AFC NEWS

AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

FOR USE AS DESIRED		FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
AFC-N-13 11/9/04		CONTACT: STEVE ALIC (212/450-2066)

SEASON’S SECOND HALF KICKS OFF: AFC PROJECTIONS

BALTIMORE: Club is on pace for its fourth double-digit win total in the past five seasons, led by QB KYLE BOLLER…… Offense (154) is on pace to surpass 300 points scored for the sixth consecutive season under head coach BRIAN BILLICK ……S ED REED has four interceptions and with four more will surpass the Ravens’ record of seven in a season, shared by Reed (2003) and ROD WOODSON (1999)……LB TERRELL SUGGS (7.5) stands second in the AFC in sacks and is on track to tie the club record of 15.0 held by LB PETER BOULWARE (2001).

BUFFALO: RB WILLIS MC GAHEE has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his three starts, averaging 115.0 yards. If McGahee can maintain that average, he will gain 1,393 yards, which would be the second-most yards by a Buffalo player in the past 10 seasons and the seventh-most in team history……KR-CB TERRENCE MC GEE leads the AFC in kickoff-return average (27.3) and may become the first Bills player to lead the AFC in the category since 1982 (MIKE MOSLEY, 27.1).

CINCINNATI: RB RUDI JOHNSON leads the team with 683 rushing yards. Johnson is on pace to rush for 1,366 yards, which would be the second-most yards by a Cincinnati player in club history (COREY DILLON, 1,435, 2000)……CB TORY JAMES tops the NFL with five interceptions. The last Bengal to lead the NFL in interceptions was KEN RILEY in 1983, with eight……K SHAYNE GRAHAM (68) is poised to set a club record for points, currently held by kicker DOUG PELFREY, who posted 121 in 1995.

CLEVELAND: QB JEFF GARCIA is on track to pass for 3,056 yards, which would be the most by a Cleveland QB since BERNIE KOSAR in 1991 (3,487). Garcia has rushed for two touchdowns through eight games. The last Browns QB to rush for four was BRIAN SIPE (1974)……Cleveland is out-rushing opponents 934 yards to 858. The Browns last out-rushed their opponents by as many as 152 yards for a season in 1987 (1,745 to 1,433), when the team was 10-5 and won its division……DE EBENEZER EKUBAN has 5.0 sacks and is on pace to surpass his career-high of 6.5.

DENVER: The Broncos’ offensive line has surrendered seven sacks through nine games, which would project to the fewest sacks allowed in a season in NFL history……QB JAKE PLUMMER is on pace to surpass several club passing records set by Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY. Plummer’s projections: 4,057 yards (Elway: 4,030, 1993); 33 TDs (Elway: 27, 1997); and 354 completions (Elway: 348, 1993).

HOUSTON: The Texans may become only the fourth team since 2000 to post a 4,000-yard passer (QB DAVID CARR, 2,162) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (WR ANDRE JOHNSON, 693; WR JABAR GAFFNEY, 411)……Rookie CB DUNTA ROBINSON has three interceptions and is vying to become the fifth rookie to lead the NFL in interceptions since 1970. Cincinnati CB James currently leads with five.

INDIANAPOLIS: QB PEYTON MANNING has passed for 26 TDs in eight games – the fewest games played in a season to reach that mark. Manning is on a pace that would topple the NFL record of 48 TD passes in a season, set by DAN MARINO of Miami in 1984. Manning (2,429) needs 2,571 yards in his final eight games to join Marino (5,084, 1984) as the only QBs in NFL history to pass for 5,000 in a season……DE DWIGHT FREENEY (6.0) needs 7.5 sacks in the final half of the season to eclipse his own franchise record of 13.0, which he set in 2002.

JACKSONVILLE: Club has won three games this season when trailing entering the final minute of regulation. The NFL record for the most such victories in a season is four (Arizona, 1996). The Jags are on track for their first double-digit win season since 1999 (14-2)……QB BYRON LEFTWICH has nine TD passes. The club-high of 20 was set by MARK BRUNELL twice (1998, 2000)……With 297 more receiving yards, WR JIMMY SMITH (703) will chalk up his eighth 1,000-yard season in the past nine years. Smith is the AFC’s receiving yards leader. He last led the conference in receiving yards in 1996 (1,244).

