Tag: NFL history

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce leads NFL in receiving yards, on record-breaking pace

Travis Kelce is pacing to do things that have never been done in the history of the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce woke up on Monday morning as the NFL’s receiving leader through Week 14.

It’s a significant achievement for the eighth-year pro because that’s never happened for a player at the tight end position before. With three games left to go, Kelce is pacing to make some more significant NFL history. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke about his performance up to this point of the season after the game against the Dolphins.

“He’s done a nice job,” Reid said. “Like any game, there are things that he can do better, but I mean let’s not slight him, he’s done great and he’s loving every minute of it. He and the quarterback have a good relationship. They’re working it together, they have a lot of trust in each other.”

That trust has helped Kelce achieve 1,250 receiving yards, which leads the rest of the league by 70 yards. He needs just 128 yards to beat the single-season receiving record by a tight end, set by George Kittle back in 2018 (1,377). Kelce previously held that record for a few hours before Kittle surpassed him.

Right now, Kelce’s on pace to exceed 1,500 receiving yards on the year. If he keeps his current pace through the next three weeks, he could become the first tight end to ever to lead the NFL in receiving yards. That’d be a historic achievement and add to a campaign shaping up to be worthy of Offensive Player of the Year honors. If he were to win that award, he’d also make history as no tight end has ever won the award.

Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt also had a chance to speak about the season that Kelce’s having after Week 14. While he’s elated for the success on the field, the thing that continues to impress him most is Kelce’s growth off the field. It’s one of the reasons he was chosen to be the Chiefs’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

“First of all, congratulations to the year that he’s having, his success on the field,” Hunt said following the game. “Over a thousand yards again— on pace to break a bunch of records, getting that nod from Madden as a 99, tremendous accomplishment by him and he’s such an important part of the offense and the success that we have had, really, for all five years that we have won the division. But probably what I’m most impressed by has been his growth off the field. He’s a leader in the locker room, but he’s also a leader in the community, committed to making a difference in communities in Kansas City and Ohio for underprivileged families, underprivileged children; and I’m just so proud of everything that he’s accomplished in that regard and everything that he’s doing. He’s a very deserving nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.”

Shifting back to Kelce’s record-breaking statistical year, he’ll also come close to breaking the NFL record for receptions by a tight end. He currently has 90 receptions on the year and needs just 24 more to exceed the record set by Eagles TE Zach Ertz in 2019. He’s averaging around 6.5 receptions per game this season, but he’s averaged eight or more receptions per game since Week 8.

To add a little more context to Kelce’s year, the next closest player in terms of receiving yards and receptions at the tight end position is Raiders TE Darren Waller. He has six fewer receptions on the season, but only 817 yards on the year.

Kelce is truly proving to be one-of-one in the NFL at the tight end position. He’s on his way to having the best season the position has ever seen, but he doesn’t want any of the glory yet. Just like the rest of the team, he knows that job isn’t done.

“[I’m] trying to take advantage of the opportunity that I have here in Kansas City every single day both on and off the field,” Kelce said. “That’s my goal.”

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Chiefs’ Travis Kelce crosses 1000 yards for fifth consecutive season

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce owns another piece of NFL history.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce owns yet another piece of NFL history after his performance on “Sunday Night Football” against the Denver Broncos.

With 37 receiving yards so far on Sunday night, Kelce has become the only tight end in the history of the NFL to record five consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Last year, Kelce became the only player in NFL history to reach four consecutive seasons 1,000 receiving yards. The year prior, he joined Greg Olsen as the only two tight ends in NFL history with three seasons of 1000 receiving yards.

Former Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez only had four 1,000 yard receiving seasons in his entire career. Kelce is following the example that Gonzalez set during his time in Kansas City. He’s going to work with the goal of getting better every day and making history in the process. He did it with Alex Smith as his quarterback and now he’s doing it with Patrick Mahomes too.

This isn’t the only piece of history that Kelce is in the running for today either. He needs just 4 more catches to reach his fifth season of 80 or more catches. He’ll become just the third TE in NFL history, joining both Gonzalez and Olsen as the only players to ever have five such seasons.

We’re witnessing something rare here. Kelce is making a legitimate case to be recognized as the greatest tight end to ever play the game at the professional level. At 31 years old, Kelce has shown no signs of slowing down. It’s part of the reason that the Chiefs decided to extend Kelce this offseason, attaching him to the franchise through the 2025 NFL season. So long as he stays healthy, he’ll have a chance to continue making history in Kansas City.

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Bo Knows History: Raiders’ Jackson trampled Seahawks on Monday Night Football 33 years ago

Former Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson collected 235 scrimmage yards and three total touchdowns in a 34-17 rout of the Seattle Seahawks.

Bo Jackson posted 221 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in his Monday Night Football debut as the Los Angeles Raiders crushed the Seattle Seahawks 34-17 33 years ago today.

Jackson, who was also a member of the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball, was a phenomenal athlete at 6-1, 227 pounds. The former Auburn Tiger was a perfect combination of power and speed.

