Seven. That’s the magic number. If you’re an NFL quarterback and you hit seven scores in four quarters, you’ve basically punched your ticket to a very weird, very exclusive club of legends and statistical outliers. Most pass TDs in a game is a record that feels like it should have been shattered by now, especially with how the league protects receivers and penalizes defenders for even looking at a QB the wrong way. But nope. The ceiling has been stuck at seven for over 80 years.
Football is a game of surges. Sometimes a guy just gets in a zone where the ball feels like a nerf toy and the defenders look like they’re running through waist-deep mud. We’ve seen it with the greats like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and we’ve seen it with guys who made us do a double-take, like Nick Foles. Honestly, it’s one of the few records left that hasn’t been totally swallowed by the "modern era" of inflated stats.
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The NFL’s Magic Eight: Who Actually Threw 7?
You’d think the list of players with the most pass TDs in a game would be a "Who's Who" of first-ballot Hall of Famers. And yeah, some of them are. But the list is actually a fascinating mix of era-defining icons and guys who just had the greatest Sunday of their lives.
Sid Luckman was the trailblazer. Back in 1943—long before the West Coast offense or the shotgun formation were even concepts—he carved up the New York Giants for seven scores. Think about that for a second. In 1943, most teams were still trying to figure out if the "forward pass" was a fad. Luckman just went out and broke the game.
Then you have the modern trio. Peyton Manning opened the 2013 season by absolutely dismantling the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. It was a Thursday night. Everyone was watching. He didn't even have a touchdown in the first quarter, which is the craziest part. He just exploded in the second half.
Two months later, Nick Foles decided he wanted in on the action. Playing for the Eagles against the Raiders, Foles hit his seventh touchdown before the third quarter was even over. Chip Kelly actually pulled him out of the game. If Foles had stayed in for the fourth quarter, he almost certainly would have hit eight. He chose mercy instead. Or his coach did. Either way, the record stayed at seven.
The last person to touch this sun was Drew Brees in 2015. That game against the Giants was basically a video game played in real life. Brees threw seven, Eli Manning threw six. That’s 13 passing touchdowns in a single afternoon. If you had either of those guys on your fantasy team that week, you probably didn't just win; you probably ended your opponent's season.
The Full NFL 7-TD Club
- Sid Luckman (Bears vs. Giants, 1943)
- Adrian Burk (Eagles vs. Redskins, 1954)
- George Blanda (Oilers vs. Titans, 1961)
- Y.A. Tittle (Giants vs. Redskins, 1962)
- Joe Kapp (Vikings vs. Colts, 1969)
- Peyton Manning (Broncos vs. Ravens, 2013)
- Nick Foles (Eagles vs. Raiders, 2013)
- Drew Brees (Saints vs. Giants, 2015)
Why Hasn't Anyone Hit Eight Yet?
It’s kind of a mystery. We have Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson—guys who can score from anywhere on the field. Mahomes has hit six touchdowns in a game twice. Tom Brady did it. Aaron Rodgers did it (twice). But that jump from six to seven is hard, and the jump to eight is apparently impossible.
Usually, there are two things that stop a QB from getting the most pass TDs in a game record all to themselves. First, the score. If you’ve already thrown six touchdowns, your team is probably winning by 30 points. Coaches usually take the starters out to avoid injuries or just to stop "running up the score." It’s a "code of honor" thing that statisticians probably hate.
Second, the run game. Once you’re in the red zone and you’re up big, teams start handing the ball to the backup running back to chew the clock. It’s hard to justify a 40-yard bomb when you're just trying to go home and eat dinner.
College Football: Where the Numbers Get Stupid
If the NFL is a calculated chess match, college football is a backyard brawl. The record for most pass TDs in a game in the FBS (Division I) is much higher. David Klingler, playing for Houston in 1990, threw 11 touchdowns in a single game against Eastern Washington.
Eleven.
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Klingler was part of that "Run 'n' Shoot" offense that just didn't care about feelings or time management. They just threw the ball. Every. Single. Play. It’s a record that might actually be safer than the NFL one because modern college coaches are a bit more sensitive to "sportsmanship" than they were in the early 90s.
Even in the modern era, we’ve seen some wild stuff. Tanner Mordecai threw nine for SMU in 2022. Anthony Gordon did the same for Washington State in 2019. In college, if a defense can’t stop the slant route, some offensive coordinators will just keep calling it until the scoreboard breaks.
High School: The 12-TD Outlier
Just to round things out, if you look at the high school level, things get even more absurd. Steven Willhite from Pattonsburg (Missouri) is credited with throwing 12 touchdowns in a game back in 2019. Most of these massive high school records come from 8-man football or small-town matchups where one kid is just six inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than every defender on the field. It’s basically like a grown man playing against toddlers.
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What This Means for Your Next Watch Party
Next time you’re watching a game and Patrick Mahomes has four touchdowns at halftime, don't just assume he's going to break the record. He probably won't. The history of most pass TDs in a game shows that you need a very specific "Perfect Storm."
You need a game that stays competitive enough that the starters stay in, but a defense that is just porous enough to give up big plays. You also need a coach who is willing to keep his foot on the gas.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors:
- Watch the Matchup: High-scoring records usually happen against "funnel" defenses—teams that are great against the run but absolute garbage against the pass.
- Check the Weather: You aren't getting seven touchdowns in a blizzard or a torrential downpour. These records are almost always set in domes or on clear, crisp afternoons.
- Live Betting Nuance: If a QB has 5 TDs at the end of the 3rd quarter, the "over" on his player props might look tempting, but check the score. If they’re up by 28, he might be heading to the bench for the 4th.
The hunt for eight continues. It’s been 80+ years since Luckman set the bar, and while the athletes get faster and the rules get softer, that seven-TD wall is still standing tall.