KANSAS CITY: Through eight games, RB PRIEST HOLMES leads the NFL in rushing yards (892) and rushing touchdowns (14). If he maintains this rate, Holmes will surpass his own all-time NFL record for the most rushing TDs in a season (27), which he accomplished last year, and would become the first rusher since Hall of Famer MARION MOTLEY (1950) to win the NFL’s rushing crown after entering the season aged 30 or older. Holmes began the season at age 31……QB TRENT GREEN has attained a 98.0 passer rating and is within reach of climbing past Hall of Famer LEN DAWSON (101.9 in 1966) for the highest single-season passer rating in club history.

MIAMI: TE RANDY MC MICHAEL leads the Dolphins with 43 receptions and can become the first Miami tight end to lead the team in catches for a season since RB-TE LARRY SEIPLE in 1969 (41 receptions)……The Dolphins’ defense is limiting opponents to a 28.2 percentage of success on third-down conversion tries, the lowest the team has posted in more than 25 seasons……Miami’s pass defense allows an average of 150.1 yards per game. This would mark the fewest passing yards allowed per game by the Dolphins since 1982 (114.1) when the club advanced to Super Bowl XVII.

NEW ENGLAND: The club (7-1) is on pace for its second-consecutive 14-win season……QB TOM BRADY (1,894) is on pace to set a career high in passing yards, besting his mark of 3,764 in 2002. With 15 touchdown passes thus far, Brady may become the second Patriots quarterback to reach 30 in a season (BABE PARILLI, 31, 1964)……RB COREY DILLON (798) is on pace to surpass the club-record for the most yards from scrimmage, held by RB CRAIG JAMES (1,587) in 1985.

NEW YORK: The Jets are 6-2 and project to match the franchise’s best record of 12-4, reached in 1998……RB CURTIS MARTIN (865) is on pace to reach 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first 10 seasons, joining Hall of Famer BARRY SANDERS as the only two players to accomplish the feat……CB TERRELL BUCKLEY, rookie S ERIK COLEMAN and S JON MC GRAW have two interceptions apiece. The three could become only the second Jets trio in the past 10 seasons to all reach at least four interceptions (2000).

OAKLAND: WR-KR DOUG GABRIEL has totaled 655 kickoff return yards and is on pace to register 1,163 yards on the season, which would be the second-most kick-return yards in a season in club history (DESMOND HOWARD; 1,318, 1997)……K SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI (61 points) is on track to become only the third player in Raiders annals to lead the team in scoring for five consecutive years (JEFF JAEGER, 1989-95; GEORGE BLANDA, 1967-73).

PITTSBURGH: Rookie QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER is on pace to surpass single-season club records in completion percentage (69.0 pct.; record is 62.1 by TOMMY MADDOX in 2002) and passer rating (105.2; record is 87.8 TERRY BRADSHAW, 1975). Roethlisberger is 6-0 as a starter and needs a win this week at Cleveland to set an NFL record for most victorious starts by a rookie QB to begin a career……RB DUCE STALEY (707) is projected to total the third-most rushing yards in Steelers history……WR HINES WARD (621 yards) is on pace to register a franchise-record fourth consecutive 1,000-receiving yard season.

SAN DIEGO: QB DREW BREES is zeroing in on club passing records for touchdowns and completion percentage. Brees (18) is on pace for 32 TDs, which would approach the franchise record of 33, set by Hall of Famer DAN FOUTS. Brees is completing 66.1 percent of his passes, which currently bests San Diego’s single-season mark of 65.7 (MARK HERMANN, 1985)……TE ANTONIO GATES leads the NFL with 54 receptions and tops the AFC with eight touchdown catches. The team record for the most TD catches by a tight end is 10, shared by WILLIE FRAZIER (1967) and Hall of Famer KELLEN WINSLOW (1981).

TENNESSEE: In his first year as a starter, RB CHRIS BROWN has rushed for 810 yards through eight games. Brown is on pace for 1,620 rushing yards, which would account for the most in club history since Hall of Famer EARL CAMPBELL ran for a franchise-record 1,934 yards (1980)……WRs DERRICK MASON (52) and DREW BENNETT (33) can become the team’s first duo to reach 65 catches apiece since 1994 (WEBSTER SLAUGHTER, 68; HAYWOOD JEFFIRES, 68).

Replace this text with your text.