that year. Green Bay went on to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Which second-year quarterback was an MVP candidate until he tore his ACL against the Rams in December 2017?

Carson Wentz finished with 33 touchdown passes in 13 starts, a club record at the time. His team won that day and kept winning without him.

Which running back ended a one-year retirement in 2017 to play for his hometown Oakland Raiders?

Marshawn Lynch had announced his retirement during Super Bowl 50 by posting a photo of cleats hanging from a wire. Seattle still held his rights and traded him to Oakland.

Which pop star sang the national anthem before Super Bowl LII while suffering from flu symptoms?

Pink was seen taking something out of her mouth just before she began, and it turned out to be a throat lozenge rather than gum.

Which pizza chain, whose founder blamed anthem protests for weak sales, lost its NFL sponsorship after the 2017 season?

Papa John's and the league parted ways within months of the remark. Pizza Hut became the NFL's official pizza in February 2018.

Which Eagles center gave a fiery speech at the Super Bowl LII victory parade while dressed as a Mummer?

Jason Kelce defended his teammates and coaches one by one and compared the city's fans to hungry dogs. Mummers are the costumed marchers of Philadelphia's New Year's Day parade.

By losing the NFC title game in January 2018, the Minnesota Vikings missed becoming the first team to do what?

No team had managed to play a Super Bowl at home, in its own stadium, until Tampa Bay did it three seasons later and won.

Which first-year head coach, hired at age 30, turned the NFL's lowest-scoring offense into its highest-scoring in 2017?

Sean McVay was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history when the Rams hired him. They scored 478 points, more than double their 224 of a year earlier, and he was named Coach of the Year.

Which Super Bowl-winning coach left television in January 2018 for a ten-year, $100 million deal with Oakland?

Jon Gruden had spent nine seasons as an analyst on Monday Night Football. His first spell with the Raiders ended when they traded him to Tampa Bay for draft picks and cash.

Which veteran quarterback was benched in November 2017, ending a streak of 210 consecutive starts?

Eli Manning sat out one game while Geno Smith started. Within two days the Giants had fired their head coach, and his interim replacement gave Manning the job back.

Which running back was named 2017 Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NFL in touchdowns and scrimmage yards?

Todd Gurley scored four touchdowns in a single December game, a 42–7 rout of Seattle. Two years earlier he had been the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Which backup quarterback did New England trade to San Francisco in October 2017 for a second-round pick?

Jimmy Garoppolo won all five of his starts for a team that had been 1–10. San Francisco then gave him what was, at the time, the richest contract in NFL history by annual pay.

Which rookie fumbled on his first NFL carry in 2017 but finished the season as the league's leading rusher?

Kareem Hunt shook off the fumble to gain 246 yards from scrimmage that night, the most in any NFL debut. He clinched the rushing title with a 35-yard run in the final week.

Which defensive tackle skipped training camp in a 2017 contract dispute, then won Defensive Player of the Year?

Aaron Donald reported to the Rams the day before the opener, sat that game out, and still took the award. It was the first of his three in four seasons.

Which rookie won 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year while splitting carries with Mark Ingram in New Orleans?

Alvin Kamara and his backfield partner became the first running-back teammates to each top 1,500 scrimmage yards in one season. Both were picked for the Pro Bowl.

Which Texas A&M pass rusher was the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft?

Myles Garrett missed the first four games of his rookie year, then recorded a sack on his very first NFL play. He went on to be named Defensive Player of the Year more than once.

Which team reached the AFC Championship Game in January 2018, a year after finishing 3–13?

The Jacksonville Jaguars rode a defense nicknamed Sacksonville to their first playoff berth in ten years. They fell one score short of the Super Bowl, losing 24–20 to New England.

Where did the Patriots and Raiders meet in November 2017, in a stadium that has staged two World Cup finals?

Mexico City's Estadio Azteca welcomed the Raiders as the home team for the second year running. New England won 33–8.

Which 2017 hurricane forced the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move their opener to November?

Irma pushed the game back to Week 11, which had been the bye week for both teams. Each club ended up playing 16 weeks in a row without a break.

Super Bowl LII set a record for any NFL game, regular season or playoffs, in which combined statistic?

Total yards reached 1,151 between the two teams. There was only one punt all night, and New England never punted at all.

Which Super Bowl XLIX hero did New England keep off the field for every defensive snap of Super Bowl LII?

Malcolm Butler had sealed Super Bowl XLIX with a goal-line interception. Three years on he appeared for a single special-teams play while his team gave up 41 points.

Which Tennessee Titans quarterback caught his own deflected pass for a touchdown in a January 2018 playoff win?

Marcus Mariota had his throw batted back by Kansas City's Darrelle Revis, caught it and scored. Tennessee came from 21–3 down at halftime to win 22–21.

Which second-year head coach, once a backup to Brett Favre, guided Philadelphia to the Super Bowl LII title?

Doug Pederson had been part of Green Bay's Super Bowl XXXI champions as a reserve quarterback. Two decades later he won the title as a coach with a backup of his own under center.

Which Steelers player, a former Army Ranger, stood alone outside the tunnel for the anthem in September 2017?

Alejandro Villanueva was a decorated Army captain, awarded the Bronze Star, before he reached the NFL. Within a day of the game his jersey was the top seller in the league's online store.

Which Philadelphia defensive end made the only sack of Super Bowl LII, a late strip of New England's quarterback?

Brandon Graham knocked the ball loose with just over two minutes left, and a rookie teammate fell on it. Neither defense had managed a sack all night until then.

Which tight end caught Philadelphia's go-ahead touchdown with 2:21 left in Super Bowl LII?

Zach Ertz lost the ball when he landed in the end zone, so the score stood only after a replay review. Officials ruled he had already become a runner when he crossed the goal line.

Which left tackle's streak of 10,363 consecutive snaps ended with a torn triceps in October 2017?

Joe Thomas had not missed a single play since entering the league in 2007. The injury ended his season, and he never played another down.

Which Pittsburgh tight end had a late go-ahead touchdown against New England overturned on review in December 2017?

Jesse James lost control of the ball as it hit the ground, the officials ruled. Pittsburgh threw an interception two plays later and lost 27–24.

Which running back won Super Bowl LII with Philadelphia a year after winning Super Bowl LI with New England?

LeGarrette Blount ran for 90 yards and a 21-yard touchdown against his old team. Only a handful of players have won consecutive Super Bowls with different franchises.

Which Arizona Cardinals pass rusher led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2017, then a franchise record?

Chandler Jones had arrived from New England in a trade a year earlier. The 17 sacks brought him first-team All-Pro honors and the Deacon Jones Award.

Which New Orleans cornerback, the eleventh pick of the 2017 draft, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year?

Marshon Lattimore had five interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, in 13 games. He went on to make four Pro Bowls with the Saints.

Which wide receiver was named 2017 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after tearing his ACL in Week 1 of 2016?

Keenan Allen had also lost the end of his 2015 season to a lacerated kidney. In 2017 he played all 16 games for the first time and caught 102 passes.

Which New England assistant took the Colts head coaching job in February 2018, then withdrew the same day?

Josh McDaniels decided to stay on as offensive coordinator after the Colts had already announced his hiring. His agent of many years dropped him over the reversal.