NFL Milestone Watch: More History Ahead for the GOAT

Last NFL season saw a number of historical marks equaled or broken.

T.J. Watt finally brought some legitimacy back to the sack record, equalling Michael Strahan's 22.5, while Tom Brady re-took the career passing yards record he and Drew Brees had exchanged for a brief period. With the league well into the advent of the passing boom, all sorts of records in NFL history are at threat of falling in any given season.

With the 2022/23 campaign just a few weeks away, we're taking a look at various NFL records that could fall and milestones that could be reached — and how to take advantage in the betting market.    

Tom Brady passing yards

The GOAT owns darn near every record there is to own, has won a few Super Bowls, and has hit milestones previously thought to be untouchable. Among those marks is the 100,000-yard plateau, which Tom Brady is rapidly approaching ahead of his age-45 season.

Just 2,431 yards short of the six-figure mark, Brady is a lock to top 100,000 career passing yards in 2022, barring injury. 

In two seasons in the pass-happy confines of the Bucs' offense, Brady's averaged 301.4 yards per game. That average would put Brady on pace to top the 100,000-yard passing mark in Week 9, as Tampa Bay hosts the Rams. 

Justin Jefferson receiving yards

Since entering the NFL in 2020, few receivers across the league have been as productive as Minnesota's Justin Jefferson. The former LSU Tiger had a fantastic 88-catch, 1,400-yard, seven-touchdown rookie season followed up by posting 108/1,616/10 as a sophomore.

Jefferson's production through two years has him approaching rare territory — and hallowed ground in Vikings lore.

The wideout needs just 1,148 receiving yards in 2022 to surpass former Minnesota great Randy Moss for the most by a receiver through their first three seasons. His per-game average of 91.3 yards would put him on pace to break Moss' record in a Week 14 tilt against the Lions.

Then, there isn't much more production needed from the Vikes' superstar to go Over his receiving yards total for the season, with the Justin Jefferson player prop market sitting at 1,350.5 at FanDuel and DraftKings.   

Travis Kelce 100+ yard games

It's a position with a rapidly changing role and look in the modern game and as such, we're in the golden age of tight end play. A period that saw talents like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Dallas Clark own the red zone and middle of the field has made way for the era of Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, among others.  

While Gronk has, seemingly, put a bow on his Hall of Fame career, his counterpart is still going. Fresh off his sixth straight 1,000-yard season, Kelce is rapidly approaching a historical mark. With 29 career games of 100+ receiving yards, Kelce needs just four more to pass Gronkowski for the most by a tight end in NFL history. 

Since Patrick Mahomes took over under center in 2018, Kelce has averaged 4.25 100-yard games per season, which will put him in line to grab the record at the tail end of the 2022 regular season. Kelce and the Chiefs close out their regular season with a Week 17 meeting with the Broncos and a Week 18 trip to Las Vegas.

Cordarrelle Patterson kickoff return TDs

While 2021 may have been the C-Patt renaissance for long-time believers, the 31-year-old is staring down history, fresh off the best season of his career. With eight kickoff return touchdowns in his career, the four-time first-team All-Pro returner remains in a deadlock with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington for the most in NFL history. 

Patterson's pursuit of sole possession of that record continues after the most non-descript season, as a returner, of his career in 2021. With the biggest role he's ever handled on offense, opportunities were few-and-far-between on special teams, as Patterson handled a career-low 18 kickoffs for a career-low 24.1 yards per return — and zero scores.

Since tying Cribbs and Washington's mark in Week 10 of the 2020 season, Cordarrelle Patterson has gone 22 games without making a house call in the return game. As one of the best to ever do it, along with Cribbs and the irreplicable Devin Hester, C-Patt could set the new standard at any moment in 2022. 

Jamal Adams sacks

Since a standoff with the Jets that ultimately led to a high-priced trade to the Seahawks, safety Jamal Adams has become one of the more polarizing figures in the NFL. Central to any conversation around Adams is his impact as a pass rusher, which has grown further in Seattle.

After posting 6.5 sacks in his final season in New York, Adams' debut season with the Seahawks saw him register a defensive back-record 9.5 sacks for a team starved for a pass rush. While Adams failed to record a sack in 2021, he remains on the cusp of an NFL record.

