What To Look For – Week 18

The seasons with the most teams still in Super Bowl contention entering the league’s final week since 1978:

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STEEL CURTAIN: The PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-8) have won three consecutive games and five of their past six, as they enter the season’s final week with an opportunity to secure their third straight postseason berth.

Additionally, with a win against Cleveland on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Pittsburgh will have secured a .500-or-better record for the 19th consecutive season, tied with the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2001-19) for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only the DALLAS COWBOYS (21 consecutive seasons from 1965-85) have a longer streak.

The teams with the most consecutive seasons finishing with a .500-or-better record in NFL history:

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PROLIFIC PASSERS: Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES leads the league with 5,048 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes this season. This marks his second-career season with at least 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes (2018), joining DREW BREES (2011-12) as the only players ever with two seasons of 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes.

With 269 passing yards against Las Vegas on Saturday (4:30 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), Mahomes will surpass TOM BRADY (5,316 passing yards in 2021) for the third-most passing yards in a season in NFL history.

The players with the most passing yards in a season in NFL history:

Mahomes totaled 328 passing yards last week, his ninth game this season with at least 325 passing yards. If he reaches the mark again on Saturday, he will become the fourth player ever with at least 325 passing yards in 10-or-more games within a single season, joining DREW BREES (11 games in 2011), RICH GANNON (10 in 2002) and Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (10 in 2013). 

Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY leads the league with 477 completions in 2022, the second-most ever in a single season. With nine completions at Atlanta on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Brady will break his own single-season completions record he set in 2021 (485).

The players with the most completions in a single season in NFL history:

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT ranks third in the league with 4,466 passing yards this season, while Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW ranks fifth with 4,260. If Herbert records 34 passing yards at Denver on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS) or Burrow totals 240 passing yards against Baltimore (1:00 PM ET, CBS), they will become the first players ever to record at least 4,500 passing yards in two of their first three seasons.

Herbert also enters the week with 23 touchdown passes in 2022 and can join Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING as the only players in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes in each of their first three seasons.

Minnesota quarterback KIRK COUSINS ranks fourth in the league with 4,322 passing yards this season, while adding 28 touchdown passes. With two touchdown passes at Chicago on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Cousins will become the sixth player ever with at least 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in three consecutive seasons, joining JOSH ALLEN, DREW BREES, PATRICK MAHOMES and Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING and DAN MARINO. Allen and Mahomes extended their streaks already earlier this season.

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RIDICULOUS RECEIVERS: Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON leads the league this season with 124 receptions and 1,771 receiving yards. At Chicago on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), he can continue his climb up the single-season receiving chart.

The players with the most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history:

Jefferson leads the league with at least 100 receiving yards in 10 games this season and can become the fourth player ever to record at least 100 receiving yards in 11 games within a single season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers MICHAEL IRVIN (1995) and CALVIN JOHNSON (2012), as well as COOPER KUPP (2021).

Since entering the league in 2020, Jefferson ranks third among all players with 320 receptions. With two catches on Sunday, he will surpass MICHAEL THOMAS (321 receptions) for the most receptions by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.

Las Vegas wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS leads the league this season with 14 touchdown receptions, ranks third with 1,443 receiving yards and ranks 10th with 95 receptions.

With a touchdown reception against Kansas City on Saturday (4:30 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), Adams – who totaled a career-high 18 touchdown receptions in 2020 – can become the fifth player ever with at least 15 touchdown receptions in multiple seasons. Each of the previous four to do so are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The players with the most seasons with at least 15 touchdown receptions in NFL history:

With five receptions on Saturday, Adams can also become the third player ever with at least 100 receptions and 1,300 receiving yards in three-or-more consecutive seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (four consecutive seasons from 1999-02) and ANTONIO BROWN (three from 2013-15).

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BRUISING BACKS: Dallas running back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT enters the week with 12 rushing touchdowns this season and has recorded a rushing touchdown in each of his past nine games. With a rushing touchdown at Washington on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), Elliott will become the sixth player in NFL history to record a rushing touchdown in at least 10 consecutive games within a single season.

The players with a rushing touchdown in the most consecutive games within a single season in NFL history:

Elliott also enters the week with 958 scrimmage yards (866 rushing, 92 receiving). Since entering the NFL in 2016, Elliott leads all players with 10,588 scrimmage yards and ranks third with 80 touchdowns, and has recorded at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in each season.

With 42 scrimmage yards on Sunday, he will become the fourth player ever with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in each of his first seven seasons.

The players with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in the most consecutive seasons to begin a career in NFL history:

Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY ranks third in the league with 1,429 rushing yards and is tied for second with 13 rushing touchdowns this season. With 71 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns at Jacksonville on Saturday night (8:15 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), he will become the first player ever with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in three career seasons.

