On Feb. 8, America bore witness to the Seattle Seahawks crushing the New England Patriots. Flash forward almost exactly seven months later, and America got a taste of that same showdown to kick off the 2026-27 NFL season.

This Super Bowl rematch took place Wednesday, with the Seahawks defeating the Patriots 13-10. 

Over the 272 games in the NFL regular season, there will be many long-standing records and historic career milestones that will be matched or even surpassed.

Last year, we saw Trey McBride break the all-time record for tight end receptions in a year, Myles Garrett break the single-season sacks record, Justin Jefferson pass Randy Moss’s record for most receiving yards in a player’s first six seasons and Josh Allen become the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks. A fresh new set of records is ready to be broken, and you don’t want to miss out on any of the action.

This column will cover some of the most relevant feats to track, as well as recap any notable NFL history from the week before. Here are the milestones to watch for in Week 1.

Before diving into the numbers, it’s worth celebrating some Trojan alums making their NFL debuts this week. The 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon is set to make a splash on the Eagles offense, and his wide receiver counterpart Ja’Kobi Lane is looking to draw a couple targets as a depth piece for the Ravens. Safety Kamari Ramsey is also in the mix for some playing time with the Houston Texans. 

Two quarterbacks approach major milestones

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is 180 yards away from reaching 25,000 career passing yards. Projected to hit the mark in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals in his 96th career regular-season game, he would be the fourth fastest quarterback to reach that mark, only behind legends like Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Dan Marino.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is 19 completions away from hitting 1,000 in his career. Averaging around 17 completions per game, he’ll likely cross the mark in Week 2 — if not, as soon as Week 1 — barring any injuries. Love will face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 1:25 p.m.

Veteran receivers adding to their resumes

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is two catches away from 500 career receptions. Likely to hit the mark in his first game this season, he also has a chance to move to fourth all-time on the Commanders’ franchise list of receptions leaders. 

He’s currently 51 receptions behind former Washington wide receiver Gary Clark, and before his injury-riddled 2025 season, McLaurin was averaging around 80 catches per year since 2020. He will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 1:25 p.m.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams is three touchdown catches away from the 120 career mark and will likely reach it in the first few weeks of the season. He’s had three games in which he’s scored three touchdowns in his career, including one last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

In his 14 games played last year, he racked up an NFL-high 14 receiving touchdowns. Currently, he’s looking to move up the all-time leaderboard, as he’s four receiving touchdowns away from sixth place. By the end of the season, he’ll have the chance to move further up into fifth or even fourth, currently 11 and 13 receiving touchdowns away from each mark, respectively. He’ll play the San Francisco 49ers Thursday at 5:35 p.m. 

Dominant quarterback looks to continue rushing success

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one rushing touchdown away from 80 in his career. He is currently the all-time leader for quarterback rushing touchdowns and is 23rd in rushing touchdowns for players at any position. 

With over 12 in each of his last three seasons, he will likely reach 80 in the first couple of games, and could move into the top 20 or even the top 15 of all time by the end of the season. Allen and the Bills will take on the Houston Texans on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Defensive stars further their legacies 

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is three tackles away from 600 throughout his career. Projected to reach the mark in Week 1, Warner is also one of the highest active players on the all-time tackles list. 

Averaging slightly under 80 tackles a year since 2018, and currently entering his ninth year in the league, Warner could make a jump onto the all-time leaderboard’s top 75 by the end of the season. He’ll look to start a successful new season on Thursday at 5:35 p.m. against the Rams. 

In the same vein, Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. is one sack away from 20 career sacks. Currently at 19, he is 11th all-time for sacks by defensive backs since the stat started being officially tracked in 1983.

When he reaches 20, he’ll move up into 10th place, tied with Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson. James Jr. will look to break into the top-10 list when he faces the Cardinals on Sunday at 1:25 p.m.

Finn McNamara is a junior sharing notable NFL history to watch for each week of the season in his column, “Milestone Watch,” which runs every other Thursday.