Matthew Stafford passes Philip Rivers in NFL record book, has sights set on Brett Favre next

Matthew Stafford continues to climb the NFL record books. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback moved into sole possession of sixth place on the league’s all-time passing touchdown list Monday night, passing Philip Rivers with his third touchdown of the game.

Stafford’s latest milestone adds another impressive accomplishment to a career that has already included an MVP award and a Super Bowl title.

Sep 10, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball during practice at Marvel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

Stafford entered Monday night with 423 career touchdown passes, needing three to move past Rivers, who finished his career with 425. After connecting with Davante Adams and Kyren Williams earlier in the game, Stafford found the end zone for a third time to reach 426 career touchdown passes and take sole possession of sixth place.

The milestone was particularly notable considering Stafford entered the 2026 season seventh on the list. He had already passed Dan Marino late last season, and the latest three-touchdown performance allowed him to move past another longtime NFL quarterback.

Stafford has now thrown 282 touchdown passes during his 12 seasons with Detroit and added 144 with the Rams, continuing to build one of the most productive passing résumés in league history.

The Rams quarterback also entered Monday night looking to rebound after being held without a touchdown pass in Los Angeles‘ season-opening loss to San Francisco.

November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The next name sitting ahead of Stafford is a much bigger challenge.

Brett Favre currently ranks fifth all time with 508 passing touchdowns, meaning Stafford would need another 83 touchdown passes to catch him. The gap is significant, and the NFL noted before the season that Favre’s mark was out of reach for Stafford during the 2026 campaign.

Still, Stafford’s position on the list is remarkable. Only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Favre have thrown more regular-season touchdown passes than Stafford.

At 38 years old, Stafford is coming off an MVP season in which he led the NFL with 46 touchdown passes. His latest milestone shows that his career résumé continues to grow even as he enters the later stages of his career.