Rams receiver Cooper Kupp has a chance to rewrite the record books this weekend, needing 12 catches to overtake Michael Thomas for the most in a single season. The 28-year-old is also within striking distance of Calvin Johnson’s all-time mark in receiving yards (1,964), trailing Megatron by 135 with one game remaining.
Kupp has had a remarkable season by all accounts, warranting consideration for both MVP (though Aaron Rodgers remains the betting favorite) and Offensive Player of the Year. Even if Kupp falls short of Johnson and Thomas’ records, he stands a good chance of leading the league in all three receiving categories (yards, touchdowns and catches), a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since recent Hall-of-Fame snub Steve Smith pulled it off in 2005.
Of course, if Kupp does overtake Johnson or Thomas in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the 49ers (who he torched for 122 yards back in Week 10), many would debate the record’s validity, arguing that Kupp had the advantage of a 17th game, a luxury that neither Johnson or Thomas were afforded. That same thinking applies to Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt, who can eclipse Michael Strahan’s record 22.5 sacks (including a freebie from Brett Favre) when the Steelers travel to Baltimore this weekend.
The NFL, a business that has always been adept at finding new profit centers—and milking them for all they’re worth—recently expanded the regular season from 16 to 17 games, immediately putting longstanding marks like Johnson’s in peril. Kupp himself admitted to feeling conflicted about his pursuit of history, acknowledging that any new season-long record going forward would likely come with an asterisk.
“What those guys did in 16 games, it wouldn't seem right to, I don't know, for those to be broken in 17 games,” Kupp expressed to ESPN Rams reporter Lindsey Thiry. “It wouldn't hold the same weight to me as it does for guys that have done that in a 16-game season and the accomplishments those guys had and the seasons they put together. Those are incredible things, incredible accomplishments. You kind of have to separate the two."
Similar to when the NFL adopted a 16-game slate in 1978 or when MLB moved to a 162-game regular season in 1962, fans and players, will over time, adjust to the sport’s new standards. But until then, it’s going to be a mess to piece together which records are legitimate and which aren’t.
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