We all know the average calculations when it comes to statistics in the NFL. Along with other metrics, they also measure the passing and rushing yards per game to see who is playing more consistently. And, of course, that is not even considering the touchdown passes and scores.
But even though the above statistics might tell us all there is to know about consistency, there is still a thrill in watching a live game unfold. Only in such a vivid setting does the exceptional stand out. Not consistency, but those games where someone does something that can be remembered forever.
For a quarterback, such a performance means more passing yards and touchdowns in the game than one expects. Only one such quarterback has been beating such expectations regularly over the past few seasons consistently. That quarterback is Joe Burrow.
Joe Burrow lights up the Atlanta Falcons to create a place in NFL history
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals faced the Atlanta Falcons this season, and when they did, Joe Burrow had a game for the ages. He threw for a total of 481 with an astonishing 81 percent completion rate. He also contributed three passing touchdowns.
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As mentioned before, though, this was not his best performance over the last couple of NFL seasons. Against the Baltimore Ravens last season, he had an amazing 525 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Joe Burrow has two games with more than 500 yards of total offense and at least four total touchdowns. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to achieve this feat.
Quarterbacks racking up huge numbers against the Baltimore defense seems to have been a theme over the last couple of years. Earlier this season, Tua Tagovailoa performed in a similar style.
In perhaps the greatest match of the season, the Miami Dolphins overcame a deficit against the Ravens to win. In that game, Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six scoring touchdowns.
It also points to the NFL becoming more dependent on the passing game than ever before. Such numbers happening with two different quarterbacks in the same season is unusual. If the trend continues, over the coming years, the passing averages per game will also drown out the achievements recorded today.
However, that is for a future date to be considered. Joe Burrow deserves his moment in the spotlight, having recorded the most passing yards in a game in the 2022 NFL season.
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