5 Remarkable NFL Milestones to Watch for in 2018

Love or hate him, NFL fans have been very lucky to witness the incredible career Tom Brady has put together. But as the QB just turned 41 years old, we do need to cherish the remaining time he has left.

This likely won’t be tough in 2018, as Brady is closing in on a handful of major career milestones, which will all come with their own celebration.

The five-time Super Bowl champ isn’t the only aging player on the verge of achieving some truly remarkable career milestones, though. And his forthcoming achievements aren’t even the most remarkable we are expecting.

Here are the five greatest milestones we are likely to see accomplished in the 2018 NFL season.

1. Drew Brees Chasing Manning as NFL’s All-Time Leading Passer

Brees currently sits third on the all-time passing list with 70,445 career passing yards, only 1,496 yards from passing Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history.

He is also expected to surpass Brett Favre on the all-time passing touchdown list, but is very unlikely to overtake Manning for the all-time lead there this season, and will probably be passed by Tom Brady.

If the Saints were to revert back to their pre-2017 offensive ways – Brees throws the ball in every situation – the all-time passing yards record would likely fall in just five weeks.

Drew Brees Appreciation Post:
* Revitalized the Saints franchise
* Super Bowl XLIV MVP
* Has five seasons with 5,000 passing yards or more (No other QB has more than one)
* 3rd in passing yards and TDs in NFL History
* Overcame a career-threatening shoulder injury pic.twitter.com/t3drLzsieh

— Who Dat In NYC (@WhoDatInNYC) July 29, 2018

But with the team success New Orleans experienced running the ball last season, expect them to continue pounding the rock more than their used to, even without Mark Ingram for the first four games.

Expect the Brees watch to be on come Week 7, though, when they play Saints take on the Ravens.

2. Larry Fitzgerald to Overtake Terrell Owens and Tony Gonzalez

As much as the NFL has turned into a pass-happy league, and with all the incredible talent at receiver we are seeing in the league, it’s still hard to imagine anyone catching Jerry Rice in receptions, receiving yards, or receiving TDs.

But Larry Fitzgerald is aiming to become the best of the rest in 2018.

With just 390 receiving yards, Fitzgerald will overtake 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Terrell Owens for second in career receiving yards. With an injury prone QB in Sam Bradford expected to start for the Cardinals this season, and a rookie behind him in Josh Rosen, it may take Fitgerald a little longer than usual to record 390 receiving yards.

A postseason run for the ages.

An in-depth look at @LarryFitzgerald incredible 2008 playoffs (via @Cardschatter) » https://t.co/y5Lic8Zo6B pic.twitter.com/9XXvsoX8oo

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 10, 2017

We should still see the soon-to-be 35-year-old WR accomplish this feat in the first half of the season.

The 92 receptions to surpass Tony Gonzalez for second in NFL history will be a little tougher, though.

Fitzgerald has hauled in at least 107 balls each of the last three seasons, and posted 109 last year with nine starts from either Blaine Gabbert or Drew Stanton. With very little expected from them as a team, look for Arizona to feed one of the franchise’s all-time greats late in the season.

3. Tom Brady Career Passing Yards, Touchdowns, and Wins

It’s unlike Brady surpasses anyone on the all-time passing yards list, but he will likely become just the fourth QB in NFL history to throw for 70,000 yards, only needing 3,841. We’ll likely be on the watch for this one come Week 15 when New England heads to Pittsburgh.

Brady is likely, however, to separate himself from the tie with Drew Brees in passing touchdowns, and also overtake Brett Favre for second on the all-time list. The pivot only needs 21 passing TDs this season to knock Favre down.

My bet is Brady conquers this one before the Patriots’ Week 11 bye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8qTHtjxsmc

The career wins milestones are a little less significant, as Brady is already the NFL’s all-time leader in both. He’s just gunning to be the first player in history to hit those marks.

Assuming the Patriots get a bye through the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Brady would need a sixth Super Bowl victory to hit the playoff win milestone.

4. Adam Vinatieri Set to Become NFL’s All-Time Leading Scorer

Kickers don’t often receive much love from the media. But Vinatieri’s name will be coming up often this season, as the kicker is set to become the NFL’s all-time leader in scoring.

Morten Andersen currently holds the record with 2,544 career points. After Vinatieri surpassed Gary Anderson last year for second, tallying 109 points, he’s just 58 points from taking the top spot.

Expect the kicker to accomplish this feat around Week 10.

5. Frank Gore to Become 4th Player with 15,000 Rushing Yards

Of all the career milestones in this list, Gore gaining the 974 rushing yards necessary to add his name to a list that only includes Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders, is the least likely.

Gore has averaged 984.3 rushing yards per season over the last three years, but failed to hit 974 in two of them.

The 35-year-old is also joining a Dolphins team that ranked 29th in rushing in 2017, and enters a backfield that is expected to feature Kenyan Drake as the lead-back.

This one may have to wait until 2019, if Gore opts for one more season.