Vikings' Bennett ran for whole lot of nothing Sunday

Vikings running back Michael Bennett rushed 19 times for 16 yards against the Giants, the fewest rushing yards in the NFL's Modern Era (since 1970) by a back with 19 or more carries.

The previous record was 22 yards on 19 carries, set on Sept. 19, 2004, by Dolphins RB Lamar Gordon against the Bengals. Gordon, now with the Eagles, will face the Giants on Sunday, which means the Giants in an eight-day period will face the only two running backs in history with 23 or fewer rushing yards on 19 or more carries.

Here is a list of the five RBs since 1970 to average less than one yard per carry on 19 or more carries:

The Vikings also made a splash against the Giants on Sunday with their special teams. They had more punt or kick returns for touchdowns in the third quarter Sunday (two) than they had in their previous 95 games.

Mewelde Moore returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown against the Giants last Sunday. Al Bello/Getty Images

This was actually the second time this year a team had punt and kick returns for touchdowns in a game at Giants Stadium. On opening day, Willie Ponder had a 95-yard kick return for a TD and Chad Morton a 52-yard punt return for a TD for the Giants in a win over the Cards.

But this was only the third time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that a team had punt and kick returns in the same quarter. The Browns did it in 1994 and the Raiders in 2003.

Sept. 4, 1994, 2nd quarter, Browns vs. Bengals, Riverfront Stadium
Randy Baldwin, 85-yard KO return for a TD. Eric Metcalf, 92-yard punt return for a TD

Dec. 28, 2003, 2nd quarter, Raiders vs. Chargers, Qualcomm Stadium
Phillip Buchanon, 80-yard punt return for a TD. Doug Gabriel, 85-yard KO return for a TD

More preposterous, stupid, ridiculous and inane stats from the NFL's Week 10

By the Numbers would like to issue a hearty congratulations to 49ers QB Cody Pickett, who averaged 28.0 yards per completion against the Bears Sunday, the highest figure in more than three years by an NFL starting quarterback.

That's the highest yards-per-completion by an NFL starter since Oct. 20, 2002, when Seahawks QB Trent Dilfer was 8-for-25 for 232 yards and a 29.0 average per completion in a 37-20 loss to the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

Pickett's 13 attempts are the most by a QB who completed just one pass in seven years, since Chargers QB Ryan Leaf was 1-for-14 for four yards in a 23-7 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 20, 1998.

• The Vikings averaged 0.6 yards per run (21-for-12) in their win over the Giants Sunday, the lowest figure by a winning team since Oct. 22, 1972, when the Broncos ran 24 times for 13 yards (0.5 per carry) in a 30-23 win over the Raiders.

The last time a team had 21 or more rushing attempts and a lower per-carry average was Sept. 13, 1981, when the Buccaneers were 23-for-12 (0.5) in a 19-10 loss to the Chiefs. Twelve is the fewest rushing yards by a winning team since Dec. 17, 2000, when the Panthers beat the Chargers, 30-22, in Charlotte despite 10 rushing yards on 12 attempts (thanks in large part to a 14-yard loss by Tim Biakabutuka).

• Cards QB Kurt Warner is the first QB with consecutive games of 334 or more passing yards for two different teams since Warren Moon, whose last consecutive 334-yard games with the Oilers came late in the 1991 season and then had three in a row with the Vikings in the middle of the 1995 season. With Josh McCown throwing for 398 yards against the Panthers and 385 yards against the 49ers, the Cards are the first team with two QBs with two games with 330 or more yards in the same season since the 2000 Rams (Warner and Trent Green). There have been 26 instances this year of a QB throwing for 322 or more yards in a game. Fourteen of those games -- 54 percent of them -- were produced by Warner or a one-time teammate of his (Marc Bulger 3, Warner 3, McCown 2, Mark Brunell 2, Green 1, Brett Favre 1, Eli Manning 1, Jake Delhomme 1).

• Bears CB Nathan Vasher specializes in long returns against the 49ers in early November at Soldier Field. Last Nov. 1, Vasher returned an interception of a Ken Dorsey pass 71 yards in the Bears' 23-13 win over the Niners. On Sunday, Vasher returned a missed Joe Nedney field goal 108 yards for a touchdown in the Bears' 17-9 win over the 49ers at Soldier Field, the longest return in NFL history.

• In their last three games, the Giants have held the Redskins to 125 yards, the 49ers to 138 and the Vikings to 137. They're the first team to hold three straight opponents to 138 or fewer yards since the Detroit Lions did so over the last game of 1969 and the first two games of 1970. The Giants lost to the Vikings despite out-gaining them by 268 yards (405-137). That's the biggest yardage advantage by a team losing a game since the Steelers outgained the Texans by 375 yards (422-47) on Dec. 8, 2002, in a  24-6 loss.

• Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El's 51-yard TD pass to Hines Ward was the longest completion by a Steelers quarterback since the third week of the season. Randle El threw just one pass Sunday, but only one other quarterback -- Patriots QB Tom Brady -- had a longer completion. Randle El has thrown more TD passes of 51 yards or more than Peyton Manning has over the past six weeks.

• Giants punter and former Patriot, Eagle, Card and Seahawk Jeff Feagles has played in 281 consecutive games and will tie the NFL record of 282 set by Jim Marshall from 1961 through 1979 when he plays against the Eagles. Chiefs G Will Shields will become the fourth player since 1970 to start 200 straight games when he starts against the Texans ... If the Vikings-Packers game on Monday night is decided by five points or fewer, the Vikings and Packers will have seven consecutive meetings decided by five points or fewer. The NFL record is eight (Redskins-Eagles from 1991 through 1995) ... Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander has more rushing touchdowns than 31 NFL teams. His 17 rushing TDs tie the NFL record for most in the first nine games (Jim Brown had 17 for the Browns in 1958) ... Bowling Green Tuesday night recorded an NCAA-record three safeties against Miami of Ohio -- all in the span of 14:06.