5 Things We Learned About the NFL Over the Holidays

January 3, 2013 - 7:23 pm | Category: Sports

If you’ve been watching football over the holidays, you’ve seen some great stuff. This list of some of the highlights comes from our friends at Maxim.com:

1. We Just Watched One of the Greatest Seasons From a Running Back, Ever

Running backs who shred their knees into meat chunks don’t typically challenge the single season rushing record the next year. But the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson did just that. Coming just a tantalizing nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s 2,105-yard 1984 record, Peterson returned from a catastrophic injury in just eight months and ran rampant like a magical, football-carrying unicorn over a league that’s now known for passing.

2. … And From a Wide Receiver

Just because it’s a bombs-away league doesn’t mean Calvin Johnson’s season is anything to sneeze at. Megatron broke or tied three receiving records, the most important being Jerry Rice’s yards in a season. The Lions receiver racked up 1,964 yards and utterly demolished any talk of a “Madden Curse” on his season. Though perhaps the hex was just passed on to the Lions organization in general.

3. Nobody Knows Who Alfred Morris Is

But they should – the other Redskin rookie quietly put together a season that would have wowed the league if Adrian Peterson hadn’t been busy dumping 200 yard loads on opposing defenses every week. Second in rushing, Morris put up over 1,600 yards on the ground and would have been a lock for rookie of the year if his teammate and QB, RGIII, hadn’t had one of the great rookie QB seasons of all time. But there’s no doubt that the pair together brought the ‘Skins back to the playoffs for the first time in seven centuries (or what certainly feels like it).

4. And They Weren’t the Only Rookies to Dominate

Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, plus gosh darn kicker Blair Walsh, all had seasons worth remembering. Wilson and Luck will lead their teams to the playoffs while Walsh was 10-10 on 50+ yard field goals.

5. You Now Know The Chicago Bears’ Wi-Fi Password

Yes, it’s “Champs 2012″ (but of course it is).