The 2022 NFL regular season is coming to a conclusion this week, with plenty of playoff races still to be determined. There are also milestones to be attained and team accomplishments on the horizon in the final week -- some of these are buried between the playoff races and head coach firings that come shortly after the conclusion of the regular season.
Which player and team accomplishments are at stake? This week's "By The Numbers" takes a look at some of the noteworthy accomplishments.
Player accomplishments at stake in Week 18
Jacobs can become the first Raiders player to win the NFL rushing title since Marcus Allen in 1985. Jacobs leads the league with 1,608 rushing yards while Nick Chubb is second with 1,448 and Derrick Henry is third with 1,429.
Williams is two rushing touchdowns shy of breaking Barry Snders' single-season team record. Williams has 15 rushing touchdowns on the season; Sanders finished with 16 in 1991.
Tagovailoa leads the NFL with a passer rating of a 105.5. Whether Tagovailoa plays or not, he can become the first Dolphins player to lead the NFL in passer rating since Dan Marino in 1984. Patrick Mahomes is second in passer rating with a 105.2 rating and Jalen Hurts is third at 104.6.
Brady is 8-8 in his 16 starts this season. A loss Sunday against the Falcons would clinch Brady's first season with a losing record (if Brady starts). The eight losses are the most Brady has had in a season.
St. Brown has 190 receptions in his first two seasons, fourth most in NFL history. He's seven receptions away from passing Michael Thomas and Justin Jefferson (196) for the most through a player's first two seasons.
Brown is nine yards away from surpassing Mike Quick's Eagles franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Quick had 1,409 yards in 1983, and Brown has 1,401 this season.
Ekeler leads the NFL with 18 touchdowns on the season, three more than Jamaal Williams (15). If Ekeler holds onto the touchdown scoring title, he'll become the seventh player since the merger to lead the league in touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
Woolen can become the first rookie to lead the NFL in interceptions (shared or outright) since Marcus Peters in 2015. Woolen, Justin Simmons, Minkah Fitzpatrick and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are tied for the interceptions lead with six.
Hill and Waddle are a combined 176 receiving yards shy of breaking the record for most by a receiver duo in a season in NFL history. Herman Moore and Brett Perriman hold the record with 3,174 for the 1995 Detroit Lions. Hill and Waddle have combined for 2,999 receiving yards.
Bosa has 17.5 sacks on the year, and is 2.5 sacks away from breaking Aldon Smith's team record (19.5 in 2012).
Team accomplishments at stake in Week 18
- The Jacksonville Jaguars can become the first team since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to reach the playoffs after having the No. 1 overall pick in the previous draft. Jacksonville can also go from worst-to-first in the division for the first time.
- The Philadelphia Eagles are five sacks shy of breaking the NFL team sack record (72 by 1984 Chicago Bears). Philadelphia has 68 sacks on the year. The Eagles can also become the first team in NFL history to increase its win total by five-plus games in
consecutive seasons (excluding strike-shortened seasons) and can win 14 regular-season games for the first time. - The Kansas City Chiefs can become the first team since the 1981 San Diego Chargers with the No. 1 scoring offense after losing a Pro Bowl wide receiver from the previous season. Kansas City leads the NFL with 29.1 points, Dallas is second at 28.8 while Philadelphia is third at 28.4.
- Kansas City can also join the 2000s New England Patriots and 2000s Indianapolis Colts as the only teams with 64+ wins in a five-season span. The Chiefs also need 26 points to become the third team in NFL history to average 30 ppg over a five-season span (1940s-1950s Los Angeles Rams, 2000s New England Patriots).
- Patrick Mahomes needs four passing touchdowns to match Drew Brees (2009-2013) for the most passing touchdowns (195) in a five-season span.
- The San Francisco 49ers can finish with the No. 1 scoring defense and No. 1 total defense for the first time. The 49ers lead the NFL in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and are second in total defense (303.4 yards per game). The Eagles are first at 302.6.
- The 49ers can become the first team since the 2019 Baltimore Ravens to end the season on a winning streak of 10-plus games.
- The Dallas Cowboys can become the first team to lead the NFL in takeaways in back-to-back seasons since the 1972-1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cowboys can also finish with the No. 1 scoring offense in consecutive seasons (they are No. 2 with 28.8 points per game).
- The Minnesota Vikings can set NFL records for comeback wins and fourth-quarter comebacks, needing just one more comeback victory to set the mark.
- The Las Vegas Raiders have their 20th straight season ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in scoring defense (extends NFL record).
- The Tennessee Titans can be the first team since the 2005 San Francisco 49ers to finish in the bottom three in passing offense and defense.
- The Miami Dolphins will have their first season with a top-10 total offense since 1995, when Dan Marino was quarterback (would end the longest active drought in NFL).
- The Green Bay Packers can become the third team to make the playoffs with a 4-8 or worse record through 12 games (2008 San Diego Chargers, 2014 Carolina Panthers) -- and the first to make it as a wild card team.
- The Detroit Lions can become the fourth team to make the playoffs after being five-plus games below .500 (1970 Cincinnati Bengals, 2014 Carolina Panthers, 2020 Washington Football Team). The Lions won't make it as a division champ either, the first team to accomplish that feat. They would also be the first team to be five-plus games under .500 and make the playoffs with a winning record.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars can become the second and third teams to make the postseason after a 3-7 or worse start through 10 games (2020 Washington Football Team).
- There's never been a season where two teams made the playoffs after being four-plus games below .500. We could see as many as three teams make the postseason after being four-plus games under .500 (Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars).
- The Pittsburgh Steelers can clinch their first losing season since 2003.
