This Week in NFL History: Jan. 18 to Jan. 24

Welcome to This Week in NFL History! Every week, the NFL Research team will spotlight the anniversaries of notable events and birthdays.

Jan. 18

• HOF Lynn Swann (161 rec yards and 1 rec TD) led the Steelers to consecutive Super Bowl wins in 21-17 Super Bowl X win vs the Cowboys to conclude the 1975 season

- Swann: 4 rec, 161 rec yards & 1 rec TD (Set then-record for most rec yards in a Super Bowl, now ranks as 4th-most rec yards in a Super Bowl), named Super Bowl MVP

- Second of the Steelers’ 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 seasons from 1974-1979

• HOF Kurt Warner (4 pass TD) led the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history with 32-25 win vs the Eagles in the 2008 NFC Championship Game

- Warner: 21-28, 279, 4 pass TD & 145.7 passer rating (Set ARI playoff single-game records for comp pct and pass TD, broke both records in 2010 WC Round)

- ARI WR Larry Fitzgerald: 9 rec, 152 rec yards & 3 rec TD (Set ARI playoff single-game record for rec TD, 1 of 3 players since at least 1950 with 150+ rec yards & 3+ rec TD in a playoff game joining HOFers Fred Biletnikoff in 1968 and Tom Fears 1950)

- PHI QB Donovan McNabb: 375 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 INT and 97.4 passer rating

Notable Birthdays: DE Julius Peppers (41), TB RB Leonard Fournette (26) and CIN WR Tee Higgins (22)

Jan. 19

• SF RB Raheem Mostert became the only player in NFL postseason history with 200+ rush yards (220) & 4+ rush TD (4) as he ran the 49ers into Super Bowl LIV in their 37-20 win vs the Packers in the 2019 NFC Championship Game

- Mostert: 29 carries, 220 rush yards & 4 rush TD (Also became 1st player to run for 150+ rush yards and 3+ rush TD in a single half of a playoff game, did so in 1st half)

- 49ers became the third team in the Super Bowl era to reach the Super Bowl one season after having 4 or fewer wins (Also 1999 Rams & 1988 Bengals)

• Eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks topped the defending NFC Champion 49ers with 23-17 win in 2013 NFC Championship Game

- SF QB Colin Kaepernick's potential game-winning throw to SF WR Michael Crabtree in the end zone was deflected by SEA CB Richard Sherman & intercepted by SEA LB Malcolm Smith; led to infamous postgame interview with Richard Sherman and Erin Andrews

- SEA QB Russell Wilson: 215 pass yards, 1 pass TD & 104.6 passer rating

- Kaepernick: 153 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INT and 56.4 passer rating; 11 carries & 130 rush yards (1 of 2 players since 1950 with 130+ pass yards and 130+ rush yards in a playoff game; also BAL QB Lamar Jackson)

• Eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots prevailed in the “Tuck Rule game” OT 16-13 win vs Raiders in the 2001 AFC Divisional Round

- Patriots trailed 13-10 with 1:50 left to play when Tom Brady was hit as he was throwing, which was then initially ruled as a fumble recovered by the Raiders

- Booth review overturned the call due to the “Tuck Rule” and the Patriots ended the drive with a game-tying 45-yard field goal, would win game in OT on 23-yard field goal

• The Ravens hired Brian Billick to be their head coach in 1999

     - 80-64 W-L record (5-3 playoff W-L record) in 9 seasons

     - Super Bowl XXXV champion (Defeated the Giants 34-7 to win Ravens’ first Super Bowl in team history)

     - Enshrined in Ravens Ring of Honor in 2019

Notable Birthdays: HOF Joe Schmidt, HOF Junior Seau, HOF Walter Jones (47) and IND RB Jonathan Taylor (22)

Jan. 20

• - HOF Terry Bradshaw won his second straight Super Bowl MVP in the Steelers’ 31-19 win vs the Rams in Super Bowl XIV to conclude the 1979 season

     - Bradshaw: 14-21, 309 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 3 INT & 101.9 passer rating (1 of 2 players to win back-to-back Super Bowl MVP awards; also Bart Starr in Super Bowls I & II)

     - Fourth of the Steelers’ 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 seasons from 1974-1979

• HOF Joe Montana outdueled HOF Dan Marino to win his 2nd of 4 Super Bowls in the 49ers’ 38-16 win vs the Dolphins Super Bowl XIX to conclude the 1984 season

     - Montana: 331 pass yards, 3 pass TD and 127.2 passer rating

     - Marino: 318 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INT, 66.9 passer rating

• The Patriots won their 18th game in a row in their 21-12 win vs the Chargers in the 2007 AFC Championship Game

     - Longest single-season winning streak in NFL history

     - NE QB Tom Brady: 209 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 3 INT and 66.4 passer rating

     - SD QB Philip Rivers : 211 pass yards, 2 INT & 46.1 passer rating (played through torn ACL)

     - HOF LaDainian Tomlinson: 2 carries & 5 rush yards (tried to play through sprained MCL)

• The Packers came up short of a Super Bowl appearance in HOF Brett Favre’s final GB home game in their 23-20 OT loss vs the Giants in the 2007 NFC Championship Game

