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6 NFL Records That Could be Broken in 2025
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- 6 NFL Records That Could be Broken in 2025
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Expansion of the regular season in the National Football League was naturally going to bring new single-season NFL records every so often. What we're seeing this year is a few NFL players who are putting up numbers that would rival some records on a per-game basis from a 16-game season.
As we head into Week 13, there are a few NFL records that will likely be broken by the end of the season. There's also a few more single-season milestones that at least have a shot at being reached. Let's examine some of the NFL records that could be broken this season.
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Most Receiving Yards in a Season: Jaxon-Smith Njigba, Seahawks
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If not for a 93-yard performance against the Arizona Cardinals , in which he drew his lowest target total (six) in a month, we might be talking about another single-season NFL record for Jaxon Smith-Njigba . That 93-yard game in the Seattle Seahawks ' dominant 44-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals, where the Seahawks had a 28-0 lead with two defensive touchdowns early in the second quarter, is the only thing standing in the way of Smith-Njigba having seven consecutive games with 100 receiving yards. The NFL record is eight, held by Calvin Johnson and Adam Thielen . So, Smith-Njigba will just have to take Johnson's other record.
Related: Week 13 Fantasy Rankings
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Johnson currently holds the NFL record for most receiving yards in a season (1,964), a mark he reached in 2012. Megatron averaged 122.8 receiving yards per game that year, leading the NFL in targets (204, 12.75 per game) and receptions (122, 7.63 per game). Through 11 games, Smith-Njigba is averaging 119.4 receiving yards per game, averaging 9.7 targets and 7.3 receptions per game. For comparison, Johnson had 1,257 receiving yards with 73 receptions on 124 targets in his record-breaking year.
Most Sacks in a Season by a Team: Denver Broncos
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There is plenty of focus right now on the single-season NFL records that might be broken by players. However, the Denver Broncos are also on a historical pace through their first 11 games this year. Coming off the bye, Denver's defense leads the NFL with 49 sacks and the next closest team ( Cleveland Browns ) has 42. Those are the only teams with 40-plus sacks right now.
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Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025, Evaluating all 32 Defenses Weekly
The Broncos are currently on pace for 76 sacks this season. It would shatter the current record of 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears . Regarding Chicago's record, they averaged 4.5 sacks per game that season, and Denver is averaging approximately 4.5 sacks per game right now. Strengthening the Broncos' odds of breaking the single-season team record, they still have matchups against the Raiders (41 sacks allowed, second-most in NFL), the Chargers (3.8 sacks per game allowed in last five games), and the Jaguars (3.7 sacks per game allowed since Week 5). Nik Bonitto (9.5), Jonathan Cooper (7.5), and Zach Allen (6) all have a shot at double-digit sacks.
Most Tackles for Loss in a Season: Myles Garrett , Browns
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Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett could break a few NFL records this season. The All-Pro defender is responsible for a league-high 26 tackles for loss this season; no other player has cracked 20 thus far. Garrett's current TFL per game average ($2.36$) has him on pace to finish the season with 40 tackles for loss in 17 games. If he does so, he will break J.J. Watt 's single-season tackles for loss record ( 39 ) from a 16-game season. At a minimum, Garrett will join Watt as the only players in recorded history with $30$-plus TFLs in a year.
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Most Sacks in a Season by a Player: Brian Burns
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We at least have to highlight the historic season New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns is having this season. On one of the league's worst defenses, with opponents far more inclined to run on New York than pass, Burns might have a shot at breaking franchise icon Michael Strahan's single-season sack record. Burns is at 13 sacks through 12 games, so his pace would need to pick up a bit in the team's final five games. We'll note, however, that he put up 9 sacks ($1.3$ per game) in the first seven weeks of the season. If he can recapture that form, which is possible with the Patriots (two offensive linemen out), Commanders , Vikings, and Raiders on the schedule. Of course, this success would be coming in a year where his numbers pale in comparison to Garrett.
Most Sacks in a Season by a Player: Myles Garrett, Browns
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This is going to be a record-breaking year for Myles Garrett, and it will probably go down as the best season ever by a defensive player in NFL history. One stat that's flying under the radar: Garrett is one game shy of joining Lawrence Taylor as the only players ever to have four games with three-plus sacks in the same season. Of note, Garrett faces the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, and they've allowed the most sacks in the NFL this season with 41.
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As long as he stays healthy, it's a practical guarantee that Garrett will shatter the single-season sack record. He already has 18 sacks through 11 games, which is well ahead of T.J. Watt 's sack-per-game mark ($1.5$) when he recorded 22 sacks across 15 games in 2021. Entering Week 13, Garrett is currently on pace for 28 sacks.
Highest Scoring Rate in an NFL Season: League-Wide
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While 2025 isn't close to being one of the highest-scoring seasons in NFL history on a points per game basis, per Pro Football Reference , there is another mark that could be reached. Dating back to 1999, the NFL is having its second-highest scoring rate ever (39.2 percent) by teams and it's the only non-COVID year (39.8 percent in 2020) that the scoring rate has reached 39-plus percent. Likewise, the points-per-drive average (2.10) is the second-highest in recorded history.
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