2013 NFL season

Player movement

Free agency

• Quarterbacks Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Hasselbeck, Brian Hoyer and Kevin Kolb
• Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw, Reggie Bush, Shonn Greene, Steven Jackson and Rashard Mendenhall
• Wide receivers Danny Amendola, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace and Wes Welker
• Tight ends Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook, Dustin Keller and Delanie Walker
• Offensive tackles Jermon Bushrod, Gosder Cherilus and Jake Long
• Guards Andy Levitre and Louis Vasquez
• Defensive ends Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Elvis Dumervil, Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora
• Defensive tackles Desmond Bryant, Ricky Jean-Francois, Jason Jones and Sammie Lee Hill
• Linebackers Connor Barwin, James Harrison, Paul Kruger and Philip Wheeler
• Cornerbacks Brent Grimes, Keenan Lewis, Dunta Robinson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Sean Smith
• Safeties Patrick Chung, Dashon Goldson, LaRon Landry and Glover Quin.

Major trades

Draft

Officiating changes

Rule changes

• The "no-challenge" rule adopted prior to the season was modified to eliminate the automatic "no-review" penalty when a coach challenges a play that is subject to automatic review by the replay booth. This change was prompted after last season's Thanksgiving Day game when Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]' head coach Jim Schwartz threw a challenge flag on a play where replay clearly showed Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]' running back Justin Forsett's knee touched the ground, but was able to get up and score a touchdown. Due to the way the rule was written at the time the penalty for the errant challenge prevented the play from being reviewed. Under the revised rule teams will be charged a time-out when a coach throws a challenge flag on a booth-reviewable play, but the play will still be reviewed if the replay booth believes a review is necessary. This change has been referred to as the "Jim Schwartz rule".
• Making it a fumble when a player loses possession of the football while in the act of trying to bring it back to his body. This abolishes the so-called "tuck rule" which was adopted prior to the season. Under the revised rule it will be ruled a fumble when a quarterback loses possession of the ball after a pump fake while bringing the ball back to his body.
• Tight ends and H-backs will now be permitted to wear uniform numbers 40–49 as well as 80–89. Previously the two positions were treated separately with tight ends allowed to wear only 80–89 and H-backs limited to wearing 40–49.
• "Peel-back" blocks will now result in 15-yard personal foul penalties anywhere on the field. Previously, these types of blocks were permitted within the tackle box.
• On field goal and extra point attempts, long snappers will now be considered defenseless players. In addition, defensive players are prohibited from blocking low at the snap of a scrimmage kick.
• For field goal and extra point attempts the defensive team can have no more than six players on either side of the ball at the snap, and players cannot push teammates into blockers.
• Any player at least three yards downfield or outside of the "tackle box" who leads with his helmet on a hit will be penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness. If both offensive and defensive players lead with helmets on the same play, both will be penalized.

• Upon recommendation by the league's Head, Neck and Spine safety committee, the NFL notified teams in August that clubs would no longer be allowed to use alternate helmets for throwback uniforms or third jerseys as they had been allowed to do since throwbacks were introduced in. Once players start the season with properly fitted helmets that they are comfortable wearing, the league's Head, Neck, and Spine Committee recommended that players should not switch helmets in mid-season, especially to ones that have not been broken in yet. To comply with these new rules, teams will be allowed to change or remove the decals on their regular helmets for such uniforms.
• All players were required to wear thigh and knee pads. It was previously mandatory to wear these pads from through.

