Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford‘s place among active quarterbacks is a hotly debated topic, but it is getting harder and harder to deny his place among the all-time pantheon of pigskin slingers.
The LA Times Rams beat writer, Gary Klien pointed out on X.com that Stafford is just 223 yards away from passing Eli Manning in most career passing yards, moving Stafford into 10th all-time.
Matthew Stafford To Move Into 10th All-Time In Career Passing Yards
As of today, Stafford has thrown for 56,801 yards placing him just ahead of the 11th-placed John Elway (51,475) and 12th-placed Warren Moon (49,325).
Three of the 10 players ahead of Stafford, (Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and Dan Marion) are already enshrined members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but several more will be first-ballot residents of Canton, Ohio when they become eligible. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and Aaron Rodgers are all shoe-ins. There is debate about Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning because they never won the Super Bowl, which flies in the face of Moon’s rightful place in the HoF.
Stafford has averaged 272 yards per game and has thrown for over 250 yards on average this season. If he hits his averages, Stafford would pass Manning in Week 4 of his 16th season. Assuming he continues to stay healthy this season he will move within sniffing distance of Dan Marino‘s mark of 61,361 yards before the season’s end.
Rodgers currently sits in 8th place on this hallowed list with 59,679 yards passing. He is the only active quarterback on the list. Rodgers will likely surpass Marino this season.
Stafford needs to throw for 5310 yards this season to pass Marino. That would surpass Stafford’s best season of 5038 in 2011 and place him 4th all-time in single-season passing yards. That is to say, it is unlikely that Stafford will move up farther than 10th all-time this season.
The Los Angeles Rams QB is currently fourth in career yards per game.
