Which single-season individual record is most impressive?

[Phinsesq]

OJ Simpsons 2000 yard rushing record. (14 game season)

If seasons remained only 14 games there would only be one 2,000 yard rusher in NFL history. 

 

[Mox]

5 minutes ago, Phinsesq said:

OJ Simpsons 2000 yard rushing record. (14 game season)

If seasons remained only 14 games there would only be one 2,000 yard rusher in NFL history. 

 

While true, in Barry Sanders' 2,000 yard season, if you remove the first 2 games, he would have hit exactly 2,000.

[MaddHatter]

1 hour ago, Phinsesq said:

OJ Simpsons 2000 yard rushing record. (14 game season)

If seasons remained only 14 games there would only be one 2,000 yard rusher in NFL history. 

 

That’s a good one too!

[Xmad]

Personally I don't think anyone will top George Blanda's INT thown in a single season. The closest since is Blanda and Winston I think.

[Sugashane]

I do want to throw another in. Jerry Rice's 22 TDs in a single season. What makes this so much more impressive than Moss' 23 in a season? Rice did it in only 12 freaking games (strike shortened season made him miss 4 games). The next highest TD total that season was only 11. If not for the strike he would have threatened 30 (though VERY likely fell short of it). 

[Duluther]

7 hours ago, Sugashane said:

I do want to throw another in. Jerry Rice's 22 TDs in a single season. What makes this so much more impressive than Moss' 23 in a season? Rice did it in only 12 freaking games (strike shortened season made him miss 4 games). The next highest TD total that season was only 11. If not for the strike he would have threatened 30 (though VERY likely fell short of it). 

I wasn't alive for that season, so I have to ask:

Did the impending (or perhaps imminent) strike affect how much effort players generally gave during offseason/preseason activities? And is any player or coach on record stating the three weeks without a game negatively affected various starters? 

It's just... 22 rec TD's in 12 games is such an anomaly. Rice's next best TD/gm is 17/16 which he did twice. Obviously elite numbers, but he never matched that anomaly.

Edited February 18 by Duluther

[squire12]

2 hours ago, Duluther said:

It's just... 22 rec TD's in 12 games is such an anomaly. Rice's next best TD/gm is 17/16 which he did twice. Obviously elite numbers, but he never matched that anomaly.

Isnt that consistent with most great statistical seasons.  They are outlier/ anomalies relative to other season by that player.

Tomlinson never went above 18 rushing TDs, so his 28 is an anomaly. 

[HoboRocket]

On 2/16/2024 at 1:59 PM, MaddHatter said:

LT's 31 TD's is maybe the only one that hasn't come close to being touched since he set it.  All the ones who came close were before him with Moss' 23 and Mostert's 21 the only ones with more than 20 to come after him.

Todd Gurley had 21 in 14 games and was playing injured in 2018, including 14 in the first 7 games. He also had 19 in 2017, but yeah, technically not 20 that year, but just barely.

Everyone forgets just how dominant of a player TGII was. That arthritic knee derailed a Hall of Fame career by the time he was 25.

[Superduperman]

No one else has voted for this one yet, and I'm not generally a Peyton guy, but 55 TD passes in a season is crazy

[sparky151]

1 hour ago, Superduperman said:

No one else has voted for this one yet, and I'm not generally a Peyton guy, but 55 TD passes in a season is crazy

I'll guess someone breaks that record in the next 10 years. A top QB in a good offense, especially on a team with a suspect defense will have a shot at it. 

[Superduperman]

35 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

I'll guess someone breaks that record in the next 10 years. A top QB in a good offense, especially on a team with a suspect defense will have a shot at it. 

Funny how no one else has broken 50, though, even as the league gets more and more pass-oriented. It's been 10 years already.

[redsoxsuck05]

On 2/16/2024 at 9:26 PM, stl4life07 said:

None is more impressive than what Puka did as a rookie considering he was a 5th round pick and the Stafford was supposed be be washed up with the Rams tanking. 

The bar was set high for any rookie receiver to come in and not just break both the receptions and yards in the same season but start as fast as Puka did. Remember his first 3-4 games he was on a ridiculous pace. And he was doing it against playoff teams with really good to great defenses. And he was doing it as the primary receiver bc there was no Kupp. 

Odell and Moss had better rookie years than Puka.

[redsoxsuck05]

A lot of these records could only be achieved in their era. Yes, teams pass a lot more today than they did in 1952, but QBs were absolutely horrid, DBs could maul receivers, and there was no WCO so every pass that wasn't a screen was up for grabs.

Hell...Lester Hayes had EIGHTEEN PICKS in 1980 including the playoffs. Yeah, his whole body was covered in stickum, but that MF belongs in the HOF.

Edited February 18 by redsoxsuck05

[Superduperman]

Night Train's record is the toughest to beat though because the league is completely different in terms of what the passing game looks like. In 1952 there were no pass-catching tight ends or running backs. There was no short passing ball-control attack.

The whole deal with the forward pass was high-risk, high reward, and if you hit a few passes a game you were in good shape because games were so low-scoring. You could afford more interceptions as a necessary cost.

[SWATcha]

On 2/16/2024 at 11:35 AM, Mox said:

14 picks in 1952 in a 12 game season when the league leading WR only had 62 catches is the most impressive.

That or LT TDs is least likely to be broken.

Was going to say this as well. 14 picks! The odds of that record ever getting broken are pretty slim.