The first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season are in the books, but several historic marks have already been reached.

Most of the players covered in the first issue of “Milestone Watch” eclipsed their projected marks, so here’s a quick breakdown:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had an excellent Week 1 game in a 36-31 nail-biting victory over the Houston Texans. With two rushing touchdowns, he eclipsed 80 career rushing touchdowns. In Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, he ran for two more, bringing his total to 83. 

The only active player with more career rushing touchdowns than Allen is Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry. While it didn’t make the previous issue of this column, Henry’s historic performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 made headlines: His three rushing touchdowns propelled him into third place all-time ahead of Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, adding another score in Week 2 to bring his total to 126.

Despite the Los Angeles Chargers’ disappointing season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 209 passing yards in the 26-14 loss — enough to bring his all-time total to 25,029. As a result, with just 96 games played, Herbert officially became the fourth-fastest quarterback to hit 25,000 career passing yards.

Another Week 1 milestone was quarterback Jordan Love’s 21 completions for the Green Bay Packers, pushing him over 1,000 career completions. Additionally, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner cleared 600 career tackles, and Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin reached 500 career receptions.

Dallas Cowboys record books were also shaken up after quarterback Dak Prescott became the franchise’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 249, as his six touchdowns through the first two weeks surpassed Tony Romo’s 248.

The next few weeks look to be equally action-packed — here are some players to watch in weeks three and four.

Former Trojan, standout Buckeye off to hot starts

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is just one reception away from 300 in his career. The 20th pick in the 2023 draft has a chance to join elite company this Sunday: With one catch, he’ll solidify himself as one of the youngest players to reach 300, beating out Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase by one day for 11th place all time.

Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, another former Associated Press NFL All-Pro, is two receiving touchdowns short of 50. With four on the season across two weeks, St. Brown is on pace to hit the mark in Week 3 at home against the New York Jets. The former Trojan has had an impressive start to the season, racking up 19 catches for 209 receiving yards while currently leading the league in targets with 27. 

Veteran quarterbacks approach history

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins is 26 completions away from a career total of 4,000. The veteran has led his new team to a 2-0 start after Sunday’s upset win over division rival Los Angeles Chargers. Cousins is currently 15th on the all-time passing completions leaderboard — 14 completions behind Warren Moon and only trailing three other active quarterbacks. 

After a disastrous season-ending injury in 2025, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs seem to have returned to their prior, better form. Mahomes sits at 272 career passing touchdowns, banking five already this season. At his current pace, the two-time MVP should hit 275 passing touchdowns before Week 5, which would put him in the top 20 all-time passing touchdowns leaderboard. 

Defensive forces near milestones

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is one and a half sacks away from 120 in his career. Officially 25th on the all-time leaderboard, he passed his brother J.J. Watt last year. T.J. Watt is the second-fastest player to reach 100 sacks, and if he reaches 125 this year, he’d be the third-fastest player to do so.

Two other big names on the defensive line, Los Angeles Rams defenders Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, are also closing in on records. Donald and Garrett have 24 and 23 forced fumbles, respectively, and will both likely reach 25 this season. While Garrett is projected to miss at least three more weeks with a knee injury, Donald was active in Week 2. 

Once both are back, it will be a nightmare for offensive lines and quarterbacks throughout the league, and a few strip sacks are almost certainly on the horizon.

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.