5 PFF records that could be broken by the end of the 2025 season
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With only three weeks of regular-season action remaining, NFL history buffs are scanning every statistic available to look for records that could be broken over the final few games.
In this article, we will blend modern football analysis with historical milestones to find more advanced record chases.
You won’t find Myles Garrett’s pursuit of the sack record in here — although it is a very impressive achievement. We’re digging deeper.
PFF’s massive dataset spanning the past two decades has plenty of modern-era NFL records up for grabs in the coming weeks.
Passing Touchdowns When Blitzed
- Current Record: 2019 Lamar Jackson (26)
- In Pursuit: Matthew Stafford (26)
Stafford has been playing lights out against the blitz this season, and he brought himself even with Lamar Jackson’s record after an admirable Thursday Night Football showing in Week 16. Despite his proven success in these situations, opponents simply can’t afford to sit back in coverage all game and rush only four.
One of the few ways to nullify Stafford’s blitz effectiveness is to force him to move around the pocket and take advantage of the 37-year-old’s lack of mobility.
But it’s difficult to do so without sending extra rushers.
Stafford has twice as many touchdowns versus the blitz as the next closest quarterbacks, and his Week 17 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons (the second most blitz-heavy defense in the NFL) presents a great opportunity to snatch a record that has stood for six seasons.
Missed Tackles Forced on Runs
- Current Record: 2022 Josh Jacobs (90)
- In Pursuit: Bijan Robinson (70)
Marshawn Lynch claimed this record in 2013 when he forced 75 missed tackles on rushing plays. One year later, Lynch rewrote the books again when he forced 88 missed tackles — over 20 more than any non-Beast-Mode figure.
The record, which was truly befitting of Lynch, looked utterly insurmountable and stood for eight seasons before Josh Jacobs’ outstanding 2022 campaign.
Bijan Robinson should at least crack 80 missed tackles by the end of the season, joining an exclusive group of only Lynch, Jacobs and Nick Chubb (2022).
It would take forcing an impressive seven missed tackles per game to close out the season for Robinson to take the crown for himself, but he has already done that on three occasions so far, including when he made the Vikings defense miss 12 times in Week 2.
Yards Per Route Run
- Current Record: 2008 Steve Smith (3.87)
- In Pursuit: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (3.75) and Puka Nacua (4.02)
This is our first rate-based statistic that isn’t solely about sheer volume. It is also one of the best measures of wide receiver play available.
Nobody who has played at least 50 snaps in a season had come remotely close to Steve Smith’s historic 2008 season until Tyreek Hill gave him a tap on the shoulder with 3.82 yards per route run in 2023.
Now we have not one, but two chances to see this record toppled, with Nacua and Smith-Njigba enjoying record-breaking seasons simultaneously.
They faced off in Week 16, and Nacua bolstered his profile by racking up 225 receiving yards and averaging 5.00 yards per route run.
Most Snaps Without a Sack Allowed (OTs)
- Current Record: 2008 Ryan Clady (1,064 snaps)
- In Pursuit: Garett Bolles (937 snaps)
Despite the addition of a 17th game to the calendar four seasons ago, no offensive tackle has since put together more than 1,050 snaps in a season without being responsible for at least one sack.
Former Broncos tackle Ryan Clady did so in his rookie year and went on to hold his place for the next seven seasons in Denver. It would be fitting for his eventual long-term successor, Garett Bolles, to claim the record in his ninth season with the Broncos.
Bolles must play 128 snaps over the next three weeks to claim the title. Currently averaging 66 snaps per game, he is on pace to comfortably take the crown, provided he can keep the likes of Josh Hines-Allen and George Karlaftis at bay.
It should be noted that the Broncos can potentially lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed on Christmas Day and rest Bolles in the final week of the season if desired.
Team Pass Blitz Rate
- Current Record: 2006 Baltimore Ravens (60.5%)
- In Pursuit: Minnesota Vikings (62.5%)
Under Brian Flores, the Vikings have been flirting with this record for a few years now. But they may finally take it this season as they throw the kitchen sink at their opponents with nothing left to play for.
Minnesota’s defense is by far the most blitz-happy unit in the league, with no other team blitzing more than 45% of the time.
The PFF record books have a healthy portion of teams in the high 50% range — nearly one each year over the past two decades — but Flores is just a little more determined to blitz than everybody else to come before him.
Interestingly, the second-most blitz-heavy defense of the PFF era is the 2019 Ravens (60.2%), the same unit Lamar Jackson faced every day in practice en route to throwing a record-breaking amount of touchdowns versus the blitz. Full circle!
Bonus: Average Punt Hangtime
- Current Record: 2006 Matt Turk (4.76 seconds)
- In Pursuit: JK Scott (4.77 seconds)
Finally, this one is for all the true special teams aficionados.
The change to the NFL kickoff means undrafted Broncos depth safety Devon Key could grab the single-season special teams tackle record, and Titans rookie Chimere Dike will likely post a top-three season in kick return yards.
However, the real special teams record at risk is the illustrious punt hangtime, which JK Scott is on pace to beat.
Matt Turk’s record has stood for almost two decades and has been matched (to one decimal point) twice: by Matt Bosher in 2014 and JK Scott himself a few years ago.
Will the Chargers “hang” the banner for their record-breaking punter? Probably not, but we will certainly crown Scott as the newest king of the NFL skies if he holds on.