San Francisco running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY ranks third in the NFL with 1,801 scrimmage yards (1,094 rushing, 707 receiving) in 2022. With 99 scrimmage yards against Arizona on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), he will become the sixth player ever with at least 1,900 scrimmage yards in three-or-more of his first six seasons. The other five players to accomplish the feat are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – ERIC DICKERSON (four seasons), EDGERRIN JAMES (three), EMMITT SMITH (three), THURMAN THOMAS (three) and LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (three).

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TERRIFIC TEAMMATES: Miami wide receiver TYREEK HILL ranks second in the league with 1,687 receiving yards this season, while teammate JAYLEN WADDLE ranks sixth with 1,312. They are the only pair of teammates each with over 1,200 receiving yards in 2022 and their combined 2,999 receiving yards are the most among teammates this season.

With 176 combined receiving yards against the New York Jets on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Hill and Waddle will surpass HERMAN MOORE and BRETT PERRIMAN (3,174 combined receiving yards in 1995) for the most combined receiving yards by a pair of teammates in a season in NFL history.

The teammates with the most combined receiving yards in a single season in NFL history:

Las Vegas running back JOSH JACOBS leads the league this season with 1,608 rushing yards, while wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS ranks third with 1,443 receiving yards. If Adams records 57 receiving yards against Kansas City on Saturday (4:30 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), the Raiders will become the fifth team ever with both a 1,500-yard rusher and 1,500-yard receiver in the same season.

The teams with both a 1,500-yard rusher and 1,500-yard receiver in the same season in NFL history:

The Philadelphia Eagles are the only team in the league wit three players each entering the week with at least 1,100 scrimmage yards this season – wide receivers A.J. BROWN (1,401 scrimmage yards) and DEVONTA SMITH (1,129), and running back MILES SANDERS (1,314).

If Smith records 71 scrimmage yards against the New York Giants on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Brown (25 years old), Smith (24) and Sanders (25) will become first trio of teammates age 25 or younger each with at least 1,200 scrimmage yards in the same season in NFL history.

Additionally, Brown enters the week with 11 touchdown receptions this season, Smith has seven touchdown receptions and Sanders has 11 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback JALEN HURTS (age 24) has totaled 13 rushing touchdowns in 2022, the second-most ever by a quarterback in a single season.

If Smith scores a touchdown on Sunday, the Eagles can become the first team with four players age 25 or younger each with at least eight scrimmage touchdowns in the same season in NFL history.

Dallas running back TONY POLLARD has totaled a career-high 1,359 scrimmage yards (988 rushing, 371 receiving) and 12 touchdowns (nine rushing, three receiving) this season while teammate EZEKIEL ELLIOTT has 958 scrimmage yards (866 rushing, 92 receiving) and 12 rushing touchdowns.

If Elliott records 42 scrimmage yards at Washington on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), Elliott and Pollard can become the third pair of running back teammates to each record at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in the same season since 1990, joining Cleveland’s NICK CHUBB and KAREEM HUNT in 2020 and New Orleans’ MARK INGRAM and ALVIN KAMARA in 2017.

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DOMINANT DEFENDERS: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES lead the league with 68 sacks this season, tied for the fourth-most ever by a team in a single season.

With at least five sacks – a mark they have hit in each of the past five games – against the New York Giants on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), the Eagles will surpass the 1984 CHICAGO BEARS (72 sacks) for the most sacks by a team in a season in NFL history.

The teams with the most sacks in a season in NFL history:

Linebacker HAASON REDDICK leads the team and ranks second in the NFL with a career-best 16 sacks this season and has recorded two sacks in each of his past three games. With at least two sacks Sunday, Reddick can become the fourth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least two sacks in four consecutive games.

The players with at least two sacks in the most consecutive games since 1982:

San Francisco defensive lineman NICK BOSA leads the NFL with a career-high 17.5 sacks this season. He has recorded at least one sack in 12 games in 2022 and can become the fourth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with 13 such games in a single season, joining DEMARCUS WARE (14 games in 2008), JUSTIN HOUSTON (13 in 2014) and CHANDLER JONES (13 in 2017).

The DETROIT LIONS are the only team in the league with three rookies entering Week 18 with multiple sacks on the season – linebacker JAMES HOUSTON (eight sacks) and defensive linemen AIDAN HUTCHINSON (7.5) and JOSH PASCHAL (two). Linebacker MALCOLM RODRIGUEZ also has recorded one sack this season.

With a sack by any of their rookies at Green Bay on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC), Detroit will surpass the 1999 TENNESSEE TITANS (19 sacks) for the most combined sacks by rookies in a season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.

The teams with the most sacks by rookies in a season since 1982:

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