As the 2024 NFL regular season enters its final three weeks, fans and analysts alike are focused on the playoff picture. However, it’s also a time when we start to see potential individual records that could be broken.

The most notable record at risk is Eric Dickerson’s legendary single-season rushing yard record. Established in 1984, it stands at 2,105 yards over 16 games while he played for the Los Angeles Rams. This record came with some controversy since Dickerson surpassed O.J. Simpson’s 2,003 yards set during a 14-game season in 1973.

Now, Dickerson’s record might be in jeopardy as current players, like Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, can benefit from a 17-game regular season. Despite a slight decline in performance in his recent game against the Steelers, Barkley is still in contention for the record. He currently has 1,688 yards rushing and is focused on winning, rather than fixating on the record.

“I’m aware of my progress. I’m not afraid of it,” Barkley remarked. “If I don’t achieve it, I won’t be sad. If I do, I won’t go overboard in excitement either.”

“Records are set to be broken. My priority is winning games and aiming for a championship; that’s what matters most to me.”

However, records do carry weight, especially for players on teams without championship ambitions. Here are ten records to watch in the upcoming weeks:

Single-Season Rushing Yards

Barkley had some physical setbacks in the game against the Steelers, resulting in 65 rushing yards, one of his lowest outputs since his transition from the struggling Giants to the Super Bowl-bound Eagles. He assures that he’s feeling good moving forward.

To surpass Dickerson, he will need to average 139.3 yards over the next three games, significant given Philadelphia’s tight race for the top NFC playoff seed, making it unlikely they’ll rest Barkley. Nevertheless, he has crossed the 140-yard mark in five games this season, contrastingly downplaying the record’s importance, which is quite different from Dickerson, who has openly expressed his desire to maintain his standing.

Single-Season Yards from Scrimmage

If Barkley pushes for the rushing record, he could also contend for the highest total yards from scrimmage in a season. He is just 36 yards shy of 2,000, marking the 73rd occurrence of that milestone. To break Chris Johnson’s long-standing record of 2,509 total yards, Barkley must average 182 yards per week for the remainder of the season. He has achieved this in four games already while playing for the Eagles.

Single-Season Passer Rating

Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP who might soon become a three-time winner, poses a real threat to become the most efficient quarterback in NFL history. He currently holds a passer rating of 120.7, placing him fourth all-time, but just behind Aaron Rodgers’ record of 122.5 from his first MVP season in 2011. One challenge for Jackson is that he tends to pass less frequently than historical quarterbacks like Rodgers and Peyton Manning, meaning his efficiency will need to be extremely high to match their volume. Nevertheless, he has already set a mark this season with four games featuring a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Rookie Passer Rating

Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders is on track to be the fifth rookie QB to maintain a passer rating above 100.0 for an entire season, currently at 101.2. A strong finish could see him surpass Dak Prescott’s rookie record of 104.9, set in 2016.

Rookie Quarterback Rushing Yards

Daniels is also one of five rookie quarterbacks to have rushed for over 600 yards, joining legends like Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Jackson, and Josh Allen. He is just 160 yards away from surpassing RG3’s record of 815 rushing yards set in 2012, a record that earned RG3 the Offensive Rookie of the Year title – a feat Daniels could replicate.

Quarterback Career Rushing Yards

Last weekend, Jackson joined Michael Vick as one of the only QBs in NFL history to reach 6,000 career rushing yards. A mere 109 yards will enable him to surpass Vick’s total of 6,109 yards, a record Vick achieved over 13 seasons, while Jackson will have accomplished this feat in just seven years.

Single-Season Touchdown-to-Interception Ratio

More from Jackson, whose individual numbers this season are primarily.

His performance this season is even more remarkable than his MVP seasons in 2019 and 2023. One of his standout statistics is his touchdown-to-interception ratio, which stands at an impressive 34 touchdowns to just three interceptions. If Jackson can manage to throw at least nine more touchdown passes without any interceptions, he will surpass Tom Brady’s 2016 record of 28 touchdowns against only two interceptions.

Receiving yards by a rookie tight end

Brock Bowers, selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as their first-round draft pick in April, has already eclipsed Sam LaPorta’s record of 86 catches for a rookie tight end. Bowers currently has 90 receptions and counting. Assuming he receives adequate quarterback support, he has a solid chance of getting the 109 additional receiving yards he needs to break Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s long-standing record of 1,076 receiving yards for a rookie tight end, which has stood for 63 years. Notably, Ditka achieved his record in just 14 games, and only Kyle Pitts (2021) has managed to surpass the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie tight end.

Receptions by a rookie

It’s been under a year since the Rams’ Puka Nacua became the third rookie to achieve a 100-catch season, finishing with 105 receptions, which exceeded the previous rookie record by Jaylen Waddle set in 2021. However, Bowers could snatch this record as well, needing just 16 more receptions. Given his average of 6.4 catches per game, he is likely to reach this milestone if he maintains his current performance.

Pick-sixes in a season

It was already a challenging task – and even more so now that the Tennessee Titans have benched second-year quarterback Will Levis. This situation could have been interesting to follow (except for Levis), as four of his 16 touchdown passes this season have unfortunately gone to opposing teams. To tie Jameis Winston’s record of seven pick-sixes in 2019, Levis would have to return to the field and throw three more interceptions returned for touchdowns, though it seems Titans’ rookie head coach Brian Callahan might not be able to handle any additional losses.

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