Preseason

Regular season

In-season scheduling changes

• Week 5: The San Diego–Oakland game was moved from 4:25 p.m. ET to 11:35 p.m. ET. The Raiders' Major League Baseball counterparts, the Oakland Athletics, hosted Game 2 of the 2013 American League Division Series on the previous night, and officials at O.co Coliseum needed almost 24 hours to convert the stadium from a baseball to a football configuration. The later start time also avoided a conflict with NBC's Sunday Night Football, where San Francisco hosted Houston at Candlestick Park across the San Francisco Bay at 8:40 p.m. ET. Additionally, the Chargers–Raiders game was televised on the NFL Network instead of CBS.
• Week 7: The Houston–Kansas City game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET.Week 11: The Kansas City–Denver game, originally scheduled as CBS's only late 4:05 p.m. ET singleheader game, was flexed into the 8:30 p.m. ET slot on NBC Sunday Night Football. CBS originally selected this matchup as one of their "protected games" from flex-scheduling, but later allowed the league to flex it so it could be seen by a national audience. The original Sunday night contest, the Green Bay–New York Giants game, was then moved back to the 4:25 p.m. ET doubleheader time slot on Fox, while the San Diego–Miami game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to the 4:05 p.m. ET singleheader slot.Week 13: The Denver–Kansas City game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET, while the New England–Houston game was switched from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. ET.Week 14: The Carolina–New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans] game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed into the 8:30 p.m. ET time slot on NBC. The original Sunday night contest, the Atlanta–Green Bay game, was then changed to 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox. It was the second time the Packers were stripped of a prime-time appearance this season, large in-part due to an injury sustained to Aaron Rodgers.Week 15: The New Orleans–St. Louis and Cardinals season|Arizona]–Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee] games were moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET.Week 16: The Bears season|Chicago]–Eagles season|Philadelphia] game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed into the 8:30 p.m. ET time slot on NBC. Although the original Sunday night contest, the New England–Baltimore game, featured two playoff contending teams, it was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET to allow CBS to also air a more competitive game.
• Week 17: The Philadelphia–Dallas game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET, was selected as the final NBC Sunday Night Football game, which for the third consecutive season decided the NFC East division champion. The Buffalo–New England game was moved to the 4:25 p.m. ET time slot on CBS while the Green Bay–Chicago game and Tampa Bay–New Orleans game were moved to 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox.

Postseason

Super Bowl XLVIII

Pro Bowl

Notable events

Records, milestones, and notable statistics

• A record 11,985 points were scored during the season, with games averaging 46.8 points, the highest average in NFL history. The previous record of 46.5 points per game was set in.
• A total of 1,338 total touchdowns were scored, surpassing the league-wide record of 1,297, which occurred in.
• A record 863 field goals were made this season, surpassing the record of 852 set in. Also, kickers converted a record 86.5% of their field goal attempts breaking the record of 84.5% set during the season.
• Peyton Manning set the record for most passing yards in a season, with 5,477. The previous record of 5,476 was held by Drew Brees.
• Manning also set the record for most touchdown passes in a season, with 55. The previous record of 50 was held by Tom Brady.
• The Denver Broncos set the record for most points in a season, with 606. The previous record of 589 was held by the 2007 New England Patriots. The Broncos outscored the next highest scoring team by 161 points, or more than ten points per game.
• Eleven teams scored at least 400 points this season, setting a record. The previous record of nine teams was set in and.
• Andrew Luck set the record for most passing yards in a player's first two seasons, with 8,196. The previous record was held by Cam Newton.
• The Denver Broncos became the first team to have five players score at least ten touchdowns in the same season: Demaryius Thomas, Knowshon Moreno, Julius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker. No team had previously had more than three such players.
• Tom Brady extended his record for the most division titles for a starting quarterback, with 11.
• Andre Johnson, of the tied the record for most seasons with at least 100 receptions, with five, sharing the record with Wes Welker.
• Peyton Manning set a record for most touchdown passes without an interception to start a season with 20.
• John Hekker of set a single season record with an average of 44.2 net yards per punt, The previous record of 44.0 yards was held by Andy Lee.

• Peyton Manning tied the record for most passing touchdowns in a game, with seven, sharing the record with five other players.
• Manning set the record for most career games with at least six touchdown passes, with three. He shared the previous record of two with George Blanda, Charley Johnson, and Y.A. Tittle.

• Peyton Manning became the third player with 60,000 passing yards in a career, joining Brett Favre and Dan Marino. Manning achieved the mark in his 226th game, making him the fastest to reach the milestone.

• Blair Walsh set the record for most consecutive 50+ yard field goals made without a miss, with 12. He previously shared the record with Robbie Gould and Tony Zendejas.
• Matthew Stafford set the record for most passing yards in a player's first 50 games, with 13,976. The previous record of 13,864 was held by Kurt Warner.

• Peyton Manning set the record for most touchdown passes before his first interception of the season, with 20. The previous record of 16 was held by Milt Plum. Manning's 20 touchdown passes through five games are also a league record. In addition, the 414 yards passing Manning compiled bring his career total to 61,371 eclipsing Dan Marino for second place on the career passing yardage list behind only Brett Favre.
• Charles Woodson tied the record for most defensive touchdowns in a career, with 13, sharing the Darren Sharper and Rod Woodson.

