Kelce, Walker and Smith-Njigba Headline a Week 7 Full of Records
Sunday night’s Chiefs-Seahawks game could be one of the most record-heavy games of the NFL season. Three stars are within reach of milestones, and two more elsewhere, Justin Jefferson and Trey McBride, are chasing marks of their own.
Here is what each player needs.
Chiefs at Seahawks (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
Kansas City is 5-0 and Seattle is 3-3. The Seahawks’ star receiver and the Chiefs’ star running back are both chasing history, and one of them has a personal connection to the other team.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker can join some of the greatest runners ever
Walker spent his first four seasons in Seattle and was the Super Bowl LX MVP for the Seahawks. Now he leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards for the Chiefs. Last week he ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against the Chargers.
He is already the third player in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdowns in four of his team’s first five games, joining Emerson Boozer (1967) and Calvin Johnson (2011). On Sunday he can reach two more milestones:
115 rushing yards: That would be his fifth game in six with 115 yards or more, making him the fourth player ever to do it. The others are Jim Brown (1958 and 1963), O.J. Simpson (1975) and DeMarco Murray (2014).
Two touchdowns: That would be five games in six with multiple touchdowns, matching only Boozer (1967), Brown (1958) and Abner Haynes (1962).
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on a historic pace
Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 717 receiving yards and is tied for first with 49 receptions. He has 100 yards in five of Seattle’s first six games. A seventh-game performance of 100 yards would make him the fourth player in the Super Bowl era with six 100-yard games in his first seven, joining Adam Thielen (2018), Marvin Harrison (2000) and Michael Irvin (1995).
He is also close to a second milestone. With six more catches and 83 more yards, he would reach 55 receptions and 800 yards through seven games, matching only Cooper Kupp (2021), Thielen (2018) and Wes Welker (2011).
Travis Kelce is about to pass Tony Gonzalez
Kelce leads the NFL with 1,100 receptions since 2013 and ranks second with 13,301 receiving yards. Two records are in sight on Sunday night:
Tight end receiving yards: He has 15,379 yards including the postseason. With 35 more, he would pass Gonzalez (15,413) for the most by any tight end in NFL history.
Career receptions: Three catches would put him past Harrison (1,102) and Cris Carter (1,101) for fifth place all-time. Only Jerry Rice (1,549), Larry Fitzgerald (1,432), Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228) would be ahead.
Our take: Kelce’s two marks are close to certain, because 35 yards and three catches are a quiet half for him. Walker’s two-touchdown game is the hardest, while Smith-Njigba’s 100 yards is likely given he has done it five times in six weeks.
Justin Jefferson will pass Calvin Johnson (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Jefferson leads the NFL with 8,738 receiving yards since 2020, and the Vikings play the Colts in Minnesota. He is only three yards from passing Calvin Johnson (8,740) for the third-most receiving yards in a player’s first 100 career games. Only Julio Jones (9,618) and Lance Alworth (9,019) have more.
Jefferson has played in 98 career games, so he can do it with a game to spare. Our take: It is as close to a lock as the NFL offers.
Trey McBride is chasing three milestones (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
McBride has 396 receptions, tied for the most among tight ends since 2022, and 3,836 yards, third among tight ends in that span. He faces Denver, and he has three milestones in reach:
400 receptions: Four catches would make him the second-fastest tight end to 400, in 73 games. Only Kellen Winslow (72) was faster, and McBride would pass Kelce (78).
Nine straight 7-catch games: He has eight in a row. Seven catches would make him the fifth player ever to reach nine, joining Antonio Brown (14), Kupp (11), Stefon Diggs (nine) and Puka Nacua (nine).
10-catch games: He has nine career games with 10 or more. One more would put him alongside Gonzalez (15), Kelce (12), Zach Ertz (12) and Witten (11) as the only tight ends with 10 such games.
Our take: McBride’s catch volume is hard to bet against, and Arizona is 2-4, so the Cardinals may need to throw a lot. Four catches is likely, seven is a coin flip, and a 10-catch game is the longest shot.
What it means
Of the five players, Jefferson and Kelce are the safest. Smith-Njigba and McBride are close behind. Walker has the toughest task, but he is playing against his old team on national television.
For more Week 7, read our look at the Week 6 Players of the Week. The official NFL schedule has kickoff times and TV information.
