If it wasn't enough that Ja'Marr Chase exploded for 266 yards and three touchdowns in Week 17, he also managed to break Justin Jefferson's record for the most receiving yards by a rookie in the Super Bowl era. Though he's still short of Bill Groman's 1960 AFL record of 1,473 yards, he should be able to break that with relative ease — so long as the Bengals still have something to play for after the Chiefs' game on Saturday — in Week 18, as he only trails by 44 yards.
But there are more records to be broken, even if the added 17th game does take a little bit of the luster off of whatever statistical achievements occur in Week 18.
Though Derrick Henry couldn't continue his insane early-season start to break the rushing record, and it's very unlikely that Trevon Diggs adds enough interceptions in the final game to surpass Night Train Lane and his 14-interception campaign, there are still some cool stats to watch for.
Here are five players in striking distance of NFL single-season records, and how much longer they have to go.
Tom Brady | Most Pass Completions and Pass Attempts
Tom Brady could break another of Drew Brees' records.(Elsa/Getty Images)Current record: Drew Brees, 471 (2016) and Matthew Stafford (727)
Brady enters Week 18 with 456 completed passes in 682 tries, already far and away his career highs in both categories. Mind you, he's 44 years old. He threw the ball 50 times against the Jets in Week 17, and he needed each and every one of those throws to get the job done.
There really aren't any other words you can use to describe his greatness and/or the fact that he's playing at perhaps the highest level of his career right now, and it only seems appropriate that he'll add another league record or two to his collection in the season finale.
And yes, he will be suiting up along with the rest of the starting lineup against the Panthers in Week 18, according to Bruce Arians.
Cooper Kupp | Receptions and Receiving Yards
Cooper Kupp will likely win the receiving triple crown.(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)Current record: Michael Thomas, 149 (2019) and Calvin Johnson, 1,964 (2012)
Kupp will very likely win the receiving triple crown, as he currently leads all players in receptions (138), receiving yards (1,829) and receiving touchdowns (15). It's been an incredible season for Kupp, who just turned in one of his worse performances of the season... with six catches, 95 yards and a touchdown. That's the lower end of Kupp's production this year.
Even if we still had 16-game seasons, this would be an absolutely remarkable season for Kupp, one that would go down in the record books as an all-time great campaign. But with the extra game against the 49ers — a team he had 11 catches and 122 yards against in their first matchup — he has a real chance to rewrite the record books. With that same exact performance, he'd tie Thomas and come up just short of Megatron. And with the NFC West title on the line, expect Kupp to be the focal point yet again, meaning both of these records are well within reach.
Jaylen Waddle | Most Receptions (Rookie)
Even with Ja'Marr Chase stealing the show, Jaylen Waddle has been very impressive.(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Current record: Anquan Boldin (101)
Though it's been Ja'Marr Chase who has stolen most of the headlines for rookie wide receivers, Waddle has had an excellent campaign in his own right. He had a three-reception dud in Miami's Week 17 blowout against the Titans, but that's all he'll need in Week 18 if he wants to get to 102 catches on the season and capture Boldin's record. He'll also break the 1,000-yard mark in doing so in all likelihood, rounding out what was a very impressive campaign for the Alabama product.
We should also mention that former Crimson Tide teammates DeVonta Smith is on the verge of the Eagles' franchise rookie receiving record, as he needs just 38 yards against the Cowboys to surpass DeSean Jackson on the Philly leaderboards.
Kyle Pitts | Receiving Yards, TE (Rookie)
Kyle Pitts has flown under the radar, but broke the 1,000-yard barrier in Week 17.(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Current record: Mike Ditka, 1,076 (1961)
Coach Ditka was a beast of a player before he was a coach, hauling in 56 receptions for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie. But his long-standing receiving record for the tight end position is in jeopardy with Week 18 on the horizon.
That's because Kyle Pitts, who has largely flown under the radar this season amid a number of other impressive rookie performances, broke the 1,000-yard mark in Week 17 and is only 59 yards shy of passing Ditka's rookie yardage figure. Pitts is averaging 77 yards per game in the last four weeks, so recent history suggests he may be able to get this one done.
T.J. Watt | Sacks
T.J. Watt's four-sack performance in Week 17 put him closer to the single-season record.(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)Current record: Michael Strahan, 22.5 (2001)*
It looks like this is the figure that most stat-keepers will go by for Watt, who only sits one behind Strahan after a monstrous four-sack effort against the Browns in Week 17. Pro Football Reference says that Al Baker had a 23.0-sack season in 1978, before the league started tracking the stat officially, but that might not matter — Watt might get the better of both records.
In Week 18 he gets the Baltimore Ravens, the team that has surrendered the most sacks in the league (54) to this point in the season. That bodes well for Watt, and such a feat would have to push him to the front of the Defensive Player of the Year race... right?
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