Best 9th seasons in NFL history
Who had the best 9th season in NFL history?
Matt Ryan holds the best 9th season in passing yards: 4,944 in 2016, and Russell Wilson in 2020 in passing touchdowns (40).
Passing yards
| # | Player | Season | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Ryan | 2016 | 4,944 |
| 2 | Jared Goff | 2024 | 4,629 |
| 3 | Matthew Stafford | 2017 | 4,446 |
| 4 | Peyton Manning | 2006 | 4,397 |
| 5 | Drew Brees | 2009 | 4,388 |
| 6 | Joe Flacco | 2016 | 4,317 |
| 7 | Geno Smith | 2022 | 4,282 |
| 8 | Kirk Cousins | 2020 | 4,265 |
| 9 | Russell Wilson | 2020 | 4,212 |
| 10 | Brett Favre | 1999 | 4,091 |
Passing touchdowns
| # | Player | Season | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell Wilson | 2020 | 40 |
| 2 | Matt Ryan | 2016 | 38 |
| 3 | Jared Goff | 2024 | 37 |
| 4 | Kirk Cousins | 2020 | 35 |
| 5 | Drew Brees | 2009 | 34 |
| 6 | Joe Montana | 1987 | 31 |
| 7 | Peyton Manning | 2006 | 31 |
| 8 | Tony Romo | 2013 | 31 |
| 9 | Geno Smith | 2022 | 30 |
| 10 | Matthew Stafford | 2017 | 29 |
Rushing yards
| # | Player | Season | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Sanders | 1997 | 2,053 |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | 2024 | 1,921 |
| 3 | Tiki Barber | 2005 | 1,860 |
| 4 | Adrian Peterson | 2015 | 1,485 |
| 5 | Warrick Dunn | 2005 | 1,416 |
| 6 | Emmitt Smith | 1998 | 1,332 |
| 7 | Thomas Jones | 2008 | 1,312 |
| 8 | Curtis Martin | 2003 | 1,308 |
| 9 | Ricky Watters | 2000 | 1,242 |
| 10 | Edgerrin James | 2007 | 1,222 |
Rushing touchdowns
| # | Player | Season | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raheem Mostert | 2023 | 18 |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | 2024 | 16 |
| 3 | Emmitt Smith | 1998 | 13 |
| 4 | Thomas Jones | 2008 | 13 |
| 5 | Corey Dillon | 2005 | 12 |
| 6 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 2009 | 12 |
| 7 | Marcus Allen | 1990 | 12 |
| 8 | Adrian Peterson | 2015 | 11 |
| 9 | Barry Sanders | 1997 | 11 |
| 10 | Ricky Williams | 2009 | 11 |
Receiving yards
| # | Player | Season | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davante Adams | 2022 | 1,516 |
| 2 | Jerry Rice | 1993 | 1,503 |
| 3 | Muhsin Muhammad | 2004 | 1,405 |
| 4 | Joe Horn | 2004 | 1,399 |
| 5 | Julio Jones | 2019 | 1,394 |
| 6 | Cris Carter | 1995 | 1,371 |
| 7 | Wes Welker | 2012 | 1,354 |
| 8 | Travis Kelce | 2022 | 1,338 |
| 9 | Antonio Brown | 2018 | 1,297 |
| 10 | Reggie Wayne | 2009 | 1,264 |
Receptions
| # | Player | Season | REC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cris Carter | 1995 | 122 |
| 2 | Wes Welker | 2012 | 118 |
| 3 | Travis Kelce | 2022 | 110 |
| 4 | Stefon Diggs | 2023 | 107 |
| 5 | Keenan Allen | 2021 | 106 |
| 6 | Antonio Brown | 2018 | 104 |
| 7 | Christian McCaffrey | 2025 | 102 |
| 8 | Troy Brown | 2001 | 101 |
| 9 | Davante Adams | 2022 | 100 |
| 10 | Reggie Wayne | 2009 | 100 |
Sacks
| # | Player | Season | SACK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myles Garrett | 2025 | 23.0 |
| 2 | Michael Strahan | 2001 | 22.5 |
| 3 | John Abraham | 2008 | 16.5 |
| 4 | Cameron Jordan | 2019 | 15.5 |
| 5 | Lawrence Taylor | 1989 | 15.0 |
| 6 | Mario Williams | 2014 | 14.5 |
| 7 | Patrick Kerney | 2007 | 14.5 |
| 8 | Bruce Smith | 1993 | 14.0 |
| 9 | Kevin Greene | 1994 | 14.0 |
| 10 | Terrell Suggs | 2011 | 14.0 |
Tackles
| # | Player | Season | TOT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C.J. Mosley | 2023 | 151 |
| 2 | Donnie Edwards | 2004 | 150 |
| 3 | D'Qwell Jackson | 2015 | 150 |
| 4 | London Fletcher | 2006 | 146 |
| 5 | Ray Lewis | 2004 | 146 |
| 6 | Zach Thomas | 2004 | 145 |
| 7 | Bobby Wagner | 2020 | 138 |
| 8 | Keith Brooking | 2006 | 136 |
| 9 | Karlos Dansby | 2012 | 134 |
| 10 | Micheal Barrow | 2001 | 133 |
Regular season only, counting stats only. A season is numbered from the first season on file for that player, so a career that began before the league’s rows start is numbered from where the data does. NFL all-time records