After his first four games with the Raiders, which couldn’t begin until baseball season was, starting in Week 7, the club sustained a four-game losing streak. Jackson had yet to record 100 yards rushing, and he was carrying fewer than 15 times per game.

Jackson didn’t get going against the Seahawks until the second quarter amid a 7-7 game at the Kingdome. In the second quarter, Jackson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Marc Wilson to extend Los Angeles’ lead 14-7.

One of the most iconic moments of Jackson’s NFL career also occurred in the second quarter when the former Heisman Trophy winner sprinted 91 yards for a touchdown, and continued his gallop all the way to the tunnel.

The second quarter was the turning point in the game as kicker Chris Bahr added three field goals to build a 27-7 Raiders lead at the break.

However, Jackson wasn’t done putting his stamp on the Seahawks, and introducing himself to the NFL.

On a goal-to-go from the 2-yard line in the third quarter, Jackson bullied rookie linebacker Brian Bosworth and carried him into the end zone for his third score of the night.

Bahr added another field goal, and Seahawks quarterback Dave Kreig completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Tice to set the game’s 34-17 final score.

The Raiders’ rookie running back rushed 18 times for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a 14-yard pass for a touchdown. Not a bad way for Jackson to celebrate his 25th birthday.

Jackson’s career was cut short with a hip injury in the 1990 playoffs, the Kingdome demolished in 2000, and the Raiders now playing in Las Vegas. Yet no one will ever forget what Jackson did to the Seahawks on Monday Night Football on Nov. 30, 1987.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes continues to make NFL history

Mahomes made a bit more NFL history with his epic performance against the New York Jets on Sunday.

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Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes keeps finding new ways to get his name stamped in the NFL history books.

Mahomes’ dominant performance against the New York Juts culminated in 416 passing yards and five passing touchdowns on the day. The passing touchdowns brought his season total to 21 and a single interception. ESPN’s Stats & Information page discovered via the Elias Sports Bureau that this marks the first time in NFL history that any player has at least 20 touchdown passes and one interception through the first eight games to start a season. He also became the first player in Chiefs history to ever throw for 400 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in a game.

Check it out:

The crazy thing about this is that Mahomes didn’t even play the full game in each of the past two weeks, with Chad Henne relieving him in the fourth quarter of each game after a large enough lead was secured.

This wasn’t the only impressive feat accomplished by Mahomes this week either. He’s now tied for third in NFL history with 21 games passing for 300 or more yards. He now has 10 career games where he has thrown at least four touchdown passes, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer QB Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with 10 such games in their first four seasons of their careers. It also marks the most such games by a quarterback in Chiefs franchise history. Len Dawson previously held that record with nine games.

Mahomes also needs just three passing touchdowns to reach 100 career passing touchdowns. If he can throw for those three touchdowns within the next five games, he’ll beat Marino’s pace record to become the quickest QB to throw 100 career passing touchdowns in NFL history. Mahomes could very well get those three passing touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9.

It’d be a great way for the Chiefs’ quarterback to head into the bye week, with a little boost to his confidence heading into the final stretch of the 2020 season.

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Alvin Kamara has the most fantasy points of all time, behind Emmitt Smith and… Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara has scored the third-most fantasy football points in NFL history among running backs through 4 weeks.

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Alvin Kamara was already among rare company after his impressive play in the first three weeks of the 2020 season, but the New Orleans Saints superstar has leveled up even further with four games behind him. Through four games, he has now put up the third-most fantasy football points among running backs in NFL history. And one of the two seasons ahead of him is his own 2018 campaign.

In 2020, Kamara has scored 127.7 fantasy points for lucky owners. That’s good enough to rank third-best, behind Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith in second place, who racked up 130.3 fantasy points in the first four games of the 1995 season. Smith of course was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

But the top spot belongs to Kamara’s 2018 season, when he scored 136.1 fantasy points in the opening four weeks. That stretch included games where Kamara gained 100-plus yards through the air (Weeks 1 and 3) and on the ground (Week 4’s famous walk-off touchdown run against the New York Giants), with six touchdown-scoring plays from scrimmage. He finished the year with a combined 18 touchdowns. In 2020, Kamara has already scored seven times.

So pat yourself on the back if you wisely invested in Kamara at your fantasy football draft earlier this summer. The early returns suggest he couldn’t have been picked early enough, and there may not be a limit to how great he can be.

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Chiefs become first NFL team to start 4-0 in four consecutive seasons

The Kansas City Chiefs made NFL history as they advanced to 4-0 on the 2020 NFL season.

The Kansas City Chiefs broke some history following their Monday night dust-up with the New England Patriots.

The team advanced to 4-0 on the season with a hard-fought win over the Patriots. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the team has advanced to 4-0 to start the year. According to NFL Media’s Research Department, they’re the only team in the history of the NFL to ever do so.

This also marks the fifth time under Chiefs HC Andy Reid that the team has started out the season 4-0. It’s really a testament to his coaching and the culture that he brought to this team back in 2013 when he first joined the franchise.

Now, you might be thinking: “Well, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. He’s undefeated in September. That’s not so impressive.”

I have to say to you: “Not so fast.”

