Plenty of players have individual records for teams. However, only some are far and away going to stand the test of time.
Arizona Cardinals
Ernie Nevers scored an NFL record 40 points (6 TDs and 4 PATs) vs. the Chicago Bears, 11/28/29.
Atlanta Falcons
Matt Bryant was responsible for 1,163 points in his career with Atlanta. He is a long-distance ahead of the second-place player on the list. Morten Anderson had 806 points for the Dirty Birds. Mick Luckhurst stands third at 558.
Baltimore Ravens
It would be too easy to go with Jamal Lewis and his 2,066-yard rushing mark in 2003. For the time being, let’s settle on Joe Flacco’s 38,245 yards, which are more than 30,000 better than second-place Kyle Boller. Lamar Jackson is on his way to a great career. He’s 33,900 yards behind Flacco and it will take time to close that gap.
Buffalo Bills
A double dose of Hall of Famer Andre Reed. The great wideout caught 941 passes for 13,095 yards as a Bill. That is 266 receptions and 3,999 yards more than Eric Moulds.
Carolina Panthers
John Kasay has distanced the field when it comes to scoring points for the Carolina Panthers. Kasay has accounted for 1,482 points, which are 710 more than second-place Graham Gano. In third? How about Steve Smith and his 454 points. Smith scored 75 total TDs and had a pair of two-point conversions.
Chicago Bears
Walter Payton’s 16,726 rushing yards and 110 touchdowns are far out of reach for any present Bear and far better than any past player for Chicago. Matt Forte had 8,602 rushing yards and Neal Anderson scored 51 touchdowns with the Monsters of the Midway.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jim Breech put the ball over and through the uprights many times as a Bengal, allowing him to reach 1,151 points. That tally is 372 better than Shayne Graham.
Cleveland Browns
Keeping it simple and with the best of all-time. Jim Brown rushed for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns. Those are far better than fellow Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly’s 7,274 and 74. The Browns have had three kickers go over the 1,000-point mark. Lou Groza, Phil Dawson, and Don Cockroft. Groza’s 1,608 points still are 327 points clear of Dawson.
Dallas Cowboys
Emmitt Smith is at the head of the Cowboys’ class with 17,162 yards rushing and 153 touchdowns. The rushing total is 5,000 better than another HOFer, Tony Dorsett. Interestingly, Smith remains the Cowboys’ all-time leading scorer at 986 points, a spot usually reserved for a kicker.
Denver Broncos
John Elway is Secretariat in the Belmont when it comes to passing yards by Denver quarterbacks. The Hall of Famer threw for 51,475 yards and 300 touchdowns. In his short time with the Broncos, Peyton Manning ranks second with 17,112 yards and 140 touchdowns.
Detroit Lions
Will go with a pair of greats in the Honolulu Blue here: Jason Hanson kicked from 1992-2012 and accounted for 2,150 points, 937 more than Eddie Murray. And in the rushing department, the elite Barry Sanders had 15,269 yards, more than 10,000 more than Billy Sims.
Green Bay Packers
Paul Hornung (pictured, left) had the dual role of kicker and running back for the Packers. In 1960, the Heisman winner from Notre Dame accounted for 176 points on 15 touchdowns, 15 field goals, and 41 PATs. No Packer has approached that mark. In fact, Hornung is second with 146 points the following season. Mason Crosby has twice reached 141 points.
Houston Texans
Andre Johnson had 13,597 career reception yards with Houston. It would have seemed the number was not out of reach for DeAndre Hopkins. However. Bill O’Brien dispatched the former Clemson star and his 8,602 yards to Arizona, leaving Owen Daniels next at 4,617.
Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning’s 54,828 yards outdistance the great Johnny Unitas, who threw for 39,768 when the Colts called Baltimore home.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jimmy Smith accumulated 12,287 receiving yards playing with the Jaguars from 1995-2005. The number feels like it could be attainable, However, as of now, Smith is nearly 6,000 yards ahead of Keenan McCardell and almost 8,000 yards clear of Marcedes Lewis.
