Rams' Matthew Stafford makes history in season opener

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams' Matthew Stafford ties Drew Brees for fastest QB to reach 50,000 yards passing

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 8, 2022 10:28 PM ET

Quarterback Matthew Stafford made history during the first half of Thursday's 2022 NFL season opener between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.

Stafford tied future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as the fastest quarterback to reach 50,000 yards passing, doing so in 183 career games.

Matthew Stafford has tied Drew Brees for the fastest to 50,000 passing yards in #NFL history.

183 games.

Of course it went to Cooper Kupp.#Rams #RamsHouse https://t.co/droHs4Db9G
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) September 9, 2022

Stafford is just the 12th quarterback in NFL history to reach the 50,000-yard milestone. Stafford joins Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Dan Marino and John Elway.

Matthew Stafford just became the 12th quarterback in NFL history to throw for 50,000 yards in the regular season. He matches Drew Brees as the fastest to the mark (183 games). He joins Brady, Brees, Peyton, Favre, Roethlisberger, Rivers, Marino, Matt Ryan, Eli, Rodgers & Elway.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 9, 2022

Counting playoffs, Stafford became the fastest player to reach 50,000 yards passing last December against the Seattle Seahawks.

In his first season with L.A., 34-year-old helped the Rams finish 12-5, leading them to a victory in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Stafford finished 2021 with 404 completions for 4,886 yards with a 41 to 17 touchdown to interception ratio in 17 regular-season games. He posted a 70 percent completion percentage in the postseason, passing for 1,188 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions during the Rams' Super Bowl run.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on X at @mike__sb

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