When the NFL added a 17th game to the regular season schedule, it was assumed that most 16-game records would quickly fall. For example, Michael Strahan's single-season sack record (22.5) was tied by T.J. Watt in the very first 17-game season in 2021 before being surpassed on Sunday by Myles Garrett.
Yet one single-season record that has felt obtainable has remained elusive: Calvin Johnson's receiving yards record (1,964).
In 2012, amidst a dismal yet par for the course 4-12 season, Johnson's connection with quarterback Matthew Stafford was at its most dominant. Johnson caught a league-leading 122 passes and fell just short of 2,000 yards.