The NFL is a league of stats and accomplishments. Some years, the stats are so great they break long-standing records. What records could break in 2023?
Every year, we watch players and teams come close to records we never thought possible. Tom Brady was constantly breaking records, but he is allegedly retired now. So, he can't break any more records from his house or the booth. Now, we have to find more players and teams to break records.
There are a few records that came close to breaking in the past year. Patrick Mahomes came close to breaking the single-season passing record, but he fell short of Peyton Manning's 5,477 mark from 2013. Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill came close to the receiving yards record, but they fell short. This is after Cooper Kupp came short of the record the year prior.
With the new 17-game season, records are going to fall one by one. Even impossible records like Night Train Lane's 14 interceptions in a season might fall (but it won't this season). There is a whole new world of records that could fall, both accumulative and single-season records. It will be fun to predict which records could fall this season.
30 NFL records in danger of being broken during the 2022-23 NFL season:
30. Joe Burrow, Single-season playoff passing yards
There are going to be a lot of quarterbacks on this list. It's not exactly a golden age for quarterbacks. The middle is too mediocre. However, the top of the QB chain is as talented as any era in history. Joe Burrow is one of the rising stars who could be this era's Peyton Manning. He keeps getting really close to the promised land, making a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship in the two seasons he finished fully healthy.
This season, we expect Burrow to push for another Super Bowl appearance. We'll see if he can actually win it this time, but along the way, he's going to have to throw the ball a lot.
The Bengals trust Joe Mixon as much as people trust a reality TV star with their secrets. So, the offense will be pass-heavy. With Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, it won't be easy to stop Burrow from racking up yards despite knowing he's throwing the ball on almost every down.
Only five quarterbacks have thrown more in one postseason than Burrow's 1,105 yards in 2021. Eli Manning currently has the record with 1,219 yards in 2011. This season, Burrow will break that record with a few huge playoff games. The Bengals won't get the number-one seed. So, he will have four games to get this record.
29. Justin Jefferson, Literally any wide receiver record
Justin Jefferson is going to go insane this season. He's already been insane, winning the Offensive Player of the Year after posting a league-leading 1,809 yards. There was a time when some thought Jefferson was going to break Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving record that he broke back in 2012.
Jefferson ended the season further than we thought from the record. He was more than 150 yards from Johnson's record. He needs to have 116 yards per game to get the record. That seems incredibly hard, but it's absolutely possible. Jefferson has one more game than Johnson, who averaged 122.8 yards per game in his record-breaking season.
Let's not focus just on the yards. Receptions and touchdowns can be in reach thanks to the desperation of Kirk Cousins. The Vikings quarterback is looking to get another massive contract based on playing above his head in a contract year. Jefferson is the key to making that happen.
If Jefferson avoids injury, he will be the first player to have three straight 1,500-yard seasons. The touchdowns seem like the hardest for Jefferson, who would need to more than double his career high to break the record. If anyone can do it, it's Jefferson.
28. Arizona Cardinals, Worst winning percentage of all time
There are a few franchises that have been known as perennial losers. The Houston Texans have some ridiculous lows since joining the NFL 20 years ago, but they also have a pretty good stretch where they made the playoffs every season. The Jacksonville Jaguars looked absolutely awful for long stretches. Right now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers own the worst all-time winning percentage despite boasting two Super Bowl wins, including the last of Tom Brady's career. Still, the Bucs all-time own a 40.4 percent winning percentage.
The Arizona Cardinals haven't been much better than the Buccaneers, but they don't have the Super Bowl wins to lean back on. This season could be one of the Cardinals' worst. Since moving to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals found a way to win at least three games every season. This season, we predict they will fall below that total. That would give them a 40.8 winning percentage.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are coming into the season with low expectations, but this is still the dreadful NFC South. The Bucs could post a .500 record pretty easily. Despite Baker Mayfield being the QB, there's a lot of talent here. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could carry the offense by themselves. Rachaad White is an up-and-coming running back option. If they go 9-8, the Bucs will have an all-time winning percentage of 41.5 percent.
This Cardinals team is going to stink. Colt McCoy looks like he's going to be the QB of note. Kyler Murray won't be able to save them, and he will likely sit out the season as he watches the tire fire from afar. Jonathan Gannon might be a one-and-done head coach. And, the Cardinals will finish the season with the worst record of any franchise.
