NFL Week 2: Records and milestones within reach this weekend
Week 2 of the NFL season presents opportunities for teams and players to achieve significant milestones. The Chicago Bears aim to break scoring records, while quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Patrick Mahomes pursue personal achievements. Players Christian McCaffrey and Justin Jefferson also have chances to join the record books, highlighting an eventful weekend ahead.
Photo: Kansas City Chiefs
Week 2 of the NFL season will offer more than an early opportunity for teams to establish momentum. Several of the league’s biggest names enter the weekend within reach of career milestones and places in the record book.
From Chicago’s opportunity to build on a historic offensive opener to individual marks involving Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Christian McCaffrey and Justin Jefferson, Sunday’s schedule carries several statistical storylines beyond the standings.
Bears can make history after 59-point opener
Chicago produced 560 yards from scrimmage and eight offensive touchdowns in its Week 1 victory over Carolina, finishing with 59 points.
The Bears now need 37 points against Minnesota on Sunday to surpass the 1968 Oakland Raiders for the most points through the first two games of a season. The Raiders scored 95 in 1968.
Chicago also rushed for six touchdowns in its opener. Two more would tie the most by a team through two games since 1932.
Caleb Williams has an individual milestone within reach as well. The Bears quarterback enters the game with 49 career touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. If he reaches 50 touchdown passes without throwing more than two interceptions Sunday, he would join Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks to reach 50 while having 15 or fewer career interceptions at that point.
Rodgers, Stafford and Mahomes chase quarterback milestones
Aaron Rodgers enters Pittsburgh’s game at New England with 164 regular-season victories. A win would move him alongside former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for fifth all-time with 165.
Only Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have recorded more regular-season victories.
Stafford, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to move higher on another major quarterback list when the Los Angeles Rams host the New York Giants on Monday night.
The reigning MVP begins Week 2 with 423 career touchdown passes. Two against New York would tie Philip Rivers for sixth in NFL history.
Mahomes can also add another milestone Sunday night against Indianapolis. He has 315 touchdown passes when the postseason is included and needs two to tie Russell Wilson for the second-most by a quarterback through his first 10 NFL seasons. Peyton Manning holds the record with 327.
McCaffrey and Henry close in on more history
Christian McCaffrey begins San Francisco’s matchup against Miami with 98 touchdowns from scrimmage in 113 career games.
Two more would allow him to surpass Jerry Rice as the fourth-fastest player to reach 100 scrimmage touchdowns during the Super Bowl era. Only LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith and Shaun Alexander reached the mark in fewer games.
McCaffrey’s versatility also has him positioned for another record. His 36 career touchdown receptions are tied with Marshall Faulk for the most by a running back in the Super Bowl era, meaning his next receiving score would give him the mark outright.
Baltimore’s Derrick Henry is coming off three rushing touchdowns in Week 1, a performance that moved him past Marcus Allen for third all-time with 125.
If Henry scores multiple touchdowns against New Orleans, he would record his 37th career multi-touchdown game and tie Randy Moss for fourth in NFL history.
Jefferson continues his climb among NFL receivers
Justin Jefferson already owns 8,572 receiving yards despite still being under 28 years old.
The Minnesota receiver needs 31 yards against Chicago to move past DeAndre Hopkins for second-most receiving yards by a player before turning 28. Randy Moss holds the record with 9,142.
Jefferson isn’t the only receiver approaching a notable mark. Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown enters Week 2 with 557 career receptions. Eight more would move him past Jarvis Landry for third-most catches by a player through his first six seasons, behind only Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.
Watt can add another mark to his résumé
Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt opened the season with two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Watt has now produced at least two sacks in 27 games since entering the NFL in 2017. Another multi-sack performance against New England would tie Hall of Famer Richard Dent for fifth-most such games by a player during his first 10 seasons since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
With several milestones requiring only a touchdown, a handful of yards or one more big defensive performance, Week 2 could produce movement across several of the NFL’s historical leaderboards.
