Matthew Stafford made NFL history in the Los Angeles Rams' 35-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, becoming the first player to own the franchise record for career passing touchdowns with two active teams.
The milestone came in the second quarter, when Stafford threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua. It was his 155th scoring pass as a Ram, putting him ahead of Roman Gabriel, who threw 154 in 130 games with the franchise.
Stafford already holds the record in Detroit, where he spent the first 12 seasons of his career. He leads the Lions with 282 passing touchdowns.
The quarterback took the achievement in stride. "It's pretty cool," Stafford said, before joking, "It just means you're old, and you've played a lot of ball and wore yourself thin enough at a certain place where they moved on."
The Rams acquired Stafford after the 2020 season in a trade that sent quarterback Jared Goff to the Lions and included multiple first-round picks. Stafford has since played 81 games for Los Angeles.
Though his name is on the record, Stafford credited those around him. Many others, he said, "have so much to do with that." He added: "Throwing touchdowns isn't a one-man job. Takes a lot of people to block and get open and coaches to draw up plays."
All three of his touchdown passes came in the first half, which matched a career high for any half, according to ESPN Research. His 79% completion rate was his best in a game since 2018, when he was still with the Lions.
Stafford also moved past former Rams quarterback Jim Everett, who had 1,846 completions, for second place on the franchise's career list with 1,851. He finished the afternoon 23-for-29 for 195 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception.
"It's been a heck of a ride," Stafford said. "Enjoy doing what I do, still love it, and look forward to doing some more."
Through seven games this season, Stafford has completed 67.3% of his passes for 1,989 yards, with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
