With the additional game, there is a higher chance of breaking records in the NFL that were previously held by players in the 16 or sometimes even 14-game formats. Add that to the fact that we have new kick-off rules that have drastically changed the field position battle and, in the future, the go-to strategy for late down situations, and there will be lots of records that start to fall.
The goal with this article is to highlight some of the players (or teams) on the verge of making history, and etching their names among the elite (or the worst). With many games to go, it’s not a guarantee these records will fall. Here are the players who are on track and what they need for it to happen.
NFL Passer Rating in a Single-Season
Leader: 2011 Aaron Rodgers (122.5)
Competitor: Drake Maye (116.9)
Drake Maye’s emergence in year two has been nothing short of impressive. According to TruMedia, Maye ranks seventh in EPA (expected points added) per drop-back among all second-year quarterbacks since 2000. What has really helped his passer rating stay this high is his performance on third downs. He ranks third in the NFL this season in passer rating on third downs.
To close the gap, Maye would need to improve by 5.7 passer rating points. His 74% completion percentage surpasses Rodgers’ 68.4% but he trails in yards per attempt (9.2 vs. 9.0), interception percentage (1.2% vs. 1.6%), and is way behind in touchdown percentage (9.0% to 6.7%). With Maye’s elite completion percentage, he would need a touchdown rate of 8.6%.
NFL Single-Season Completion Percentage
Leader: 2018 Drew Brees (74.4%)
Competitor: Drake Maye (74.1%)
The more competitive record that Maye has the opportunity to break is the single-season completion percentage of 74.4% held by Drew Brees in 2018. Maye is just 0.3% behind him, suggesting he needs very little.
NFL Single-Season Receiving Yards
Leader: 2012 Calvin Johnson (1,964)
Competitor: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (948 in 8 games)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on pace for the receiving yards record with his incredible 118.5 yards per game through the first eight games of the season. If there’s one thing about Sam Darnold and the Seahawks this season, it’s that they love the deep ball. JSN ranks 22nd this season in air yards per target and is actually missing out on 65 yards from drawing pass interference penalties on defenders as well.
At 118.5 yards per game, JSN would need to continue his status quo to pass Calvin Johnson and become the first ever 2000-yard wide receiver. His total would be an impressive 1,896 yards in a 16-game season, so not quite on the level of Megatron, but still within that elite tier.
Honorable mention goes to Ja’Marr Chase, who is on pace for second or third in receptions in a single season, with Joe Flacco absolutely peppering him with targets in Joe Burrow’s absence.
NFL Points Scored in a Single Season
Leader: 2006 LaDainian Tomlinson (186 points)
Competitor: Jonathan Taylor (86 points in 9 games)
Jonathan Taylor’s historic pace slowed down significantly after a hiccup in the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he remains within striking distance of multiple LaDainian Tomlinson records. This one seems the most plausible as he is on pace for 162 points, which would put him just 24 points behind Tomlinson.
Luckily for Taylor, to tie Tomlinson, he just needs 12.5 points per game from here on out. Given the fact that Taylor has scored more than that in four games this season for the Indianapolis Colts, this is absolutely within the realm of possibilities. Four more games of three scores put him at 72 points, which means he would have 28 points to go in the remaining four games.
Seven points per game means a two-score performance, and three one-score games would give him the record. In their remaining eight games, they play the 17th and 8th-ranked rushing defenses (in terms of EPA) twice, the top-ranked rush defense, and then a pair of games against the 21st and 26th-ranked run defenses.
NFL Single-Season Yards per Punt
Leader: 2022 Ryan Stonehouse (53.1)
Competitor: Ryan Rehkow (52.8)
I don’t know what it is about punters named Ryan. Ryan Stonehouse owns the top two spots in the Yards per Punt category, with Ryan Rehkow right on his tail in third. With just a 0.3-yard per punt lead, Rehkow will need to lessen his proportion of touchbacks. Currently, he punts for a touchback on 18.4% while Stonehouse had just 10.0% of his punts go for touchbacks.
After analyzing the situations both punters have been in, the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals are just a very thin margin better than the 2022 Tennessee Titans. Stonehouse has an average distance of 68.1 yards on a punt, while Rehkow is getting 67.4 yards to work with. That 0.7 yards of a difference could end up being the deciding factor between which Ryan finishes with the record.