Here are 20 whimsical factoids — some positive, some negative — to digest before the Sunday/Monday slate of Week 12 games:
1. Let's start with a mind-blowing stat:
Of his last four road games, Peyton Manning holds absurd averages of 359 yards passing and 3.5 touchdowns — consistent with his averages of 366 yards passing and 3.5 TDs in his last two trips to Foxboro (New England).
2. The amazing Matt Forte (1,148 total yards, eight TDs) has notched 95 total yards and/or one TD in 14 of his last 15 games with Chicago.
And when playing indoors, the Bears back holds sublime averages of 121 total yards and 0.5 touchdowns in his previous eight outings.
3. Charting November alone, spanning three games, Texans wideout Andre Johnson has amassed 24 catches, 42 targets, 382 yards and five touchdowns.
Johnson's four-game output from last November? Try 35 catches, 614 yards and one score.
4. For the Browns' last seven games, the opposing team's No. 1 receiver has averaged only 3.6 catches, 33 yards and 0.14 TDs — with the lion's share of credit going to Cleveland corner Joe Haden.
The seven contained receivers: Calvin Johnson, Torrey Smith, Dwayne Bowe, Jordy Nelson, Steve Johnson and A.J. Green (twice).
5. Of his last eight home games, dating back to last year, Lions QB Matthew Stafford (3,198 yards passing, 23 total TDs) holds supreme averages of 364 yards passing and two touchdowns.
6. Chiefs tailback Jamaal Charles (1,186 total yards, eight TDs) has rolled for 100 total yards and/or one touchdown in his last nine outings at Arrowhead Stadium.
On the negative end, Charles hasn't found the end zone since Week 7.
7. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (47 catches, 532 yards, four TDs) has impressively tallied 26 catches, 31 targets, 237 yards and two scores in his last two meetings with the Giants.
8. Of his previous six encounters with the rival Texans, Jaguars tailback Maurice Jones-Drew (610 total yards, four TDs) has reached the threshold of 100 total yards and/or one touchdown five times.
Within that realm, MJD also boasts robust averages of 110 total yards and 1.2 TDs.
9. Since Week 2, Giants receiver Victor Cruz has collected double-digit targets six times, bolstering his Q rating in PPR leagues. However, in that span, Cruz only has one touchdown.
10. The Dolphins haven't scored 30 or more points in 19 games — a streak that's currently longer than the anemic Jaguars (16 games of 29 or less).
As part of that limited firepower, Miami QB Ryan Tannehill (2,474 yards passing, 15 total TDs) has only racked up 300 total yards or three touchdowns twice in 13 career starts at home.
11. There are only three certainties in life: Death, taxes and Broncos tight end Julius Thomas reaching the end zone against conference foes.
Seriously, of his six games against AFC clubs, Thomas is a perfect 6 for 6 in hitting paydirt — with a total of seven in that realm.
12. It's impossible to ignore Adrian Peterson's sterling track record against the Packers, averaging 140 total yards and one touchdown in his last six meetings.
13. Lions wideout Calvin Johnson (59 catches, 1,083 yards, 11 TDs) boasts otherworldly averages of nine receptions, 187 yards and 1.8 touchdowns in his last four games.
As a bonus, Calvin has collected double-digit targets in six of his last seven outings (61 in that span).
14. Of his last five games, Rams tailback Zac Stacy has stealthily accounted for 90 total yards and/or one touchdown each time.
That's a good omen for anyone taking on the Bears — the NFL's 31st-ranked rush defense, surrendering 134 team yards per outing.
15. Panthers QB Cam Newton dusted the Patriots for 271 total yards and three scores on Monday — his fourth three-touchdown effort of the year.
In fact, of his last seven outings against AFC foes, Newton has posted multiple touchdowns each time.
16. Texans tailback Ben Tate (634 total yards, one TD) draws an elite-level weekly ranking (No. 3 among RBs) for two reasons:
Arian Foster is on the shelf with a back injury ... and Jacksonville has the NFL's worst run defense, allowing 140 team yards per outing.
17. Of his last seven games, Bears wideout Brandon Marshall has enjoyed six outings of double-digit targets, while finding the end zone six different times.
One quick note: The eight-year pro has never played a regular-season game at the Rams' home, the Edward Jones Dome.
18. Browns receiver Josh Gordon has already notched three outings of double-digit targets and four outings of 100-plus yards this season — which began with a two-game suspension.
Not bad for a guy with Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer (out for the season — torn ACL) as his primary quarterbacks.
For Week 12 purposes, the Steelers have surrendered 889 yards passing and 93 overall points in their last three games.
19. In case you haven't been paying attention ... Raiders tailback Rashad Jennings (668 total yards, two TDs) has notched 441 total yards and two scores in his last three outings.
And last but not least ...
20. There are two ways to approach Larry Fitzgerald's matchup with the Colts:
On the positive front, Indy has had the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense over the last five weeks, allowing an average of 289 yards through the air.
On the negative front, the Canton-bound Fitzgerald (in my mind, at least) has crafted a curious pattern of bad game/good game for four consecutive rotations.
Using that convoluted logic, Fitz is slated for a "bad" outing on Sunday, something in the pedestrian neighborhood of four catches and 45 yards. Ugh.
