The 2021 NFL season is officially underway and one of the major changes that all NFL fans have taken notice of is the fact that this season, there will be 17 weeks of NFL action instead of 16 like in prior seasons. Now, what could this mean for sports fans, especially those who love to bet on NFL action? Well, simple, the possibility of various standing NFL records being shattered is upon us. Yes, what a difference one extra game can make in the world of pro football.
But which records have the most chances of being broken and which players among the league look like the best candidates to get the job done? Here we bring you a list of the top-standing NFL records that could be broken in this 2021 season.
Season Passing Yards Record
Yes, we’ve all poked fun at Dak Prescott and his warmup moves that look more like he’s getting ready for a ballroom dancing competition than anything else, but what we haven’t really taken into notice is the fact that when Prescott is firing at all cylinders, the man is a passing machine. If you don’t believe it, let’s take a small walk down memory lane to last season, a season where Prescott only played five games before being sidelined for the season with an injury that would stop him in his record-breaking path. Up until his last game in 2020 he had already totaled 1,690 yards, averaging over 400 passing yards per game. If Prescott would’ve been able to stay and play through the whole season, he not only would’ve completely smashed Peyton Manning’s 2013 season passing yards record of 5,477 but also cleared the 6,000 yards in a season benchmark, something that clearly has never been done before.
Now that he’s back in full form and with an extra game in his calendar, all signs point that if Prescott is able to maintain at least an average of 350 passing yards per game he will not only break Manning’s record, but he will also come very, very close to going over 6,000 yards. Given that Dallas’ offense looks pretty much groomed for Prescott to show off all of his arsenal of skills, it’s more than easy to see why this man will be poised to break records and silence all of his doubters.
Most Sacks In A Season
As of right now, and still standing since 2001, the record for the most sacks recorded in a single NFL season is held by former New York Giants star and now TV personality Michael Strahan with 22,5. While there have been players that have come close to breaking that record in previous seasons with the Rams Aaron Donald and the Cardinals J.J. Watt all coming up short by 2,5 sacks, this record could easily be broken in 2021 thanks to the addition of that one extra regular-season game.
While we could talk about Watt’s bid to break the record, let’s be honest here, Watt’s best days might be past him, so let’s focus on the man who can truly claim the throne as the sack record holder at the end of the season, Aaron Donald. If Donald is able to record an average of at least 1,5 sacks per game, he will be able to reach a total of 25,5 sacks at the end of the season. While that does sound like a lot of work ahead of Donald, there is no better defensive lineman in the NFL to try and break this record than him.
Most Rushing Yards In A Season
To find out who holds the records for the most rushing yards recorded in a season we have to go all the way back to the 1984 NFL season and look into a certain legendary running back called Erick Dickerson. Now, while Dickerson still holds the record to this day, there is one player who last season already came extremely close to breaking it, that player being Tennessee Titans all-star running back Derrick Henry. Henry missed out on the chance of breaking said record by 78 yards. Keep in mind though, that was in a 16 game season, but now in 2021, with an extra game added to the schedule, there has never been a better time than right now for Henry to claim the throne as the new king of rushing yards per season in the NFL.
But wait, while that task sounds both gigantic and impressive all at once, if Henry is able to break Dickerson’s record he wouldn’t only become the all-time leading rushing yards per season record holder. By breaking this record Henry would also become the first player in the history of the NFL to have two seasons with over 2,000 rushing yards, and not only that, but he would also be the first player ever to record said number of yards in consecutive seasons, given that his record last year was of 2,027 in total. Henry’s odds to beat this record are as sweet as the best pie around and with his career still looking far from over, we could be looking at the all-time best running back in the history of the NFL if he continues playing as he does in the foreseeable future.