27. Justin Fields, Rushing yards by a QB
Justin Fields has been lighting the world on fire. He was a fantasy dominator in the middle of the season, changing the face of the sport with his running ability. He finished the season sixth in rushing yards, ahead of some stars like Christian McCaffrey and Kenneth Walker III. Fields was unstoppable with his dual-threat ability for a few weeks.
This season, the Chicago Bears will lean into his running ability. They already found a good formula to avoid big hits on Fields. This isn't the Lamar Jackson offense. Fields was running for his life on what he thought were passing plays.
The Bears made a conscious effort to upgrade the offensive line and receiving core. They used the number-one overall pick to trade for DJ Moore (as just a trade down). They signed Nate Davis and drafted Darnell Wright to play on the line. There are legit investments in opening the field for Fields.
This season, there will be tape on Fields, but he will change his game just enough to prevent teams from stopping him. His arm will only get better, and that will cause defenses to stand back. He needs to beat Jackson's 1,206 yards from 2019. Fields took about half the season to get going, and he still had 1,143 yards. Playing at the height of his skill set for 17 weeks, Fields will finish the year a record holder.
26. Justin Tucker, Longest field goal
The longest field goal is a record nobody thinks about until it happens. Who currently owns the longest field goal kicked in NFL history? Most would say Justin Tucker out of habit. He is by far the best kicker in the league right now, and he might be the best kicker of all time. Well, you'd be right. Justin Tucker broke the longest field goal record in 2021.
He's going to break his own record this season. Teams are more willing to kick long field goals, and John Harbaugh has never been shy to put his kicker out in what seems like insane situations. He attempted 14 field goals from 50+ yards last season. He hit one from 58 yards last season. Tucker attempted to break his own record last season already. He came incredibly close.
This season, Tucker is going to hit from that range. He knows what he did wrong last November, and he can fix it for this season. He just has to put a little more leg into it. For most kickers, we would assume they put their all into a 67-yard field goal attempt, but Tucker has kicked the ball far enough to hit a 70-yarder in the past.
Tucker will go down as the best kicker of all time. Adding another record to his resume, one he already has, will only help his legacy.
25. CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys single-season receiving
Listen, to get to 30 records, we needed to add a few franchise records to the list. Starting with the most popular franchise in football is a good place. The Cowboys have had some great receivers in its history. Michael Irvin is probably the best, but Dez Bryant, Terrell Owens, and Amari Cooper have had incredible success in the heart of Texas. None of them have been as talented as CeeDee Lamb. That might sound like blasphemy, but Lamb has all the tools to be an all-time great.
That is going to start this season. Lamb already broke out last season, catching 107 balls for 1,359
and nine touchdowns. His yardage is already fifth all-time for a single season. This is his third NFL season. Lamb has been a little better every year, and last year he became a legit star.
Irvin holds the record with 1,603 yards in 1995. It has been almost 30 years since Irvin broke the record. It was actually Irvin's final Pro Bowl season, as injuries started to pile up in 1996. His career ended to a knee injury in 1999. He had to have just over 100 yards per game to hit that. In today's NFL, Lamb has to have 94 yards per game, thanks to the 17-game schedule.
The one worry here is the new offense Mike McCarthy is instilling in Dallas after letting go of Kellen Moore and adding Brian Schottenheimer. There could be a bigger focus on Tony Pollard, and the passing game could suffer. That's a possibility, but with Dak Prescott looking to establish himself again, Lamb is going to get a ton of targets down the field.
24. Micah Parsons, Cowboys single-season sacks
Sticking with the Cowboys, Micah Parsons is probably the best defensive player in the league. If he stays healthy, he might have a chance at breaking records across the board. For the first few seasons of his career, he was used as a traditional linebacker, but that is going to change this season. Parsons is clearly better used as a pass rusher, and he will have that focus this season.
He had 72 pressures on true pass sets, according to PFF. That led the league, and again he wasn't a true standup pass-rushing linebacker. Parsons is adding some bulk to his body in order to survive a full 17 games in this new role.
The Cowboys have had some great pass rushers. Demarcus Ware, Demarcus Lawrence, and Too Tall Jones are names that come to mind immediately. Ware was the best in blue, and he had 20 sacks in 2008. While he wasn't able to break Michael Strahan's record, he did break Jim Jeffcoat's record by six sacks. This season, Parsons is going to break that record.
