Why major records are still standing in the 17-game era

In 2021, it was reasonable to assume that expanding the NFL schedule would inflate player stats and topple records. Major offensive milestones that had stood the test of time would surely be pressured by the advent of the 17th game.

But in 2024, those famous benchmarks still stand. Peyton Manning's 5,477 passing yards, Eric Dickerson's 2,105 rushing yards, and Calvin Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards, along with the touchdown record in each category, remain the NFL's single-season standards.

Each record long predates the 17-game era. Dickerson, the second of eight running backs to cross the 2,000-yard barrier, achieved history 40 years ago.

Record chases are stagnant in 2024 - with a couple of exceptions.

Eagles star Saquon Barkley is trying to run down Dickerson's hallowed total, and Chris Boswell of the Steelers is authoring a special kicking year. However, no passing or receiving mark will be broken in the fourth year of the longer schedule.

Barkley's weekly average of 124.9 rushing yards puts him on pace to leapfrog Dickerson in the season finale. His brilliance in a perfect situation - the Eagles field a bruising offensive line and mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts - coincides with a league-wide shift. NFL offenses are averaging the second-most rushes per game (27.0) of the past 10 seasons and collecting the second-most rushing yards (119.9) since 1988.

Aerial gains plummeted when the schedule lengthened. The current passing averages (32.5 attempts for 217.0 yards) are the lowest they've been since 2008. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase carry the 2024 Bengals - no wideout gains a greater share of his team's scrimmage yards than Chase (26.0%), per TruMedia - but neither NFL stat leader is threatening Manning or Johnson.

Here are five more reasons these durable records endure.

Close calls fell just short. The 17th game allowed an aging Tom Brady and prime Patrick Mahomes to pass for personal yardage highs (5,316, 5,250) in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but they were less efficient than Manning at his unstoppable peak. Cooper Kupp's giant 2021 season yielded 1,947 receiving yards (17 fewer than Johnson's record) and 145 catches (four fewer than Michael Thomas in 2019).

Derrick Henry took aim at the rushing mark in his best year - 2020 - right before the 17th game materialized. He stalled 78 yards shy of the record with 2,027 on one less carry (378) than Dickerson logged in 1984.

Playing 17 games is difficult. Injuries that sidelined Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and Nico Collins over the past couple of years showed it's hard to take advantage of the longer schedule. These wideouts averaged well over 100 yards per game when they were healthy but missed varying, critical amounts of time.

Even specialists get hurt: The Commanders' Austin Seibert was on track to rewrite the points records for kickers (David Akers' 166 in 2011) and all players (LaDainian Tomlinson's 186 in 2006) before a hip ailment derailed his season in November.

Big pass plays have declined. Explosive completions that gain at least 20 yards slipped across the NFL this year to 2.95 per team game, according to TruMedia. They peaked at 3.39 through Week 13 of the 2018 season, and the average was 3.27 at this point of Manning's record year.

Those huge gains pad season totals. Calvin Johnson's 29 explosive grabs through Week 13 of 2012 vastly outpace the current league high (Jefferson's 20). Chris Johnson had a century-high 19 rushes for 20-plus yards, as well as a 69-yard touchdown catch, at this time in 2009, when he set the scrimmage yards record that Barkley's pursuing.

The record holders were unreal. Legends set the touchdown marks in transcendent passing offenses (2013 Broncos for Manning, 2007 Patriots for Randy Moss) and as part of the greatest individual fantasy season (Tomlinson in '06). The fluid, powerful, swashbuckling Dickerson maximized his chances to make history as the NFL's only three-time 1,800-yard rusher.

Calvin Johnson owns the most career 200-yard receiving games (five) and made drab teams watchable. In 2012, he outgained Detroit's next four receivers combined. Those Lions lost eight straight to end the year even though Megatron displayed his singular talent by averaging 149.6 yards in that span.

Four seasons is a small sample. Records get broken eventually, and given time, some All-Pro's consistent dominance will set up a magical 17th game. That happened on defense in 2021 when T.J. Watt tied Michael Strahan's 20-year-old sack mark (22.5). Watt had five takedowns in the last two weeks to compensate for missing two earlier games with injury.

The run game's resurgence could open deep passing windows in future seasons as defenses adjust to crowd the box. In the short term, it could help the stars align for Barkley, who's outgained Dickerson on the ground through the same juncture of 1984.

Dickerson's 1,452 rushing yards through 12 games translated to a 16-game pace of 1,936. He submitted a phenomenal finishing kick, gaining 653 yards over the last four weeks (average of 163.3) to stand alone at the top.

Barkley can dislodge Dickerson with 607 yards over five games (average of 121.4) against the Panthers, Steelers, Commanders, Cowboys, and Giants. Four matchups are at home, and every defense except Pittsburgh's ranks in the bottom six in expected points against the rush, per TruMedia. Rather than rest Barkley, the Eagles might need to feed him in the final weeks to compete for the NFC playoff bye.

The stretch run will also highlight Boswell's unerring accuracy. Pittsburgh's kicker is on pace to make 48 field goals, which would beat Akers' NFL record (44 in 2011), and score five fewer points than Tomlinson in 2006. Boswell's pair of 6-for-6 games and 10-for-12 overall conversion rate from 50-plus yards have brought him within sight of all-time glory.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.