It’s been a slower-than-expected past few weeks of NFL action, with multiple players from the [previous edition of “Milestone Watch](https://dailytrojan.com/2026/10/07/herbert-mclaurin-warner-others-likely-to-reach-career-marks-2/)” falling short of their projected milestones.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is only two passing touchdowns shy of 100, while on the other side of the field, Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos is now just one field goal short of 275. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb failed to reach the endzone in Weeks 5 and 6, keeping him one touchdown away from 50 in his career.
These players and their offenses won’t stay quiet for long though, so keep your eyes on them in the upcoming weeks.
Nevertheless, three players were successful in reaching their projected marks, so here’s a quick recap:
With four catches against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reached the 1,100 career reception mark. He’s now 128 catches behind legendary Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten for second place on the league-wide all-time tight end receptions leaderboard.
Despite falling short of the mark in Week 5, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor reached 8,000 career rushing yards the following week against the Tennessee Titans. He’s currently sixth in the league in rushing yards this season and looking for his fifth top-five rushing season finish of his young career.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Kenny Moore II crossed 500 career solo tackles in just his second game of the season. After being signed to the Eagles’ active roster on Sept. 29, he only played one defensive snap in his first game back. But as a backup in Weeks 5 and 6, he recorded seven solo tackles to bring him up to 505 on his career.
For Weeks 7 and 8, a few more players also have their eyes on history.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his teammate, running back James Cook III, are currently in a race to 5,000 career rushing yards: Allen sits just 39 yards away from 5,000, while Cook is 114 away coming off of a league-leading rushing season in 2025. The Bills are on bye this week, but there’s a chance the pair hit the mark as early as Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is set to make his NFL return in Week 7 after being removed from the commissioner’s exempt list, which he spent the first six weeks of the season on due to an ongoing criminal investigation for battery and criminal destruction of property.
The veteran will likely take over the backfield after the running back committee struggled mightily in his absence. At 74, Jacobs currently has the fourth most rushing touchdowns among active players. He’ll be poised to cross 75 career rushing touchdowns in the coming weeks.
Pittsburgh Steelers punter Cameron Johnston is on the verge of 200 career punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, currently sitting at 198. Johnston is currently tied for the fourth-most this season with 13, boasting an impressive 50% rate over his 26 punts so far. Averaging just over two a game in 2026, he’ll likely reach 200 by Week 8.
On the other side of the ball, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington is 54 punt return yards away from 500. The Dolphins’ defensive struggles have led to the second lowest average opponent punt attempts per game in the league this season at 2.6 as a team, so Washington has only returned four punts in 2026. He’s been efficient with his opportunities though, averaging 13 yards per return with a long of 28.
A pair of Minnesota Vikings defensive backs, Harrison Smith and Byron Murphy, are closing in on 40 and 20 career interceptions, respectively. Murphy already has three interceptions this season, while veteran Smith is still looking for his first of 2026. They are both just one away, and are each looking to reach their marks coming off of their Week 6 bye.
The Vikings’ defense is off to a hot start and are tied for fifth in defensive interceptions with six across just five games. Their Week 7 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts is favorable for Smith and Murphy, given quarterback Daniel Jones is averaging one interception a game this season.
On the offensive side, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is also closing in on a career mark: Jefferson now has the chance to break DeAndre Hopkins’s 2019 record of becoming the second-youngest player ever to reach 600 career receptions, as he’s just 2 catches away and, as of this Sunday, will be 32 days younger than Hopkins was. Jefferson tied Larry Fitzgerald for the youngest player to 500 career receptions last season, but he’ll fall short of Fitzgerald’s record for youngest to 600.
_Finn McNamara is a junior sharing notable NFL history to watch for each week of the season in his column, “Milestone Watch.”_