National Football League

T.J. Watt, Dak Prescott, Ja'Marr Chase among Week 18 record breakers

Published Jan. 10, 2022 10:40 a.m. ET

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"All records are made to be broken."

That famous quote by the late, great Red Auerbach took on extra meaning in the final Sunday of the NFL regular season. With an extra week added to the NFL slate this year, we were bound to see some impressive numbers put up, but they came in waves in Week 18.

Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott kicked off the record-breaking weekend when he threw for five touchdowns in a 51-26 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. Prescott finished the regular season with 37 touchdown passes, eclipsing Tony Romo's single-season record.

Ja'Marr Chase

The first notable record Sunday came early in the Cleveland Browns' 21-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. On the first play of the Bengals' second drive, quarterback Brandon Allen connected with rookie standout Ja'Marr Chase for a 24-yard gain, putting Chase at 1,455 receiving yards on the season. That catch broke the franchise record for receiving yards in a single season … and yes, he's a rookie.

Chad Johnson was the previous record-holder, with 1,440 receiving yards, which was set all the way back in 2007.

Davante Adams

It didn’t take long for another standout wide receiver to etch his name into the record books, as Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams hauled in a 13-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers late in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions, putting his season total at 1,528 receiving yards. The catch moved Adams past Jordy Nelson for the most receiving yards in a season in Packers history.

Adams caught 11 passes in the Packers’ 37-10 win last week, which broke his franchise record of 115 catches from last season. He finished Sunday’s game with six catches for 55 yards, putting his regular-season total at 123 catches for 1,553 yards.

T.J. Watt

While both Adams and Chase put up memorable receiving marks Sunday, it was Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt who had the most notable record-setting performance.

Late in the second quarter of the Steelers’ 16-13 victory over the Ravens, Watt came off the edge and sacked Baltimore QB Tyler Huntley. Not only did Watt stop the Ravens from getting into the end zone, but he also tied Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record with 22.5 on the year.

What makes Watt’s record-tying sack even more impressive is that he missed two games this season and nearly all of a third contest.

Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt chimed in on Twitter following his younger brother’s record-tying sack, adding a little splash of humor at the end.

Jaylen Waddle

This year’s rookie receiver class is absolutely loaded with talent. Need proof?

While Chase was busy setting the Bengals’ all-time receiving mark on Sunday, fellow rookie WR Jaylen Waddle set the NFL rookie record for receptions in a single season.

The Miami Dolphins' wideout hauled in his 102nd reception of the season on the fourth play of the Dolphins' 33-24 victory over the New England Patriots.

Anquan Boldin previously held the mark, which he set in the 2003 NFL season with the Cardinals.

Tom Brady

Another week, another record for Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady.

The future Hall of Famer entered Sunday’s tilt with the Carolina Panthers with 4,990 passing yards this season. Early in the second quarter, Brady put together a nice drive, which resulted in his passing the 5,000-yard mark for the season. It's the second time he has accomplished that feat in his career.

Brady finished Sunday’s 41-17 win over Carolina with 326 yards, joining Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000-plus yards in multiple seasons. Brady also became the oldest player in league history to hit the 5,000 mark, doing so at 44 years old.

Thought Brady’s record-setting day was done? Not so fast.

Late in the second quarter, Brady connected with RB Le’Veon Bell for a 1-yard touchdown strike, which broke his Bucs single-season record for touchdown passes. He went on to connect with Mike Evans for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, giving him TD pass Nos. 42 and 43 of the season.

With those two grabs, Evans set the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season. The veteran receiver also eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the eighth consecutive season, extending his record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to begin a career in NFL history.

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has put together quite an impressive first season in Los Angeles. On Sunday, he put himself into some elite company.

Stafford threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams’ 27-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, joining Brady and Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history to throw 40-plus touchdowns in a single season with multiple teams.

Late in the fourth quarter, Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp for a touchdown, putting his TD total at 41 this season. That is the highest total for passing touchdowns in a QB's first season with a team. 

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National Football League

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott

Baltimore Ravens

Mark Andrews

Cincinnati Bengals

Ja'Marr Chase

Detroit Lions

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams

Miami Dolphins

Jaylen Waddle

Pittsburgh Steelers

T.J. Watt

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady

Mike Evans

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown