500-yard NFL passers in a game
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow reacts after a touchdown run by Joe Mixon during the first half of an NFL game against the Ravens on Dec. 26, 2021, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Aaron Doster
Take a look at all of the quarterbacks who have thrown for at least 500 yards in an NFL game.
Norm Van Brocklin
554 yards, Sept. 28, 1951
Van Brocklin completed 27 of 41 passes for 554 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the Los Angeles Rams over the New York Yanks, 54-14. Van Brocklin was the first person to break the 500-yard mark in a game, a feat which would not happen again until 11 years later.
Matt Schaub
527 yards, Nov. 18, 2012
Schaub's 527 yards and five touchdowns led the Houston Texans to a 43-37 overtime win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Schaub connected with Andre Johnson (14 catches, 273 yards) on a screen pass with 2:30 left in overtime, and Johnson rumbled 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Warren Moon
527 yards, Dec. 16, 1990
Moon completed 27 of 45 passes for 527 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-10 win over Kansas City. Haywood Jeffires was on the receiving end of 245 of those yards and a touchdown, while Tony Jones caught the other two scores.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) looks to pass as teammates Sean Locklear (75) and Kevin Boothe (77) block during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. Manning threw for 510 yards, second most for a Giants quarterback, and Andre Brown's 2-yard run with 31 seconds left lifted New York to a wild 41-34 victory Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun) Credit: AP/Bill Kostroun
Joe Burrow
525 yards, Dec. 26, 2021
Burrow threw for a franchise-record 525 yards and four touchdowns on 37-for-46 passing in the Bengals' 41-21 win over the Ravens. Burrow threw two touchdowns to Tee Higgins and one each to Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon. Burrow also threw for 416 yards against the Ravens on Oct. 24, making him the first player to pass for 900 yards against a single team in a season.
Ben Roethlisberger
522 yards, Oct. 26, 2014
Roethlisberger threw for 522 yards and six touchdowns as the Steelers beat the Colts in a 51-34 shootout at Heinz Field.
Tony Romo #9 of the Dallas Cowboys throws a pass in the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, November 24 2013 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.(Photo by Jim McIsaac) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Boomer Esiason
522 yards, Nov. 10, 1996
Esiason threw for 522 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions in the Arizona Cardinals' 37-34 overtime win against Washington. The East Islip native spread the ball around to eight different receivers, with none of them surpassing 100 receiving yards.
Dan Marino
521 yards, Oct. 23, 1998
Dan Marino completed 35 of 60 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw five interceptions as the Miami Dolphins lost to the Jets, 44-30. Mark Clayton was the top receiver on the day, catching 10 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Matthew Stafford
520 yards, Jan. 1, 2012
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the first half of the New England Patriots at the NY Jets on Oct. 15, 2017. Credit: Lee S Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
Stafford threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns, but it was not enough as the Detroit Lions fell to the Green Bay Packers, 45-41, on New Year's Day. Green Bay backup QB Matt Flynn, who was starting because the Packers were resting their starters, almost threw for 500 yards in this game as well, racking up 480 yards and six touchdowns.
Tom Brady
517 yards, Sept. 12, 2011
Brady threw for 517 yards and four touchdowns in the New England Patriots' 38-24 season-opening win over the Miami Dolphins. 99 of those yards came on one play — a touchdown pass to Wes Welker.
Jared Goff
517 yards, Sept. 29, 2019
Goff completed 45 of 68 passes for 517 yards and two touchdowns, but the Los Angeles Rams lost at home to Tampa Bay, 55-40. Goff's longest completion went for 37 yards. He also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
Derek Carr
513 yards, Oct. 30, 2016
Carr threw for 513 yards and four touchdowns on 40-of-59 passing in Oakland's 30-24 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Amari Cooper had 173 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Michael Crabtree added another 108 receiving yards. Seth Roberst caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime, and Mychal Rivera and Donald Penn — an offensive tackle — caught Carr's other touchdowns.
Phil Simms
513 yards, Oct. 13, 1985
Simms threw for 513 yards and one touchdown, but the Giants lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 35-30. His lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass to George Adams.
Eli Manning
510 yards, Sept. 16, 2012
Eli threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Giants over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-34. Two of those scores — an 80-yarder to Victor Cruz and a 41-yarder to Martellus Bennett — came in the fourth quarter as the Giants came back from a 27-19 deficit.
Drew Brees
510 yards, Nov. 19, 2006
Brees threw for 510 yards, but only managed to throw two touchdowns as the New Orleans Saints fell to the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-16. Devery Henderson caught nine of Brees' passes for 169 yards.
Vince Ferragamo
509 yards, Dec. 26, 1982
Ferragamo completed 30 of 46 passes for 509 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but the Los Angeles Rams fell to the Chicago Bears, 34-26. George Farmer (nine catches, 183 yards, TD), Wendell Tyler (eight catches, 102 yards, TD) and Preston Dennard (five catches, 122 yards, TD) all went over the 100-yard receiving mark in the game.
Ben Roethlisberger
506 yards, Dec. 10, 2017
Roethlisberger completed 44 of 66 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-38 Sunday Night Football victory over the AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens, the third time that Roethlisberger had surpassed the 500-yard mark. 213 of those yards went to Antonio Brown, and the two scoring strikes went to running back Le'Veon Bell and fullback Roosevelt Nix.
Tony Romo
506 yards, Oct. 6, 2013
Romo shattered a Dallas Cowboys record with his career-high 506 yards. He was 25-for-36 and threw five touchdowns. His one blemish was the interception he threw with less than two minutes left in the game to set up a game-winning field goal for the Denver Broncos, who won 51-48 in an offensive battle.
Tom Brady
505 yards, Feb. 4, 2018
Brady broke his own Super Bowl record for passing yards in a single game that he'd set the year before when he threw for 466 yards in the Patriots' win over the Falcons. Despite the new record, the Pats didn't have the same luck as they fell to the Eagles, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII. Brady completed 28 of 48 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.
Y.A. Tittle
505 yards, Oct. 28, 1962
The Giants signal-caller was unstoppable against Washington, tying the single-game passing touchdown record with seven scores in a 49-34 win. Del Shofner, who caught one of those touchdowns, was Tittle's favorite target with 269 receiving yards on 11 catches.
Drew Brees
505 yards, Nov. 1, 2015
Brees completed 39 of 50 passes for 505 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the New Orleans Saints over the Giants, 52-49. Brees and Giants QB Eli Manning (six TDs) combined for an NFL-record 13 passing touchdowns in the game.
Elvis Grbac
504 yards, Nov. 5, 2000
Grbac completed 39 of 53 passes for 504 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions but was outdueled by his former backup Rich Gannon (20-31, 242 yards, four TDs, no INTs) as Kansas City fell to Gannon's Raiders, 49-31.
Matt Ryan
503 yards, Oct. 2, 2016
Ryan shredded Carolina's defense, passing for a team-record 503 yards and four touchdowns as Atlanta beat the struggling Panthers. 48-33. 300 of those yards went to Julio Jones, who had 12 receptions.
Ben Roethlisberger
503 yards, Dec. 20, 2009
Roethlisberger surpassed the 500-yard mark on the game's final play with a game-winning, 19-yard desperation pass to Mike Wallace in the corner of the end zone as the Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the Green Bay Packers, 37-36. Big Ben completed 29 of 46 passes for 503 yards with three touchdowns and no picks.
Philip Rivers
503 yards, Oct. 18, 2015
Rivers completed 43 of 65 passes for a career-high 503 yards and two touchdowns, but with a chance to tie the game, the Chargers were stopped on 4th-and-3 from the Packers' 3-yard line with 15 seconds left in the game. Despite Rivers' dominant performance, the Chargers lost, 27-20.
Dak Prescott
502 yards, Oct. 4, 2020
Prescott eclipsed the 500-yard mark on his final completion of the day to get the Cowboys inside the 10-yard line with a chance to narrow the Browns’ 11-point lead in the final two minutes. On the next play, however, his final pass attempt of the day was intercepted, and the Browns sealed a 49-38 victory at AT&T Stadium. Prescott finished with a career high in yards on 41-of-58 passing with four touchdowns and the lone interception.