     - Favre: 236 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 2 INT & 70.7 passer rating (Threw INT in OT on his final pass as a Packer)

     - Favre is the Packers’ all-time leader in pass yards (61,655) & pass TD (442)

     - NYG QB Eli Manning : 251 pass yards & 72.0 passer rating

• Notable Birthdays: CHI QB Nick Foles (32)

Jan. 21

• IND QB Peyton Manning and the eventual Super Bowl champion Colts rallied back from a 21-6 halftime deficit to defeat NE QB Tom Brady and the Patriots in the 2006 AFC Championship Game

     - Manning: 349 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT and 79.1 passer rating; 2 carries & 1 rush TD

     - Brady: 232 pass yards, 1 pas TD, 1 INT and 79.5 passer rating

     - Largest comeback in conference final in NFL postseason history

• The Bears defense (4 takeaways) powers past Drew Brees the Saints as the Bears earn their first Super Bowl appearance since 1985 in their 39-14 win in the 2006 NFC Championship Game

     - Only the 1985 Bears (6 takeaways) forced more turnovers in a single Bears playoff game in the Super Bowl Era

     - Brees: 354 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 1 INT & 83.2 passer rating

• Notable Birthdays: HOF George Connor

Jan. 22

• Super Bowl MVP Jerry Rice became the only player with 200+ receiving yards (215) in the Super Bowl in the 49ers’ 20-16 win vs the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII to conclude the 1988 season

- Rice: 11 receptions, 215 receiving yards & 1 receiving TD; named Super Bowl MVP

• The Steelers hired Mike Tomlin as head coach in 2007

     - Became the youngest head coach (36 years, 323 days) in NFL history to win a Super Bowl when the Steelers defeated the Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII

     - 145-78-1 record since 2007 is third-best in NFL behind Patriots (169-55) and Packers (145-77-2)     

- Never had a losing season in his 14 seasons as the Steelers head coach (T-most such seasons to begin a coaching career with Marty Schottenhiemer)

• The eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants defeated the 49ers 20-17 in OT following WR Kyle Williams fumble on an OT punt return in the 2011 NFC Championship Game

     - Williams fumbled after the 49ers forced the Giants to punt after their 1st possession of OT (Giants K Lawrence Tynes made GW 31-yard FG 5 plays after Williams’ fumble)

     - NYG QB Eli Manning: 316 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 82.3 passer rating

     - SF QB Alex Smith: 196 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 97.6 passer rating

Notable Birthdays: HOF Lou Creekmur, HOF Joe Perry, CB Bucky Brooks (50), PHI T Jason Peters (39) and NYG T Andrew Thomas (22)

Jan. 23

• GB QB Aaron Rodgers won first and only NFC Championship to date in the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers’ 21-14 win at the Bears in the 2010 NFC Championship Game

     - Earned first Packers’ Super Bowl appearance since the 1997 season when the Packers lost Super Bowl XXXII vs the Broncos

     - Rodgers: 244 pass yards, 2 INT & 55.4 passer rating; 7 carries, 39 rush yards and 1 rush TD (1-3 in NFC Championship Games)

     - CHI QB Jay Cutler suffered an MCL sprain that caused him to leave the game in the second quarter and not return

• TEN QB Steve McNair led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history in 33-14 win at Jaguars in 1999 AFC Championship Game

- McNair: 112 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT & 69.5 passer rating; 9 carries, 91 rush yards & 2 rush TD

• The Steelers earned their eighth Super Bowl appearance (then-most in NFL) with 24-19 win vs Jets in 2010 AFC Championship Game

     - The Patriots have since earned five more Super Bowl appearances, running their total to 11 (Both franchises have the T-most Super Bowl wins with 6) 

- PIT RB Rashard Mendenhall: 27 carries, 121 rush yards & 1 rush TD

- NYJ QB Mark Sanchez: 233 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 102.2 passer rating

• Notable Birthdays: HOF Jerry Kramer (85), HOF Kevin Mawae (50), WR Eric Metcalf (53) and TB LB Lavonte David (31)

Jan. 24

• NO QB Drew Brees outdueled HOF Brett Favre to send the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints to their first Super Bowl in franchise history in the Saints’ 31-28 OT win vs the Vikings in the 2009 NFC Championship Game

     - Saints kicked FG on first possession of OT to win, led to OT rule change that allows for both teams to receive a possession if a team kicks a FG on the 1st possession of OT

     - Brees: 197 pass yards, 3 pass TD & 106.5 passer rating

     - Favre: 310 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INT & 70.0 passer rating

• Peyton Manning defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots in their final meeting to send the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos to Super Bowl 50 in their 20-18 win vs the Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship Game

     - Manning: 176 pass yards, 2 pass TD & 90.1 passer rating (Finished career with 3-2 record vs Brady & Patriots in playoffs)

     - Brady: 310 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INT & 56.4 passer rating

• Notable Birthdays: HOF Bobby Beathard (84), LAR HC Sean McVay (35), TB T Tristan Wirfs (22), LV WR Henry Ruggs III (22) and NYG DC Patrick Graham (42)