We predict Parsons will fall short of the NFL record (more on that in a moment), but he will get past 20 sacks for the first time in his career. He's already getting to the QB at an incredible clip, and we predict the schedule will help his question. Two games against Daniel Jones and Sam Howell, Jalen Hurts sometimes waits just a little too long to make a play, and the Cowboys schedule also has Bryce Young, Mac Jones, and Colt McCoy. Parsons is going to have a field day for most of this season.
23. Lamar Jackson, Total Yards
Lamar Jackson had the strangest season last year. Everyone knew he was going through a contract dispute with the team. The Ravens were trying to maximize their cap position. Meanwhile, Jackson was trying to maximize his value at 26 years old. Now, Jackson has been paid. He's basically guaranteed to get paid for two years at full term, and he would get $22 million according to Over the Cap if he's cut after June 1 in 2025.
Jackson has the security to go all out this season, and he also has a much-improved room of receivers. He is getting Rashod Bateman in his second year, Odell Beckham Jr. after a year away from football recovering from knee surgery, and a rookie in Zay Flowers. The Ravens went from one of the worst wide receiver rooms in football to one of the better ones. On top of that, they have depth with Nelson Algholor and Devan Duvernay.
Patrick Mahomes broke the total yards record with 5,614 yards. Jackson has never gotten close to that, even in his MVP year. His career high for total yards is 4,333. This seems like a reach, but hear us out.
Jackson has the arm to throw for 4,500 yards. So, that means he has to get to 1,200 yards rushing. He's done that before. This is very doable for Jackson, especially if he can stay healthy.
22. Derrick Henry, Titans franchise rushing yards
Derrick Henry was an outside cut candidate, but it's pretty clear he's spending another season in Tennessee. With so much uncertainty around the running back position, these stars need to prove themselves every year. Henry was just as good last season as he's been his entire career. He had 1,538 yards on a league-leading 349 carries.
Henry is currently third in Oilers/Titans all-time rushing yards. He's behind Eddie George and Earl Campbell, two of the all-time greats at the position. Right now, he's about 240 yards behind Campbell. Henry could get that in Week 1. To get to George, Henry has to hit 10,009 yards. He needs 1,674 yards to tie the record.
Is that doable in 2023? He's broken that number once in his career. However, there is more on the line this season. If he isn't one of the best in the league, he will be looking for a job like Dalvin Cook is this offseason.
Also, the Titans should have an interesting offense. Ryan Tannehill is the starting quarterback. They have DeAndre Hopkins signed to play alongside Treylon Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo, who we're expecting to break out this season. That will open up holes for Henry. He's going to have another great season. Will he break the record? It's absolutely possible.
21. Stefon Diggs, Most receptions in a playoff game
The Buffalo Bills have fallen short in the postseason every year. It's getting to the point that some are even pondering if Sean McDermott is on the hot seat. They need to have a positive playoff experience after some brutal losses. There is an air of desperation around this team. It's not necessarily do or die for the Bills in the playoffs, but the window doesn't feel as open as it's been for the past five years.
That desperation will lead to the team and Josh Allen leaning on the best receiver when it matters most. There is a record that will be broken in the process. Stefon Diggs is going to catch 20 balls in a game. It seems preposterous, but Diggs is capable of pulling off something this insane.
Currently, the record is held by Darren Sproles. That makes a lot of sense. He was the outlet to multiple teams, and his biggest impact as a running back was in the passing game. Diggs is a different animal because he has aspects to his game that stretch the field.
Diggs could also catch the ball in the short game. With Allen, against certain defenses, it would make sense for the Bills to just pound the ball to Diggs. They need to go far in the playoffs, and Diggs is their best chance to do it every play.
20. Josh Allen, Passer Rating in a season
Allen will get into that playoff game with a historic regular season under his belt. Right now, the greatest passer rating in a season is 122.5 by Aaron Rodgers in 2011. Only one other player (Peyton Manning) has ever had a passer rating over 120 in a season.
Allen has one season where he had a passer rating over 100 for a season. In 2020, Allen threw for 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished the season with a 107.2 passer rating, which wasn't even the league lead (Rodgers had his second 120+ passer rating season). This season, Allen will push for perfection on the field. He lowkey had a rough season last year compared to years past.
