NFL Insider: Who’s hot, who’s not and more
Who’s hot
Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson has 19 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns the past two games. For the season, he has 57 receptions for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
Who’s not
Miami Dolphins right tackle Dallas Thomas allowed 3.5 sacks last week against the Baltimore Ravens. He has made eight starts this season and allowed seven sacks, according to STATS.
Numbers game
488 Regular-season pass attempts by Alex Smith and Chase Daniel since a Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver caught a touchdown pass. The last one came on Dec. 8, 2013, when Smith and Dwayne Bowe connected on a 22-yard score.
2015 NFL Draft
Dane Brugler of CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com gives his projected top 10 based on the current draft order. (Note: The winner of the NFC South can draft no higher than 21st.):
1. Bucs: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2. Titans: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
3. Jaguars: Leonard Williams, DT, USC
4. Jets: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
5. Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
6. Redskins: Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa
7. Giants: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
8. Panthers: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
9. Bears: Landon Collins, FS, Alabama
10. Saints: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Blitz
Johnny Manziel becomes the 21st quarterback to start a game for the Cleveland Browns since 1999.
Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy, who began the season as a third-stringer, has been sacked 17 times in 138 dropbacks.
Browns receiver Josh Gordon caught eight passes in his first game back from a 10-game suspension. He caught seven in his second game and only two last week.
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles needs 102 yards for his fifth 1,000-yard rushing season and his third in a row. Charles has 898 yards in 11 1/2 games, with an ankle injury keeping him out of the second half of the Denver game in Week 2 and the Miami game.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell needs to average 153 rushing yards per game over the final three to tie Barry Foster’s team record of 1,690.
The San Francisco 49ers are 10-point underdogs against Seattle. They had never previously been a double-digit underdog in the Jim Harbaugh era.
The only double-digit favorite to lose this season was San Francisco, which was favored by 10 1/2 points over St. Louis on Nov. 2 and lost 13-10. Pregame.com reports that since 2000, double-digit favorites have won 85 percent of the time (399-67-1).
The Houston Texans have never won in Indianapolis, going 0-12 all time.
Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt has 14.5 sacks and 40.5 hits on the quarterback. Elvis Dumervil (40) and Von Miller (40) are tied for second in the league in sacks and hits on the quarterback. Justin Houston has 35, including 16 sacks.
The Green Bay Packers are 0-5 at Buffalo, last playing there in 2006, Mike McCarthy’s first season as coach.
The New England Patriots have won 10 or more games in 12 consecutive seasons. It’s the second-longest such streak in NFL history, trailing only San Francisco’s 16-year streak from 1983-1998.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is 2-2 against quarterbacks making their first NFL start.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck leads the NFL in passing with 4,305 passing yards. His 12,501 yards are the most by any player in his first three NFL seasons.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr needs 14 completions to become the sixth rookie in NFL history to complete 300 passes in a season.
Ron Rivera is 12-3 in the month of December since the Carolina Panthers hired him in 2011.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has 21 turnovers, including 15 interceptions.
The 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick does not have a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter this season, the only qualified quarterback without one.
Information from The Sports Xchange was used in this report.
This story was originally published December 13, 2014 at 7:01 PM with the headline "NFL Insider: Who’s hot, who’s not and more."