With another season of 5+ sacks, he'll become the first defensive back to record three such seasons since sacks began being recorded in 1982. That may be an achievement in itself, but the potential of such a feat doesn't appear to move the needle with Defensive Player of the Year oddsmakers, where Adams is a +7,000 longshot.

Justin Herbert passing TDs and yards

Perhaps no position's stats better represents the modern NFL than quarterback, where passing records are seemingly being set and reset on a yearly basis. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert finds himself in the thick of that baton-passing ahead of year three, with a pair of records in his sights. 

With 30 touchdown passes in 2022, Herbert will pass Dan Marino for the most through the first three seasons of a career, while 3,608 yards will be enough for the L.A. passer to take Andrew Luck's record for most passing yards through three seasons.

Herbert has surpassed both the 30-touchdown and 3,608-yard mark in each of his first two seasons, so both should be his by the end of 2022. The Justin Herbert player prop market has his passing yards total set at 4,600.5 and touchdowns at 35.5 at FanDuel. 

Lamar Jackson 100-yard games

From the moment he took over for Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson was one of the most electrifying talents to play quarterback in the NFL. An MVP and a career's worth of ankle-breaking highlights later, Jackson is on the verge of standing alone.

Ahead of 2022, Jackson and Michael Vick sit tied for the most 100-yard rushing performances by QBs in history, with 10 apiece. While the Ravens continue to try and evolve as a passing attack, Jackson's ability as a rusher will remain a prominent part of his game — making this record an inevitability. 

For Jackson's career, he's averaging a 100-yard rushing performance every 5.4 games. That would set Jackson up for a record-setting performance in a Week 6 meeting with the Giants in New York. 

Nick Chubb rushing TDs

Amid disaster, success, and now controversy, Nick Chubb has quietly gone about his business and established himself as one of the NFL's best running backs in four years with the Browns. That quiet consistency has seen Chubb record 8+ rushing touchdowns in every season of his career — and now, he's on the verge of joining truly elite company.

With another year of 8+ rushing scores, Chubb would join Jim Brown, LaDanian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, and Emmitt Smith — four of the Top 11 rushers in history — as the only players to record 8+ scores in each of their first five seasons. 

The Nick Chubb player prop touchdown market can be found as low as 8.5 (FanDuel) and as high as 10.5 (BetMGM) but regardless of the book, the consensus remains — Chubb is set to join an incredible group of tailbacks in 2022.  

Russell Wilson wins

Blessed with a terrific situation to start his career, surrounded by the vaunted Legion of Boom and Marshawn Lynch beside him in the backfield, all Russell Wilson has done in his career is win games. Season-in, season-out, Wilson would reset the mark for most wins through that season of his career. 

Since he entered the league in 2012, Wilson has 113 wins (including playoffs) and is chasing another record ahead of year 11. With 13 wins this season for the Denver Broncos, Wilson will pass Brady for the most wins by a quarterback through 11 years.

The Broncos' 2022 win total is set at 10 (Over -120/Under +100), so Wilson will need to conjure a little more magic to reset Brady's standard through 11 seasons. Denver is, however, expected to reach the postseason in NFL playoff odds (Yes -150/No +125), so Wilson could be afforded a couple more cracks at 13 wins in 2022/23. 

Josh Allen rushing TDs

The King of Western New York may have his sights set on the Super Bowl — and by extension, the NFL MVP award — but another bit of history is there for grabs for Josh Allen.

As the Bills have established themselves as a bona fide contender in recent years, Allen's laid claim to Cam Newton's vacated crown as the league's single best red zone threat. Like Newton, Allen has an absolutely absurd physical profile, making him a nightmare in 1-on-1s in space, as likely to run you over as he is to leave you flat footed. 

Allen's dual-threat ability has seen him post eight, nine, eight, and six rushing touchdowns in each of his first four NFL seasons. With another productive year on the ground, Allen can join Newton as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to score 5+ rushing touchdowns in five straight years. 

Oddsmakers are expecting Buffalo's signal-caller to join Newton in history, as the rushing touchdown market in Josh Allen player props sits at 6.5 across the board.

For his career, the former Wyoming passer has averaged a rushing score just under once every two games, leaving a Week 11 meeting with the Browns as the potential stage for Allen's record-tying fifth score of 2022. 

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