After passing for 412 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s overtime win Saturday against the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is approaching some historic numbers. With 4,641 yards through 16 games, Burrow needs 359 yards in the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers to become just the 10th quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 in a season.
The 5,000-yard milestone has been reached a total of 15 times — Drew Brees did it five times, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have done it twice.
Getting those necessary yards won’t be easy. Burrow passed for 309 yards against the Steelers in a Week 13 loss to Pittsburgh. He has passed for more than 359 yards four times this season.
Of course, following their 1-4 start to the season, the Bengals must win Sunday and still need help from other teams to squeak into the playoffs.
It used to be that gaudy single-season passing numbers for a quarterback might have been an indication that his team was not playoff-worthy, with much of that yardage coming as the QB was playing from behind. That has not been the case in the modern game. In fact, the top five single-season passing yardage leaders all made the playoffs — and three of the five reached the Super Bowl.
Only six of the 15 5,000-yard seasons did not result in a playoff berth. Here’s the complete list and how their team finished:
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos (2013): 5,477 yards. Finished 13-3, reached Super Bowl XLVIII.
2. Drew Brees, Saints (2011): 5,476 yards. Finished 13-3, reached divisional playoffs.
3. Tom Brady, Buccaneers (2021): 5,316 yards. Finished 13-4, reached divisional playoffs.
4. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (2022): 5,250 yards. Finished 14-3, won Super Bowl LVII.
5. Tom Brady, Patriots (2011): 5,235 yards. Finished 13-3, reached Super Bowl XLVI.
6. Drew Brees, Saints (2016): 5,208 yards. Finished 7-9, missed playoffs.
7. Drew Brees, Saints (2012): 5,177 yards. Finished 7-9, missed playoffs.
8. Drew Brees, Saints (2013): 5,162 yards. Finished 11-5, reached divisional playoffs.
9. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (2018): 5,129 yards. Finished 9-6-1, missed playoffs.
10. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers (2019): 5,109 yards. Finished 7-9, missed playoffs.
11. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (2018): 5,097 yards. Finished 12-4, reached AFC Championship gamer.
12. Dan Marino, Dolphins (1984): 5,084 yards. Finished 14-2, reached Super Bowl XIX.
13. Drew Brees, Saints (2008): 5,069 yards. Finished 8-8, missed playoffs.
14. Matthew Stafford, Lions (2011): 5,038 yards. Finished 10-6, reached wild-card playoffs.
15. Justin Herbert, Chargers (2021): 5,014 yards. Finished 9-8, missed playoffs.
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