After a record-setting opening weekend, the 2026 NFL season moves into Week 2 with several teams and star players in position to make league history.
The Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Justin Jefferson and T.J. Watt are among the biggest names chasing records and career milestones.
Here’s what to look for in Week 2.
Bears Can Make More NFL History
The Chicago Bears opened the season with an offensive explosion, recording 560 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in their 59-37 victory over Carolina.
Chicago’s 59 points tied the 2019 Baltimore Ravens, 1968 Dallas Cowboys and 1963 Kansas City Chiefs for the second-most points in a season opener in NFL history.
Now the Bears have a chance to add another record.
With 37 points against the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago would surpass the 1968 Oakland Raiders’ mark of 95 for the most points scored through the first two games of a season.
The Bears can also become the first team in NFL history to record at least 250 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in consecutive games.
Chicago scored six rushing touchdowns in Week 1. Two more against Minnesota would tie the 1971 Dallas Cowboys and 1961 San Diego Chargers for the most rushing touchdowns through two games since 1932.
Caleb Williams Closing in on 50 Touchdown Passes
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams enters Week 2 with 49 career touchdown passes and only 13 interceptions.
If Williams reaches 50 touchdown passes while remaining at 15 or fewer interceptions, he would join Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
Chicago running backs Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift also have history within reach.
Monangai rushed for 100 yards in Week 1 while Swift finished with 124 yards. If both reach 100 rushing yards again against Minnesota, they would join John Cappelletti and Lawrence McCutcheon of the 1976 Los Angeles Rams as the only pair of teammates to each record at least 100 rushing yards in their team’s first two games.
Aaron Rodgers Chasing Another Career Milestone
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers enters Week 2 with 164 regular-season victories.
A victory at New England would give Rodgers 165 wins and tie Ben Roethlisberger for fifth-most in NFL history.
Only Tom Brady (251), Brett Favre (186), Peyton Manning (186) and Drew Brees (172) have recorded more regular-season quarterback wins.
Rodgers also enters the week fourth in NFL history with 528 touchdown passes.
Matthew Stafford Nears Philip Rivers
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford enters Monday night’s game against the New York Giants with 423 career touchdown passes.
Two touchdown passes would allow Stafford to tie Philip Rivers at 425 for sixth place on the NFL’s all-time list.
Stafford trails Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539), Aaron Rodgers (528), Brett Favre (508) and Rivers.
Patrick Mahomes Closing in on More History
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enters Week 2 with 315 touchdown passes, including the postseason.
Two touchdown passes against Indianapolis would give him 317 and tie Russell Wilson for the second-most touchdown passes, including the playoffs, by a quarterback in his first 10 NFL seasons.
Peyton Manning holds the record with 327.
Mahomes also has 95 career games, including the postseason, with multiple touchdown passes.
Another such performance would tie Manning’s 96 games for second-most through a player’s first 10 seasons. Wilson leads the category with 100.
Josh Allen Can Move Up Historic Wins List
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen enters Thursday night’s matchup against Detroit with 97 career victories, including the postseason.
A victory would move Allen past Ben Roethlisberger for fifth-most wins by a quarterback through his first nine NFL seasons.
Patrick Mahomes (112), Russell Wilson (107), Tom Brady (101) and Peyton Manning (99) are the only quarterbacks with more.
Jared Goff Approaches 40,000 Passing Yards
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff enters Thursday night’s game against Buffalo with 39,828 career passing yards.
Goff needs 172 yards to reach 40,000.
Reaching the milestone would allow Goff to tie Kirk Cousins and Dan Marino as the fourth-fastest quarterbacks in league history to reach 40,000 yards, doing so in 153 games.
Only Matthew Stafford (147 games), Matt Ryan (151) and Drew Brees (152) reached 40,000 faster.
Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown Continue Historic Pace
Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs produced 186 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
Another multi-touchdown game would give Gibbs 15 such performances before his 25th birthday, tying Jim Brown, Todd Gurley and Christian McCaffrey for the most in NFL history.
Gibbs and Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have also each scored a touchdown in the same game 21 times since becoming teammates in 2023.
If both score against Buffalo, they would tie Cleveland legends Paul Warfield and Leroy Kelly with 22 such games.
St. Brown enters Week 2 with 557 career receptions. Eight catches against Buffalo would move him past Jarvis Landry’s 564 for third-most receptions by a player through his first six seasons.
Derrick Henry Continues Climb Through Record Book
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1.
The performance increased his career total to 125 rushing touchdowns, moving him past Marcus Allen for third place in NFL history.
Henry also has 36 career games with multiple touchdowns.
Another multi-touchdown performance against New Orleans would tie Randy Moss at 37 for fourth-most in NFL history. Jerry Rice leads with 46, followed by LaDainian Tomlinson with 44 and Emmitt Smith with 39.
Christian McCaffrey Nears 100 Career Touchdowns
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey enters Week 2 with 98 scrimmage touchdowns in 113 games.
If McCaffrey reaches 100 against Miami, he could surpass Jerry Rice, who reached the milestone in 115 games, as the fourth-fastest player to 100 scrimmage touchdowns during the Super Bowl era.
LaDainian Tomlinson reached 100 in 89 games, followed by Emmitt Smith in 93 and Shaun Alexander in 96.
McCaffrey also has 36 career touchdown receptions, tying Marshall Faulk for the most by a running back in the Super Bowl era. His next touchdown catch would give him sole possession of the record.
David Montgomery Eyes Rare Start With Texans
Houston running back David Montgomery scored three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving — in his Texans debut.
If Montgomery scores at least twice against Cincinnati, he would become the sixth player in NFL history to record at least five scrimmage touchdowns through his first two games with a new team.
Justin Jefferson Closing in on Randy Moss Territory
Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson enters Week 2 with 8,572 career receiving yards.
Jefferson needs only 31 yards against Chicago to surpass DeAndre Hopkins’ 8,602 for the second-most receiving yards by a player before turning 28.
Only Randy Moss, who accumulated 9,142 receiving yards before age 28, has more.
Chris Olave Looks to Follow Huge Week 1
New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave opened the season with 10 receptions for a career-high 182 yards.
If Olave records at least 10 catches and 100 receiving yards against Baltimore, he would become the sixth player in NFL history to reach those marks in each of his team’s first two games.
The previous players to accomplish the feat are Miles Austin, Isaac Bruce, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Andre Rison.
T.J. Watt Can Add to Sack History
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt opened 2026 with two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Watt has now recorded multiple sacks in 27 career games.
Another multi-sack performance against New England would tie Hall of Famer Richard Dent with 28 for the fifth-most games with at least two sacks during a player’s first 10 seasons since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982.
Reggie White leads the category with 38, followed by Jared Allen (34), Simeon Rice (33) and Lawrence Taylor (31).
With historic team marks, major career milestones and several all-time records potentially within reach, Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season provides plenty of numbers to watch as the league moves forward from its record-setting opening weekend.
Source: NFL
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
