Here are 20 whimsical factoids — some positive, some negative — to digest before the Sunday/Monday slate of Week 6 games:
1. If the New England area should be ravaged by a monsoon late Sunday afternoon, please disregard the following nugget:
Of his last six outings against NFC clubs, Patriots QB Tom Brady boasts stellar averages of 333 yards passing and two touchdowns.
2. Of his last seven home games, Seahawks tailback Marshawn Lynch has superb averages of 125 total yards and 1.4 touchdowns. And that includes a 69-yard clunker against the Jaguars from Week 3.
3. Calvin Johnson gets a cautious endorsement for Sunday, the dual result of his injury-based absence from last week ... and the sublime talents of Browns cornerback Joe Haden.
However, Calvin has staggering averages of 8.5 catches, 153 yards and one TD in his last six outings against AFC foes.
4. There's a good news/bad news proposition involving Robert Griffin III against divisional foes: For his inaugural three games against the NFC East last year, RG3 notched 300 yards passing and/or four touchdowns each time.
Of his last four intra-division games, though, Griffin holds pedestrian averages of 238 total yards and 1.5 TDs.
5. Broncos QB Peyton Manning (1,884 yards passing, 20 TDs) boasts averages of 311 yards passing and 2.4 touchdowns in his last five outings against the Jaguars — all with the Colts.
6. Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (17 catches, 20 targets, 210 yards, one TD for Weeks 4/5) has registered either one touchdown, 100 yards receiving or double-digit targets in seven of his last eight games.
7. Redskins wideout Pierre Garcon (29 catches, 339 yards, two TDs) has tallied a touchdown or double-digit targets in every game this season.
8. For what it's worth, Frank Gore hasn't amassed 100 total yards against the Cardinals this decade (five games). Plus, Arizona currently ranks No. 3 against the rush, allowing just 79 yards per outing.
9. Philly quarterback Nick Foles (197 yards passing, two TDs in relief last week) likely won't replicate his 408-yard, three-TD outing against Tampa Bay from last season (his fourth NFL start).
The Buccaneers, even with their deplorable 0-4 record, have allowed per-game averages of only 17 points and 238 yards passing.
10. Adrian Peterson has notched 100 total yards and/or one touchdown in every game this season; and back in 2011, he pounded the Panthers for 159 total yards and two TDs.
(And yes, we're aware of reports that Peterson may miss Sunday's game, due to personal reasons.)
11. Through five games, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has amazingly thrown for either 400 yards or three touchdowns FOUR TIMES!
12. Jaguars wideout Justin Blackmon (five catches, 136 yards, one TD last week) has racked up double-digit targets and/or one touchdown in his last five games.
13. Here's something to pacify the pro-Cam crowd: Of his five career games against NFC North foes, Panthers QB Cam Newton has scintillating averages of 381 total yards and 2.2 touchdowns.
14. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (1,215 yards passing, five TDs) hasn't passed for 300 or more yards in 16 straight games, including the playoffs. And in that span, he accounted for multiple touchdowns only seven times. Ugh.
15. Ray Rice, who's fully healthy and riding high from last week's 102-yard, two-TD effort against the Dolphins, has averaged 138 total yards and one touchdown in his last four regular-season games against NFC foes.
16. Here's all the motivation you need to bypass Titans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on waivers:
The Seahawks are currently the NFL's No. 3 pass defense ... and Fitzpatrick holds lame averages of 213 yards passing and 0.7 touchdowns in his last six road starts (all with Buffalo).
17. PPR owners could do worse than starting Rams wideout Austin Pettis (22 catches, 222 yards, four TDs) against the Texans, the NFL's No. 1 pass defense. Of Pettis's last seven games, he tallied nine-plus targets or one touchdown six times.
18. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who has scored a touchdown in four straight outings — six total — draws an easy-cheesy matchup with the Redskins, the NFL's 28th ranked pass defense.
19. Here's some food for thought on Danny Woodhead, who currently ranks 1st in catches (31), 1st in receiving touchdowns (three), 2nd in targets (36) and 4th in receiving yards (220) — among running backs.
Woodhead, who has a clear path to starter reps against the Colts, has never logged 20 touches in a regular season game. (He accomplished the feat once with the Patriots during the 2010 playoffs.)
And last but not least ...
20. Of his last six home games, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles has averaged 137 total yards and 0.5 touchdowns. But there is some trepidation when predicting greatness for this weekend.
Check out this statistical anomaly or aberration: In two meetings with the Raiders last year, Charles accounted for ONLY 38 total yards.
Thirty-eight yards!
