Oct 20, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes the ball over Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander (20) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford became the fastest player to reach 40,000 NFL career passing yards on Sunday.
He entered the game against the Minnesota Vikings needing 87 yards to hit the milestone and eclipsed it on a 36-yard completion to wideout Danny Amendola in the first quarter.
The previous record holder, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, did it in his 151st game. Sunday’s game was the 147th of Stafford’s career.
Stafford, 31, also was the fastest to hit other milestones: 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 and 30,000. He entered the game No. 21 on the NFL’s all-time passing list, trailing Johnny Unitas by 326 yards.
Talking to reporters earlier in the week, Stafford seemed unfazed by the 40,000-yard mark.
“I hope 40,000 isn’t the last number I hit,” Stafford said. “I’d like to keep playing and play well. The biggest thing for me is I just want to get the bad taste out of my mouth of losing two in a row. I just want to win a game.
“If I throw for 86 and we win, I’ll be happy as hell.”
—Field Level Media