The competition between Allen, Joe Burrow, and Patrick Mahomes should push him to new heights. He's 27 years old this year, so he is right in the middle of his prime. This should be his best season.
To beat Rodgers' record, Allen needs a stat line that looks something like the following: 5,345 yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 69.9 completion percentage. Those would all be career highs/lows. This is a huge season for Allen and the Bills, and the quarterback is going to step up.
19. Nick Bosa, Most sacks in a season all time
The sack record has been hanging on by a thread for a long time. Michael Strahan basically touched Brett Favre to get the sack record in 2001. The Good Morning America host has been holding onto the record, and we've been reminded of the terrible way he got it for 20 years. Since Strahan broke the record, seven players recorded at least 20 sacks, but nobody hit 23 yet. That changes this season.
T.J. Watt always has a chance to break the record. He's already tied the record in 2021 despite missing two games. However, this is going to go to Nick Bosa. The San Francisco 49ers defensive end led all players in sacks last season with 18.5. He even missed a game. With 17 games under his belt this season, Bosa is finally going to take Strahan out of the record books.
The 49ers hope to be in the Super Bowl this season, but first they have to destroy the regular season.
The schedule for the 49ers really helps Bosa get off to a great start. They start the season with the Las Vegas Raiders, who are in flux under center, and the Denver Broncos, with Russell Wilson who was sacked 55 times last season. Bosa could have six sacks after two games. That will help take the edge off, and he can coast to the record.
18. Philadelphia Eagles, Most rushing touchdowns all time
There aren't a ton of rushing records on here. It's because most rushing records have become untouchable with how little running backs are valued. The team with one superstar running back is even rarer, as just about every team has two and sometimes three running backs they trust. Then, there are the teams that have a rushing quarterback. The Eagles theoretically have five players who can rush for touchdowns at a high level.
Let's start with running backs. The Eagles said goodbye to Miles Sanders and replaced him with Rashaad Penny. The speedster from Seattle has had injury issues for most of his career, but he has more yards per carry than anyone (he actually doesn't qualify based on his lack of carries). His 5.7 yards per carry for a career shows he is a big-play machine. Then, D'Andre Swift became available when the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Now, the Eagles have a very dynamic one-two punch. Beyond that, the Eagles have Kenneth Gainwell, who has been very good as a receiving back.
That's a very dynamic running back room, and it doesn't even include Boston Scott who scored three touchdowns himself last season. Add in Jalen Hurts, and the Eagles have an impossible-to-stop running game. They were already insanely dynamic last year, coming one rushing touchdown short of the record in the Super Bowl era. The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers had 33 touchdowns, and last year's Eagles had 32.
Add in DeVonta Smith, who can always take a carry for big yardage at any point (which the Eagles should absolutely do), and this team is poised to break that record. We're not targeting the record held by the 1924 Frankford Yellow Jackets, which is 38. The Eagles can beat the record of 33 with decent seasons from the running backs and another big season from Hurts.
17. Anthony Richardson. Rookie Passer Rating
It is wild we're talking about another great NFL quarterback coming from a very interesting NFL Draft class. Anthony Richardson was the third quarterback taken, going after Bryce Young to the Carolina Panthers and C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans. However, he has one thing going for him that the other two top-five picks do not. The Indianapolis Colts have a much better team build around him. So, Richardson is going to break the rookie passer rating record.
Dak Prescott currently holds the record, when he had a 104.9 rating in 2016-17. The previous record was held by Robert Griffin III, who had one of the best rookie seasons in all of sports. Richardson needs to be electric to beat those seasons. To give context, Prescott had 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Richardson must beat those numbers to get the record.
The Colts have been building a great team for the better part of a decade, but they haven't been able to figure out the quarterback. They have been trying to do it through free agency and trade, leading to years being led by legends like Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, and Carson Wentz. All of those QBs fell below expectations (although, Rivers was pretty good).
With Jonathan Taylor able to get him easy receptions, Michael Pittman making the most of every pass, and a fantastic offensive line keeping him upright, Richardson has the tools to break rookie records. For this to happen, he does need to beat out Gardner Minshew first.
16. Jalen Carter, Rookie sack record
Let's hit another rookie. Jalen Carter has had a tumultuous first offseason, dealing with a racing investigation in Georgia that ended the life of a teammate and football staffer. He pleaded no contest to the charges tied to it and was given probation for a year and some fines. Now, he can focus on football.