Kansas City Chiefs
Well, Patrick Mahomes certainly has a chance to re-set his record of 5,097 yards passing set in 2018. He also could get to the 50 TD passes he threw that season. The 50 TD passes are 20 more than Hall of Famer Len Dawson threw in 1964, back when the Chiefs played in the high-scoring AFL.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have had their share of stellar receivers. One stands above them all when it comes to catches and passing yards. Tim Brown played from 1988-2003 with the Raiders and was responsible for 1,070 catches and 14,734 yards. The yardage is nearly 5,000 more than Fred Biletnikoff and 481 more receptions than his fellow Hall of Famer.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers put up many wild numbers in the AFL days. However, one player from their time in the NFL has been dominant in their record book. LaDainian Tomlinson scored 186 points in 2006, 40 more than any kicker in franchise history. He also holds the record for rushing yards in a season with 1,815 and career (12,490). Tomlinson has the top five single-season rushing marks for the Bolts.
Los Angeles Rams
Eric Dickerson is almost as dominant as Tomlinson when it comes to a single season. The former SMU star rushed for 2,105 yards in 1984. He also is second and third on the single-season list. Steven Jackson is fourth with 1,528.
Miami Dolphins
Dan Marino has more than twice the yardage of any Miami Dolphins QB in his career. In fact, Marino threw for more yards at 61,361 than Bob Griese, Ryan Tannehill, and Jay Fiedler — second, third and fourth respectively — combined. His 420 TD passes with the Fish are more than the next eight QBs combined.
Minnesota Vikings
Adrian Peterson is far and away the all-time leading rusher for the Vikings. The great back from Oklahoma rushed for 11,747 yards in purple.
New England Patriots
Adam Vinatieri does not have the honor of being the top scorer for two teams. While he does lead the Colts, Vinatieri is behind Stephen Gostkowski with the Patriots. Gostkowski had 1,775 points as a Pat. Vinatieri had 1,158 with NE before moving to Indy. Oh, and there are a slew of records Tom Brady has no one will approach.
New Orleans Saints
At 65,068 yards, Drew Brees has thrown for more yardage as a Saint than the next three quarterbacks on the list combined.
New York Giants
Amani Toomer probably isn’t the name you would first think of when mulling who is the Giants’ all-time leading receiver. However, he is with 9,497 yards and that is 4,021 yards ahead of Odell Beckham Jr., who exited for Cleveland in second place. Eli Manning, of course, has set many unapproachable passing marks.
New York Jets
Joe Namath is responsible in many ways for the Jets’ lone Super Bowl win with his play and attitude. On the other side, Broadway Joe also leads the franchise in career interceptions thrown at 215. Another ‘Bama QB, Richard Todd, is second at 138.
Philadelphia Eagles
David Akers kicked for Philly from 1999-2010 and accumulated 1,323 points. That is 442 more than Bobby Walston, who played from 1951-62. Akers’ mark won’t be threatened for a while.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Gary Anderson is the all-time leading scorer for the Steelers at 1,343 points. He has an edge of 424 points over Jeff Reed. At 56,545 passing yards, Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for more yards than Terry Bradshaw, Kordell Stewart, and Neil O’Donnell, combined.
San Francisco 49ers
John Brodie played with the Niners from 1957-73 and threw 224 interceptions. That number is 90 more than Y.A. Tittle and 101 more than Joe Montana.
Seattle Seahawks
The great Steve Largent scored 100 receiving TDs for Seattle, 51 more than Doug Baldwin. Largent also caught passes for 13,089 yards, more than 5,000 better than Brian Blades.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vinny Testaverde was a Buc from 1987-92 and threw 112 interceptions. That mark is 23 more than Jameis Winston, who threw 30 of his 88 in 2019.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans were the Houston Oilers went George Blanda cranked out 42 picks in 1962 at age 35. Blanda actually holds six of the top eight single-season marks for the franchise when it came to throwing picks.
Washington Redskins
Mark Moseley was a straight-on kicker and he was good for 1,206 points in a career with Washington that lasted from 1974-86. Moseley is 419 better than Chip Lohmiller.