• Robbie Gould tied the record for most consecutive 50+ yard field goals made without a miss, with 12, sharing the record with Blair Walsh.
• The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs each started the season 6–0, making this just the second time since the introduction of the division format in that two teams from the same division have maintained perfect records through six games. The only other pair of teams to have achieved this feat are the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions which each made it to 10–0.
• Reggie Wayne caught five passes to become the ninth player to have 1,000 receptions.
• The Indianapolis Colts became the first team to have two players with 1,000 receptions: Wayne and Marvin Harrison.

• Tony Romo set the record for most passing yards in a quarterback's first 100 starts, with 27,485.

• Vikings kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson set a league record for the longest kickoff return at 109 yards. This return also ties the record for longest play of any type.
• Terrelle Pryor set the record for longest run by a quarterback, with a 93-yard run.
• Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals became the youngest player to have 800 receptions, at age 30 years, 57 days.

• Nick Foles tied the record for most touchdown passes in a game, with seven, sharing the record with six other players. He is the first player to accomplish this feat while attaining a perfect passer rating for the game.

• The New Orleans Saints set a record for most first downs in a game, with 40. The previous record of 39 was held by the 1988 New York Jets.

• London Fletcher set the record for most consecutive starts by a linebacker, with 209. The previous record of 208 was held by Derrick Brooks.
• Tom Brady became the sixth player in NFL history to reach 4,000 career passes completed.

• Larry Fitzgerald set the record for youngest player to reach 11,000 receiving yards, at age 30 years, 85 days. The previous record of 30 years, 222 days, was held by Randy Moss.
• Linebacker Robert Mathis of the Colts recorded his 40th strip/sack against the Cardinals. This set a new record, passing Jason Taylor for most strip/sacks in NFL history.
• The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings played to a 26–26 tie. This was the first tie game in which both teams scored in the overtime period.

• Josh Gordon became the first player to have at least 200 receiving yards in two consecutive games.
• Gordon and Alshon Jeffery each had at least ten receptions and 200 yards, and two touchdowns. This marked the first time in which two players reached these marks on the same day.
• Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes for a player under the leadership of a single head coach with his 353rd touchdown under Bill Belichick. The previous record of 352 was held by Dan Marino under Don Shula.
• Adam Vinatieri became the second player to score at least 800 points with two different franchises, joining Morten Andersen.
• Vinitieri also tied the record for most seasons scoring at least 100 points, with 16, sharing the record with Jason Elam.

• Matt Prater set the record for longest field goal, with a 64-yard kick. The previous record of 63 yards was shared by four players.
• Drew Brees became the fifth player to reach 50,000 career passing yards. Brees became the fastest to reach the milestone, doing so in 183 games. The previous record of 191 games was held by Peyton Manning.
• With his seventh game of the year with four or more touchdown passes, Peyton Manning set an NFL record for most such games in a season. He broke the record set in by Dan Marino and equaled by Manning himself in.

• All teams playing on Sunday, December 15, combined to score 763 points, setting a record for most points scored in a single day. The previous record of 759 points occurred on January 1, 2012.
• Jamaal Charles became the first running back in NFL history with four receiving touchdowns in one game. He also became the first player at any position to have four receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the same game.
• Tony Gonzalez became the first tight end and the fifth player overall in NFL history to reach 15,000 receiving yards.
• Calvin Johnson became the first player to have 5,000 receiving yards in a three-season span.

• Luke Kuechly tied the record for most tackles in a game, with 24, sharing the record with David Harris.

• The Indianapolis Colts achieved the second-largest comeback win in a postseason game, erasing a 28-point deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the first time in any NFL game that a team won in regulation play after having trailed by at least 28 points.
• The Colts and Chiefs set the record record for most combined total yards in a payoff game, with 1,049. The previous record of 1,038 yards was shared by the 1995 Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills and the 2011 Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.
• The Chiefs set a record for the longest losing streak in postseason games, with eight. They shared the previous record of seven with the Detroit Lions.

• Tom Brady set the record for most postseason starts by a quarterback, with his 25th start. He shared the previous record of 24 with Brett Favre.
• LeGarrette Blount became the first player to rush for at least 125 yards and four touchdowns in a postseason game.

• The San Francisco 49ers tied the record for most conference championship game appearances, with their 15th appearance. They share the record with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Jim Harbaugh became the first head coach to take his team to a conference championship game in each of his first three seasons.
• Peyton Manning tied the record for most playoff games with at least 400 passing yards, with three, sharing the record with Drew Brees.