Carter was one of the better defensive prospects in a long time before he was dealing with his legal issues. He fell to the Eagles, who got the pick from the New Orleans Saints the season prior. Now, the rich get richer. The Eagles already have an insane defensive line, but they get to replace Javon Hargrave with this amazing prospect.
The current rookie sack record is held by Jevon Kearse, the former Titans great who ended up having a fantastic season. Carter has to get to 15 sacks to break the record. With the Eagles defensive stars around him, the fact they will be ahead in most games, and the fact they have a few really easy games on the schedule will lead to a plethora of pass rush situations.
The Eagles are putting Carter in one of the best possible situations to succeed. Carter will take the opportunity and run with it.
15. Kansas City Chiefs, Most points scored in a season
The Kansas City Chiefs have been celebrating the second Super Bowl Championship of this era since February. They came off a season where they led the league in points. It's not that close to the record, coming more than 100 points short of the record held by the 2013 Denver Broncos. That Peyton Manning-led group scored 606 points. Last year's Chiefs scored 496.
So, then why will this year's crew score so much more? For one, they will be in some dog fights, and Mahomes will come through. The Eagles, Chargers, Dolphins, and Bills are pretty clearly going to be high-scoring affairs. That could push the Chiefs to 40+ points in each of them. Then, some interesting matchups with the Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, and Jets could also be high-scoring affairs. By now, the Chiefs are at nine games where they might need 40 points to win.
If they do score 35 points per game in those contests, they would need 292 points over the other eight games of the season to break the record. The Chiefs are the type of team that would thrive off a possible record. If they get off to a hot start, they are going to keep their foot on the gas.
They understand the main goal is to win another Super Bowl, but the record is clearly a motivator. This is a team that should own this record.
14. Jonathan Taylor, Yards from scrimmage
The Indianapolis Colts will recover from that terrible season they had last year to be a complete breakout offensively. Adding Richardson to the fold will only make Jonathan Taylor better. He's been pretty darn good so far. So, a better Jonathan Taylor is a scary thought for his opponents.
Taylor's best season came in 2021, when he had 1,811 yards rushing and 360 yards receiving. That would give Taylor 2,171 yards from scrimmage. It's far from the record. Chris Johnson accumulated 2,509 yards from scrimmage in 2009. Taylor has the talent to break that record, but it has to be a perfect storm.
This seems like the right season to do it. The Colts have a rookie QB or Gardner Minshew, and they have a rookie head coach with a great offensive system. He's going to LEAN on Taylor. They want to win right away. The easiest way to win is to get the ball to your best playmakers. There are few playmakers as good as Taylor.
Taylor needs 147 yards per game to break the record. That seems attainable. Taylor needs to be at the top of his game, like we said. If he can break 110 yards per game rushing, then he just needs 37 receiving yards per game to break the record. With Richardson looking to dump off often as a rookie, the Colts will have a record holder soon enough.
13. Tua Tagovailoa, Most 4th quarter comebacks in a season
The Miami Dolphins are the most intriguing team in the NFL. They could fall apart under the immense pressure with a quarterback that has a laundry list of injury issues, most frightening of which is his concussion history. However, they could legit be Super Bowl contenders if everything falls right into place. It seems like the Dolphins are going to be a mix of both, and it will lead to a record that was just broken last season.
The Minnesota Vikings were that strange contending team that didn't feel like they were in the upper echelon, but their record said different. They just kept coming back in games and winning. In fact, Kirk Cousins tied Matthew Stafford's 2016 record with eight fourth-quarter comebacks. That is incredibly impressive because his team had to not only win those games where he made a comeback, but they had to be within striking distance in the fourth quarter but still losing. It's a hard equation to solve, but Cousins did it last season.
However, despite the love Cousins seems to be getting from the Netflix show "Quarterback," we still don't want Cousins to own this record. A player like Joe Burrow or Josh Allen will be ahead in too many fourth quarters to break this record. Tua Tagovailoa seems like the perfect candidate to break it.
If everything goes right, the Dolphins could easily win 12 or 13 games this season. They could do so with more than half coming with a fourth-quarter comeback. Say what you will about Tagovailoa in the pros; he showed he had nerves of steel in college playing for Alabama. He also has six game-winning drives in his NFL career. He did it twice last September. Once he did it against the Ravens in Baltimore when he found Jaylen Waddle open for a score with 14 seconds left. Tagovailoa has the right tools to break a record like this. He just has to stay healthy.
