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With the news that Tampa Bay defensive back Ronde Barber is retiring, let's turn to ESPN Stats & Information to put this spectacular career into some numerical perspective. Barber retires with a streak of 215 straight starts. That was the longest...

USA TODAY SportsBoth Percy Harvin and Anquan Boldin are headed west after being acquired via tradeThe two NFC West leaders from 2012 each traded for a wide receiver that will address a weakness from last season. Percy Harvin to Seattle Seahawks T...

Let's take a by-the-numbers look back at Atlanta Falcons' 30-28 playoff victory against Seattle with some help from ESPN Stats & Information and the Falcons' media relations department. The first time Matt Ryan faced a blitz by a Seattle defe...

It's a well-known fact that the Falcons will be trying to end a playoff drought when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Everyone is talking about how the Falcons are 0-3 in the postseason since the arrival of coach Mike Smith and quarterback ...

Atlanta coach Mike Smith probably doesn't get the credit he deserves and probably won't until he wins his first postseason game. But give Smith credit for one thing -- the man has shown he can win regular-season games at a historically fast pace. ...

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning showed the Washington Redskins and their rookie sensation, Robert Griffin III, that he's still got the best touch in the NFL when it comes to leading a fourth-quarter comeback. His 77-yard touchdown throw to...

Seahawks (+7) over 49ERS I've been mangling the meaning of "irony" since the eighth grade, so tell me if this scenario qualifies ... A writer recklessly picks the 2012 Seahawks to win the NFC because he likes their charismatic QB, then push...

ESPN recently published a list of the 25 greatest playoff performances in NFL history. The ballot I submitted featured five performances for franchises currently aligned in the NFC West. It included three performances for the San Francisco 49ers a...

There's little sense in taking the bait when San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh tells a radio program Michael Crabtree "has the best hands I've ever seen on a wide receiver." Anyone with a strong grasp of NFL history would place Cris Carter, R...

We can't close the book on Saturday night's wild-card playoff game at the Superdome without putting some perspective on the performance of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. Though overshadowed by a 45-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Johnso...

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 16: Wow, does something have to give: The Minnesota Vikings have played nine games in a row without intercepting a pass -- the longest such streak in the league since the NFL-AFL merger. Their six interceptions...

On the surface, the headline story of the Thanksgiving night game is San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh taking on his brother, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, the first brother vs brother head coaching matchup in NFL history. In fact, ...

Ronnie Lott witnessed one of the greatest coaching jobs in NFL history during the Bill Walsh years in San Francisco three decades ago. The Hall of Famer thinks the 49ers' current coach, Jim Harbaugh, might be doing something more spectacular in le...

In the last couple of games, the big pass plays have not been as prevalent for the Patriots. The Pittsburgh Steelers finally figured out a way to beat the New England Patriots with Tom Brady as the opposing quarterback. Keep him off the field and ke...

The accolades keep flowing the San Francisco 49ers' way following their 5-1 start to the season. Winning tends to validate every aspect of an operation. Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle praises team president Jed York for naming Tren...

The New Orleans Saints scored 62 points (tied for the most since the NFL-AFL merger) against the Indianapolis Colts. With the Saints playing the winless St. Louis Rams on Sunday, there's a very logical question on the horizon. What's the NFL recor...