Back in 2017, Kansas City went 4-0 to start the season with Alex Smith as the starting quarterback for the team. While the arm of the 2018 AP NFL MVP certainly helped break this record for the Chiefs, this one was a team effort. It was earned by each and every individual that ever started a game on those teams and the coaching staff also deserves due credit for their creativity as well.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes becomes fastest NFL player to 10,000 career passing yards

Mahomes has stamped his name on yet another piece of NFL history.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has added yet another achievement to his ever-growing list of career accolades. Back in November of 2019, he became the fastest player to reach 8,000 career passing yards and 65 career touchdowns. This time he’s passed two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in another pace, stamping his name in the NFL history books.

As if a “Monday Night Football” contest between the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the league MVP wasn’t exciting enough, Mahomes had to go and make some NFL history. Throwing for just 75 yards against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Mahomes has become the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career passing yards.

Week 3 of the 2020 NFL season marks the 34th career game for Mahomes, dating back to when he received his first start back in the final week of the 2017 NFL season. Mahomes reached 10,000 yards a whole two games quicker than the previous record-holder, St. Louis Rams HOF QB Kurt Warner. Mahomes also passes others in the top five, such as Matthew Stafford (37), Marc Bulger (38), Andrew Luck (38), and Dan Marino (38).

This is going to be a tough record for others to beat in the coming years. Mahomes has averaged just over 300 passing yards per game in the first two seasons of his career. He 318.6 passing yards per game in 2018 is good for the No. 12 performance in NFL history. This type of production at this pace isn’t easily achieved, even with the NFL’s shift toward pass-heavy offenses.

The next career record Mahomes will have his eye on is the passing touchdown record. He needs just 19 touchdowns within the next 10 games to reach 100 career touchdown passes. The current record-holder is Marino, who hit the 100 passing touchdown mark in 44 career games.

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WATCH: Deion Sanders career highlights

The man once known as “Prime Time” turned 53 years old on Sunday.

The man once known as “Prime Time” turned 53 years old on Sunday.

Former Falcons CB Deion Sanders was arguably the greatest defensive back in NFL history and one of the best athletes the league has ever seen. Drafted fifth overall by Atlanta in 1989, Sanders went on to win two Super Bowls, make eight Pro Bowls and be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Celebrate Sanders’ birthday with some of the best plays from his career below:

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Chargers among best franchises at drafting quarterbacks

The Chargers have a great track record of drafting quarterbacks.

NFL clubs have a lot on the line when drafting players at arguably the most important position on the field.

ESPN’s Seth Walder ranked how all 32 teams have done when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. To stack the teams up, Walder used Pro Football Reference’s weighted career approximate value (AV) to measure production, stretching all the way back to the start of the common draft era in 1967.

The Chargers have had a lot of success at doing so, ranking No. 2 in the league, right behind the Patriots.

Here’s a look at Walder’s ranking for the Bolts along with the reasoning behind it:

Total drafted QB career AV above expectation: 197
Best value pick: Drew Brees, No. 32 in 2001
Worst value pick: Ryan Leaf, No. 2 in 1998

I saw the Chargers at No. 2, and for a moment, I thought, “Huh?” But then it clicked. Even with the Leaf disaster, the Chargers have drafted several successful quarterbacks … for other teams. The aforementioned Brees is one. Eli Manning and Trent Green are two more.

Add in Dan Fouts, a Hall of Famer drafted with the 64th overall pick who did play for them, and it all makes perfect sense.

The Chargers have a quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Dan Fouts. The franchise could possibly have another in the near future with Philip Rivers.

Rivers wasn’t drafted by the Chargers. Instead, he was involved in the blockbuster trade with the Giants. Eli Manning was the original pick. Despite shipping Manning away, he still managed to have a productive career with New York.

The Bolts were also the ones who drafted Drew Brees, who has had a lot of success with the Saints, as well as Trent Green, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams and two Pro Bowl appearances with the Chiefs.

While the franchise was victims of drafting one of the NFL’s biggest busts in Ryan Leaf, the other signal-caller’s success has outweighed the poor career from one player.

Los Angeles, who hadn’t drafted a quarterback in the first-round since 2004, is hopeful that their 2020 draft pick, Justin Herbert can pan out like the rest of the top tier signal-callers that they acquired in the past.

Julio Jones leads NFL in catches of 15 yards or more since 2017

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has been so consistent over his nine NFL seasons that his greatness occasionally gets taken for granted.

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has been so consistent over his nine NFL seasons that his greatness occasionally gets taken for granted. At 31 years old, Jones is still the league’s most physical big-play weapon.

Over the past three seasons, no other receiver has come close to Jones in receptions of 15 yards or more. In fact, he’s recorded 30 more than anyone else since 2017, per Pro Football Focus‘ below tweet:

In 2019, Jones had 99 catches for 1,394 yards (14.1 yards per reception), the sixth consecutive season in which he’s gone over the 1,300-yard mark.

Playing in a division full of talented receivers, including Chris Godwin, Michael Thomas and Mike Evans, it can be easy to overlook Jones’ steady production.

When you look at the numbers, though, it’s clear the former Alabama star isn’t ready to give up his mantle as the NFC South’s top receiver just yet.

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