Rodgers Throws 422nd Touchdown Pass, Fifth in NFL History
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw the 421st and 422nd touchdown passes of his prolific career on Sunday at Cincinnati, moving past Dan Marino and Philip Rivers and into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list.
No. 421 came early in the second quarter, a 12-yarder to AJ Dillon. Dillon is the 43rd player to catch a touchdown from Rodgers. That got Rodgers past Marino and into a tie with Rivers for fifth all-time.
No. 422 came late in the second quarter, a 5-yarder to Davante Adams. That moved Rodgers alone into fifth place in NFL history. It was Adams’ 59th touchdown catch from Rodgers. Only Jordy Nelson has more with 65.
Afterward, an exhausted Rodgers celebrated the crazy victory instead of the milestone.
"I think it's a tired group, for sure," he said. "The heat, five quarters, we expended a lot of energy in there. Enjoyed that win. There's nothing like winning. I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of the defense, especially, the way they kept stepping up. We didn't trail after we kicked a field goal at 9-7, which was really important mentally for us. I'm really proud of the way those guys battled. You're hugging guys who you might not even know their first and last names sometimes, so it's fun to bring together a group like that."
Rodgers finished 27-of-39 for 344 yards with the two touchdowns, one interception and a 102.9 rating.
Rivers was drafted in 2004 and Rodgers in 2005, with Rivers retiring after last season while Rodgers won his third MVP. They built a mutual respect for each other over the years.
“I have a lot of respect for him, the way he goes about his business, the way he plays, the type of competitor he is,” Rodgers said following last year’s game against the Rivers-led Colts.
“I’ve always appreciated and thought it was special going against a quarterback like him,” Rivers said before that game. “The guy is unbelievable, obviously, with the career he’s had and the big plays, and I could go on and on with what makes him awesome. I think the number that stands out to me is just how few interceptions he’s thrown in all these years. It’s quite remarkable especially with as aggressive as he is and pushing it down the field and what a great passer he is – pure passer from deep to short. It is special.”
With 596 touchdown passes and counting, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady is the NFL’s career leader. Drew Brees is next with 571, followed by Peyton Manning with 539 and Brett Favre with 508.
“I remember Favre-y talking about some of the milestones like this mean you’ve been around a long time, played a lot of games,” Rodgers said after surpassing 50,000 career passing yards against Chicago last season. “There’s also the consistency aspect of that, being able to stay healthy for a decent amount of my career minus a couple of collarbones, and then being efficient for so long. There’s a lot that goes into 50,000 yards. I’m proud of it. It’s more of a longevity record, which, playing behind Favre, you realize how important it is to stay on the field and play through injuries and I’ve always prided myself on trying to do that.”
Rodgers’ second touchdown pass last week at Pittsburgh gave him 420 for his career, which tied the legendary Marino for sixth in NFL history. Also vs. the Steelers, Rodgers posted his 18th career game with two-plus passing touchdowns and at least one rushing touchdown. That broke a tie with Steve Young for second in NFL history. Cam Newton holds that record with 21.
Rodgers is 10th in NFL history in completions and yards. He won’t be moving up those lists anytime soon. Rodgers is 530 completions behind Eli Manning and 4,615 yards behind Matt Ryan, who is Atlanta’s starter.
Rodgers entered the day ranked No. 1 in touchdown-to-interception ratio with 4.62 touchdowns per interception, just ahead of Patrick Mahomes’ mark of 4.57. They are far ahead of Russell Wilson’s third-ranked 3.38. Brady, at 3.06, is the only other quarterback with three-plus touchdowns per interception.
“Man, is he something else,” Rivers said of Rodgers after last year’s Colts victory. “Some of those throws he made today; I can’t make some of those. I can make them, with my mind and nowhere to throw them. I just can’t quite throw a couple of those like he can.”
