In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. [2] To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. [3] A player who catches a forward pass is called a receiver. A touchdown pass is a pass thrown from a passer to a receiver that results in a touchdown being scored. To be counted as a touchdown pass, the ball can be caught within the field of play and advanced by the receiver into the end zone, or caught by a receiver within the boundaries of the end zone. [4] The number of passing touchdowns a player makes is a recorded statistic in football games. In addition to the overall National Football League (NFL) passing touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the passing touchdown leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. [5] The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. [6]
Tom Brady has led the NFL in passing touchdowns five times, more than any other quarterback. [7] Johnny Unitas is the only player to lead the league four times consecutively, doing so from 1957 through 1960. [8] The record for touchdown passes in a season is held by Peyton Manning, who had 55 passing touchdowns in the 2013 season while playing for the Denver Broncos. [1] Only two other players have recorded 50 or more passing touchdowns in a season, Brady and Patrick Mahomes. [1]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most passing touchdowns in the NFL |
TDs | The total number of passing touchdowns the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season [upper-alpha 1] |
† | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
^ | Active player |
* | Set the single-season passing touchdowns record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most passing touchdowns in the AFL |
TDs | The total number of passing touchdowns the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
† | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
* | Player set the single-season passing touchdowns record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Season | Leader | TDs | GP | Team | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Al Dorow | 26* | 14 | New York Titans | [12] [74] |
1961 | George Blanda † | 36* | 14 | Houston Oilers | [12] [75] |
1962 | Len Dawson † | 29 | 14 | Dallas Texans | [12] [76] |
1963 | Len Dawson † (2) | 26 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | [12] [76] |
1964 | Babe Parilli | 31 | 14 | Boston Patriots | [12] [77] |
1965 | Len Dawson † (3) | 21 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | [12] [76] |
1966 | Len Dawson † (4) | 26 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | [12] [76] |
1967 | Daryle Lamonica | 30 | 14 | Oakland Raiders | [12] [78] |
1968 | John Hadl | 27 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | [12] [39] |
1969 | Daryle Lamonica (2) | 34 | 14 | Oakland Raiders | [12] [78] |
Count | Player | Seasons | Team(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Tom Brady | 2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2021 | New England Patriots (4) / Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1) | [12] |
4 | Drew Brees | 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 | New Orleans Saints | [12] |
Len Dawson | 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 | Kansas City Chiefs | [12] | |
Brett Favre | 1995 – 1997, 2002 | Green Bay Packers | [12] | |
Peyton Manning | 2000, 2004, 2006, 2013 | Indianapolis Colts (3) / Denver Broncos (1) | [12] | |
Johnny Unitas | 1957 – 1960 | Baltimore Colts | [12] | |
Steve Young | 1992 – 1994, 1998 | San Francisco 49ers | [12] | |
3 | Arnie Herber | 1932, 1934, 1936 | Green Bay Packers | [12] |
Sid Luckman | 1943, 1945, 1946 | Chicago Bears | [12] | |
Dan Marino | 1984 – 1986 | Miami Dolphins | [12] | |
Y. A. Tittle | 1955, 1962, 1963 | San Francisco 49ers (1) / New York Giants (2) | [12] |
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