Who Leads The NFL In TD Passes?
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The answer may surprise you – it’s not Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. See who the real leader is in touchdown passes this season.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady leads the NFL in TD passes with 33. He is followed by Drew Brees with 32 and Matt Ryan with 30.
Regular season
In the regular season, Brady has led the NFL in touchdown passes four times (2007, 2010, 2015, 2016), and he is tied with Peyton Manning for the most seasons leading the league in touchdown passes at four. He has also thrown for 50 or more touchdown passes in a season three times (2007, 2010, 2015), and is one of only six quarterbacks to have done so. Brady is the all-time regular season leader in touchdowns responsible for with 581; if postseason passing TDs are included, he moves up to second place behind Manning.
Playoffs
Including the playoffs, Brady has thrown for 513 touchdowns, which is the most of any quarterback in NFL history. He is also the only quarterback to have thrown for 50 touchdowns in a season more than once, doing so in 2007 and 2010. In those seasons, he set NFL records for touchdown passes and passing yards.
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Manning holds many NFL records, including passing touchdowns, passing yards, and career passing touchdowns. He is also the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Regular season
In the regular season, Manning has thrown for 539 touchdown passes, which is the most in NFL history. He trails only Brett Favre in all-time passing yards, and he is second in all-time passing touchdowns. Manning has also been selected to 14 Pro Bowls, which is tied for the most ever. He was the NFL MVP five times and was named Super Bowl MVP twice.
Playoffs
Peyton Manning holds the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a career, as well as the single-season mark. He’s also thrown for the most yards in a season and in a career. So it’s no surprise that he leads the NFL in playoff touchdown passes, too.
Manning has thrown for 579 yards and eight touchdowns in four playoff games with the Denver Broncos. His 54 touchdown passes are 14 more than the next closest quarterback, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Brady has 40 touchdown passes in 27 playoff games.
Drew Brees
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 33. He is closely followed by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots with 32. These two quarterbacks have been dominating the league for years and it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to catch them anytime soon.
Regular season
As of the end of the 2020 NFL regular season, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees leads the league in touchdown passes with 547. That’s two more than second-place Peyton Manning, who threw 539 TD passes during his career. Brees also holds the record for most passing yards in a season with 5,476, set in 2011.
Playoffs
In the Playoffs, Brees has continued to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history. He holds the NFL records for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54) and most consecutive games with at least 20 completions (41). He is tied with Tom Brady for the second-most career playoff victories by a quarterback (10), behind only Brett Favre (11). In addition, he has led his team to more divisional playoff wins (5) than any other quarterback in NFL history.
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has the most touchdown passes in the NFL this season with 33. He is on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards and could potentially break the single season touchdown record. Let’s take a look at some of the other quarterbacks who are in the running for the TD title.
Regular season
In the regular season, Rodgers has thrown for 4,441 yards and 45 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He has also rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
Playoffs
In the playoffs, Rodgers has continued to be one of the most efficient and clutch quarterbacks in NFL history. He holds the all-time record for highest career passer rating in the playoffs (104.9), and is first in NFL history with six touchdown passes of 40 yards or more in the playoffs. He also has the most passing yards per attempt (9.25), and is second in league history with at least 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in a playoff career (11).