12. Andy Lee, Most punt yards career
This is one that we'll need a little luck with. Andy Lee is technically unemployed right now, but the legendary kickers and punters always seem to find that one last job in their 40s. Andy Lee has no rumors of retirement that we can find. Maybe it's because he's… you know… a punter, but we'd expect someone to say something about it by now.
Lee isn't exactly at the top of his game, but he's still about average against punters across the NFL. When it's a position with one player per team, that's still good. He averaged 47.1 yards per punt last year. He also only had four touchbacks on 67 punts. He still had some good ones with his booming leg. His longest punt last season was 65 yards.
This season, the Cardinals might have replaced him with Matt Haack. Doesn't matter. Someone will find a roster spot for Lee. If a punter gets hurt or is inconsistent, Lee will come off the street and boom 50 yarders with ease.
Lee is about 3,000 yards away from Jeff Feagles' record for most punting yards all time. Lee has a much better punting average than Feagles, but Feagles had about 250 more punts than Lee. So, as Lee closes the punt gap, he will break the yards record. If he makes 60 punts this season, he needs to average 46.7 yards per punt to break the record. That's worse than he did last season on fewer punts. Lee just needs a team, and this record is his.
11. Travis Kelce, Career playoff receptions
Travis Kelce might be the best weapon in the NFL. He's talked about a ton, but he still might not be talked about enough. He is the number one target in the number one offense from the hands of the number one quarterback. Mahomes is not the player he is today without Kelce helping him along the way. That includes in the playoffs, where Kelce has been equal parts security blanket and monster play driver.
Right now, Jerry Rice holds the most playoff receptions (obviously) with 151. Kelce is only 14 behind him. The Chiefs basically have to play two playoff games this season for Kelce to have a chance at the record. Kelce had 14 receptions in ONE playoff game last season. He had six and seven receptions in the other two games.
This is one of the few on the list that seems like a pretty solid pick. Kelce just needs opportunity and health to break this.
A lot of Rice's records seem unbreakable. Rice owned 38 records at the time of his retirement. It's okay to lose a few, and Kelce is a great player to take this one specific record. He's been great, and his career seems like it has a lot of life left. He could make this one unbreakable.
10. Trevon Diggs, Interceptions in a game
Trevon Diggs did not have the same great season he did in 2021. After posting 11 interceptions in his rookie season, Diggs had three interceptions last season. It was a marketed drop in the one thing he's great at. This season, we expect a bounce back.
In fact, Diggs will beat those three interceptions in one game. In fact, we're predicting that he's going to break the record for most interceptions in a game. He is still a ball hawk, and if anyone can intercept five balls in a game, it's Diggs.
We're looking at two games where this record could be broken. The first is Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. At that point, either Kyler Murray isn't going to be back yet, and they could be starting Colt McCoy, or they are going in the youth direction with Clayton Tune. McCoy is a harder sell since he will be safe with the ball. However, if Murray does return by that game, he will try to do too much, and five interceptions is a possibility there, too.
The other option is Carolina in Week 11. Bryce Young is an incredible talent, but he still has some time before he's NFL-ready. However, Carolina is going to start him. Young is the kind of player that won't lose confidence by throwing interceptions. He will keep throwing towards Diggs, and the man will come down with ball after ball.
9. Younghoe Koo, Career field goal percentage
Yup, we're going with two kicker records in this article. Justin Tucker currently holds the record for best career field goal percentage of all time. Of course, he does. Tucker is the only kicker in history who's hit more than 90 percent of his kicks with at least 100 attempts. Number two on the all-time list is Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo.
He's made 89.1 percent of his kicks over his career. This is a wild turn of events, after Koo went from cut in his rookie season as a stud rookie (making just 50 percent of his kicks) to missing an entire year after that to joining the Falcons as one of the best in the league. Now, Koo might break the record for field goal percentage (for now).
Koo would need to go something like 37 of 38 to break Tucker's record (with Tucker staying at the same percentage). Koo is good enough to succeed at that clip.
Obviously, this is a long shot because it calls for Tucker to miss at the same percentage as he did last season. Tucker might be falling outside his prime, but a kicker's prime is extended by proxy. So, Koo has to outkick him this season. If he can, the record could be his.
8. Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots single-season rushing yards
Going with another franchise record, but this one is a fun one. Breaking the New England Patriots single-season rushing record doesn't seem like that big a deal, but when you think about who is on this list, it's significant. Right now, Corey Dillon owns the record. However, Curtis Martin, LeGarrette Blount, and Jim Nance (no, not that one) all had great seasons with the Patriots.
This season, Rhamodre Stevenson will break Dillon's record that's stood for close to 20 years. The Patriots are going to focus on the running game, even with a stacked wide receiver room. The quarterback is still in flux, and new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is currently finding great schemes to make the most out of Stevenson.
Last season, Stevenson had 1,040 yards with Damien Harris sharing the backfield. This season, he pretty much has the backfield to himself. Can he break out to the point he breaks Dillon's record of 1,635 yards?
It is a lofty ask. Only Josh Jacobs had more yards than that last season. Only Jonathan Taylor broke it in 2021, and nobody else broke 1,300 yards that season. However, Stevenson already showed flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons. One thing he'll have to do is lower his receptions. He had 69 catches last year. He couldn't have that many touches and still break the rushing record. The Patriots would take him out of the game too often.
7. Aaron Rodgers, Best Jets TD-to-INT ratio
This one feels like a reach, but it's crazy how simple this record will be broken. Aaron Rodgers average touchdown-to-interception ratio over his career is 4.52, the best ratio of all time. The best touchdown-to-interception ratio in Jets history for one season is 4.14. That was the great Vinny Testaverde back in 1998. The Jets best touchdown-to-interception ratio ever is still worse than Rodgers' average.
Rodgers has beaten the Jets record nine times in his career. He had one year where his ratio was three times what the Jets record was.
Now, Rodgers is on the Jets with a stud receiving core looking to win his second Super Bowl. He is going to be incredibly careful with the ball while also getting the best out of Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Mecole Hardman. Rodgers had a rough season last year, but he has a new lease on his NFL life.
This one is pretty simple. Rodgers needs to stay healthy and avoid the cliff that has hit some other superstars when they turn 40 (looking at Drew Brees first and foremost). Rodgers has a few months before he's officially out of his 30s, so he should have at least one more great season in him.
6. Jaycee Horn, Panthers franchise interception record
The Carolina Panthers have incredible talent at both sides of the ball, but there only a few who have established themselves. Brian Burns is an established star who seems like he's figured out the issues he has with his current team because they are negotiating again. They added Miles Anders, Adam Theilen, and DJ Chark on offense. Jaycee Horn has a chance to be the best of the bunch.
The cornerback is going into his third year, and he's ready to put his injury history behind him. Horn is one of the most talented cornerbacks in football today. He's about to enter the year that most cornerbacks start their peak. He's just 23 years old with two years of NFL experience under his belt. The sky is the limit.
Horn had three interceptions in 13 games last season. One could assume a full season would come with one more interception, giving him four. We see him at least doubling that number this season. The Panthers record is eight interceptions in a season, held by Doug Evans back in 2001.
Interceptions are slightly random. Even a player like Darrelle Revis had up and down years when it came to interception numbers. Trying to predict the peak is hard, but this just feels like a special season from Horn.
5. Eagles-Chiefs, Highest scoring game since Super Bowl I
The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs played an epic Super Bowl this past February. There were plenty of big plays, but the game was as high scoring as we all expected. The over/under on sportsbooks shot up to 51, and the game ended up being 38 to 35, a ridiculous 73 points. They were two points away from the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
This season, they'll hit another milestone. There was one ridiculous game in 1966 where Washington score 72 points, but we're ignoring that game because it happened before the first Super Bowl. The record we're looking to beat is the one set by the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns in 2004.
In that game, Kelly Holcolm threw for five touchdowns, and Carson Palmer threw for four. There was offense from every angle, with all four quarters producing at least 16 points. The total score was 106, and that is the record the Eagles and Chiefs are looking to break.
They have every reason to shoot for it. There will be a lot on the line for both teams in this Nov. 20 matchup. Nothing will be certain for either, as we imagine the Cowboys and Chargers are still in the divisional race. Plus, we already established the Chiefs are going for the overall scoring record, so this will go a long way in helping them achieve that record.
