10 NFL Records That Could Be Broken by Season’s End

The league’s 17-game regular season puts several records in jeopardy.

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The 2022 season marks just the second year that the NFL is playing 17 games in the regular season—giving players and teams one extra game to take aim at the record books.

Last season, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady set a new mark with 485 completions in a season. Steelers linebacker TJ Watt tied the record for sacks in a season with 22 1/2. Rams receiver Cooper Kupp narrowly missed breaking the records for receptions and receiving yards in a season.

With just two weeks left in the 2022 regular season, numerous records are in jeopardy.

Here’s a look at 10 NFL single-season records that could fall in the final two games of the 2022 season.

Passing yards

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes never ceases to amaze with his athletic talents, and he has a chance to eclipse one of the all-time greats in the NFL record book. Peyton Manning set the current record of 5,477 passing yards in 2013, breaking the mark Drew Brees set two years earlier by a single yard. Mahomes has an outside chance to break the record this season. The Chiefs star has 4,720 passing yards through 15 games, an average of 314.7 yards per game. Needing 758 yards for a new mark, Mahomes can do so with two big games. He needs to average 379 yards in Week 17 and Week 18, against Denver and Las Vegas, respectively, to break the record.

Receiving Yards

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson sits at 1,756 receiving yards through 15 games, just 208 yards shy of Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964, set in 2012. Jefferson hasn’t missed a game all year and will look to break the record either in Week 17 against the Packers or Week 18 versus the Bears. Jefferson is averaging 117.1 receiving yards per game this season, which puts him on pace to topple Johnson’s record.

Passing Attempts, Completions

Tom Brady set a new league record with 485 completions last year at age 44. This season, he’s on pace to break that mark and also surpass the current record for attempts in a season. The ageless quarterback has completed 443 passes and thrown 671 passes through 15 games. He’s on pace for 502 completions and 760 attempts. The latter mark would easily break the current record of 727 attempts by Matthew Stafford in 2012. Brady and the Buccaneers will face the Panthers and then the Falcons to end the season. 

Sacks 

This record won’t be easy to break, but underestimating Nick Bosa is the last thing any quarterback ought to do. The 49ers defensive end has 17 1/2 sacks on the year, just five away from the single-season record of 22 1/2, owned by Michael Strahan (2001) and TJ Watt, who tied the record last year in just 15 games. Bosa will look to create havoc when his top-ranked defense faces the Raiders this week and the Cardinals in the regular-season finale. 

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Rushing yards by a quarterback

Bears quarterback Justin Fields is an electrifying athlete capable of dazzling fans with designed rushes and improvised runs. With 1,011 rushing yards through Week 16, he needs 196 more to break the record of 1,206 set by Lamar Jackson in 2019. That’s a tall order, considering Fields is averaging 72.2 rushing yards per game in the 14 games he’s played this season. But Fields is capable of breaking off a long run at any time, as he showed the Lions on the 67-yard touchdown jaunt below.

Game-winning drives

When considering the greatest comeback quarterbacks in NFL history, Kirk Cousins probably isn’t one of the first names that comes to mind. Nevertheless, the Vikings quarterback already has engineered eight game-winning drives this season, equaling the single-season record set by Matthew Stafford in 2016. Cousins could take sole possession of the record in Week 17 at Green Bay or Week 18 in Chicago.

Team sacks 

The 1984 Bears were a terror for opposing signal-callers, but their record of 72 sacks in a season could be in peril. The Eagles have compiled 61 sacks through 15 games, an average of 4.1 per game. Philadelphia can break the record if its defense can average six sacks per game over the final two weeks. The Eagles face the Saints in Week 17 and the Giants in Week 18, with both games at home.

Team first downs 

The Chiefs offense currently leads the league in yards gained and should be remembered as one of the best units ever in regard to moving the chains. Kansas City has picked up 365 first downs this year, just 79 shy of the 2012 Patriots, who picked up 444 first downs during their 16 regular-season games. The Chiefs are averaging 24.3 first downs per game and will need to average 40 per game in the final two weeks to set a new record.

Team fourth-down conversions

Finally, the Eagles could go down as the best offense ever on fourth down. Philadelphia already is tied with the 2021 Chargers for the NFL record for most successful fourth-down conversions at 22. Considering that the Eagles are averaging more than one successful fourth-down conversion per game, it seems likely that coach Nick Sirianni will get an opportunity to go for the record.