• John Fox became the sixth head coach to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl. He previously coached the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
• The Seattle Seahawks recorded the fastest score in a Super Bowl with a safety 12 seconds into the game. The previous record of 14 seconds was held by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
• The Seahawks set the record for the longest time holding a lead in a Super Bowl, at 59 minutes, 48 seconds of game time.
• The Denver Broncos set the record for most Super Bowl losses with five. They shared the record of four with the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots
• Peyton Manning set a Super Bowl record for passes completed with 34.
• Manning move into first place on the career playoff passing yardage list with 6,589 yards, passing Tom Brady.
• Demaryius Thomas caught 13 passes to set a single-game Super Bowl record.

Awards and statistics

Individual season awards

All-Pro team

Players of the week/month

Team statistical leaders

• Most points scored: Denver, 606 points '
• Fewest points scored: Jacksonville, 247 points '
• Most total offense: Denver, 7,317 yards '
• Least total offense: Tampa Bay, 4,432 yards '
• Most total passing: Denver, 5,444 yards '
• Least total passing: Tampa Bay, 2,820 yards '
• Most rushing: Philadelphia, 2,566 yards '
• Least rushing: Atlanta, 1,247 yards '

• Fewest points allowed: Seattle, 231 points '
• Most points allowed: Minnesota, 480 '
• Fewest total yards allowed : Seattle, 4,378 yards '
• Most total yards allowed : Dallas, 6,645 yards '
• Fewest passing yards allowed: Seattle, 2,752 '
• Most passing yards allowed : Philadelphia, 4,636 yards '
• Fewest rushing yards allowed : Arizona, 1,351 yards '
• Most rushing yards allowed : Chicago''', 2,583 yards ''''

Head coach/front office changes

Head coach

Front office

Attendance

• – 80,000 without people watching on screens at the party decks.
• – 640,000 without people watching on screens at the party decks.
• – Played one home game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• – Played one home game in London, England.

Stadium changes

Uniforms

• The Jacksonville Jaguars revised their logo and unveiled a new uniform design. The new design includes all black home uniforms, white road jerseys and a teal alternate jersey. The new jerseys include "claw marks" on the shoulders and a "JAGS" patch over the heart. The new helmet design features a paint scheme that fades from matte black in the front to gold in the back.
• The Miami Dolphins updated their logo and unveiled redesigned uniforms. The new logo features a more streamlined dolphin which loses the football helmet and the "fierce" facial expression. The new uniforms keep the same basic color palette, but there is less use of orange. The facemask color on the team's new helmets has been changed from aqua to white.
• The Minnesota Vikings introduced a slightly tweaked "Norseman" logo and unveiled new uniforms. The colors are barely changed, with a new font for the uniform numbers and asymmetrical stripes on the pants. The new helmets feature matte purple paint with glossy logos and black facemasks.
• The San Diego Chargers introduced some relatively minor uniform alterations. The most noticeable change is the switch to "self-color" collars from the previous contrasting color "neck roll" collar design. There were also some changes to the colors used on the nameplates as well as some changes to the socks. The pants and helmets remain unchanged.
• The New York Giants introduced a new alternate uniform consisting of new white pants which may be worn with the team's existing blue jerseys in place of the usual grey pants. The team wore this new alternate uniform on November 10 against the Oakland Raiders and November 24 against the Dallas Cowboys.
• In honor of the fifteenth anniversary of the team's relocation to Nashville, the Tennessee Titans wore their alternate navy blue jerseys in two home games. This marked the first time since that the Titans wore the navy blue jerseys which were their primary home jerseys in their early Tennessee seasons before they switched to their current light blue jerseys. The Titans also added a patch commemorating the 15th season in Tennessee to their jerseys.
• The Indianapolis Colts added a jersey patch which celebrates the team's 30th season in Indianapolis.

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shelved their "Creamsicle" throwback uniforms completely. The Patriots similarly chose not to wear their throwback uniforms at all in 2013.
• The Washington Redskins wore their current helmets along with their throwback uniforms which feature a different shade of burgundy.
• The Green Bay Packers also wore their current helmets with their throwback uniforms, but with the stripes and logo decals removed.
• The Dallas Cowboys decided to wear their blue "away" jerseys at their Thanksgiving Day home game, something they have not done since the 1960s. Traditionally the team has worn their throwback jerseys for the Thanksgiving game.

U.S. television coverage