4. Travis Etienne, Jaguars single-season rushing yards
The Jacksonville Jaguars look like a completely different team last season. After washing off the stain of Urban Meyer, they really hit their stride under Trevor Lawrence in the second half. He's getting a ton of coverage as he pushes to become the next great quarterback. There's another "next great' possibly on this roster.
Travis Etienne was amazing in college, playing that perfect 2023 style while he was at Clemson. He was a dynamic runner who could easily be mistaken for a receiver. He's not going to take the day-to-day beating of Derrick Henry or Dalvin Cook, but he doesn't have to. He is going to avoid more tackles than he is going to break.
Etienne has a chance to be the Jaguars single-season rushing leader as soon as this year. Right now, Maurice Jones-Drew holds the record with 1,606 yards. It is a hard sell to get Etienne north of 1,600 yards, but with defenses focusing entirely on the passing game, Doug Pederson will find holes to get Etienne yards.
Last season, Etienne had 1,125 yards coming off a major injury with a team that was pretty bad to start the season. We don't expect the Jaguars to have that same bad start, and the offense will click right away with a lot of the same pieces.
3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs career passing yards leader
Patrick Mahomes will break dozens of records before his career is over. If he stays healthy, even the crazy Tom Brady records could fall. He is the best quarterback we've seen when looking at the total package. Mahomes might already break the Kansas City Chiefs franchise passing record right now.
Mahomes is currently second behind Len Dawson for the franchise record. It's not surprising that Mahomes was going to own the record eventually, but this seems incredibly fast. Dawson is a Hall of Famer who is one of the best of all time. Yet, in what will be his seventh year, Mahomes is going to pass him.
There are only 4,266 yards between Dawson and Mahomes, with no other Chiefs QB in sight. Mahomes broke that mark in four of his five seasons as a starter. This one feels like one of the easiest records to predict. Even if there's an injury, as long as it isn't long-term, Mahomes can break this record.
Mahomes is coming off a Super Bowl victory, and even though he's still celebrating, he's going to dominate on the field. This is a player who can through for 4,300 yards in his sleep. As long as Mahomes has a semblance of being awake this season, he will break this record.
2. Aaron Donald, Most Defensive Player of the Year Awards
This one might come as a surprise, but Aaron Donald can win the Defensive Player of the Year award in any season. It might impact some of the others on this list (Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons mainly), but if Donald is able to lead the league in sacks again, he could very well win this award. That would give him four Defensive Player of the Year awards, more than any player in NFL history.
The history of this award goes all the way back to 1971, when defensive tackle Alan Page won the award with the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, only three players have won the award three times; Donald, J.J. Watt, and Lawrence Taylor. Even if Watt returns, he's not going to win this award. He's diminished just enough to keep out of this conversation. However, Donald is still at the top of his game.
Last season, Donald had five sacks over 11 games. It was by far his worst season as a professional. Donald decided to come back this season despite all the retirement rumors last season. He isn't doing that to cash a paycheck. He doesn't want to go out on the bottom, so he's going to fight like hell to be the best defensive player in the league.
The Los Angeles Rams are a strange team that most have little expectations for. They fell off a cliff after winning a Super Bowl, but they could easily be a surprise bounce back this season. Donald could lift the defense. If he does and the Rams somehow win that division on his back, expect more hardware coming to the Donald household.
1. J.J. Watt, Tackles for Loss Leader
We finish our list with a massive surprise. Sure, J.J. Watt announced his retirement, but we're one Pittsburgh Steelers injury away from him joining his brother to look toward history. Watt is currently seven tackles for loss behind Terrell Suggs for most ever (the numbers obviously only go back so far, as tackles for loss wasn't always a recognized stat).
Watt can easily beat this record even if he doesn't play the entire season. He had 18 tackles for loss last season, and that was with a terrible Arizona Cardinals team. If he can join a Pittsburgh Steelers team amid a playoff push with most offensive schemes focusing on his brother, he might be able to break this record in three games.
Will Watt want to come out of retirement for any other situation? This all seems unlikely, but a great team looking for a playoff run could get Watt out of the booth and into the locker room. If the Kansas City Chiefs give Watt a call if they run into pass rushing injuries, do we really think he's saying no?
Watt isn't tethered to any team. His contract with the Cardinals ended. Of course, he didn't want to return there. With so many options, Watt can wait it out and pick his best team.