Back on 11/12, I pointed out that Russell Wilson was averaging 2 TD passes … to only .4 INT a game (since the Patriots game, he’s now averaging.28 INT/game). At that time, he was on pace to break the All Time Record for a TD’s by a Rookie, which was 26 – set by Peyton Manning in 1998. What was fairly impressive about Manning at the time that he set that record … was that was a record that had stood for 50 years.
Well … Russell Wilson has continued with that 2 TD/Game pace … and if you’re keeping score with me now has 19 TD’s on the season. With 4 games to go (3 of which against NFL creampuffs) … that is a record that is very much within range for Russell Wilson. Regardless, he is having an unbelievable season.
Here again is how his season is stacking up thus far among some of the All Time Best seasons by a Rookie QB. These are just a few names that I came up with and how Wilson compares (sorted by number of TD's) ...
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Name | Year | Comp | Att | Comp% | Yards | TD’s | INT’s | QB Rating |
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1. Peyton Manning | 1998 | 325 | 575 | 56.7% | 3,739 | 26 | 28 | 71.2 |
2. Cam Newton | 2011 | 310 | 517 | 60.0% | 4,051 | 21 | 17 | 84.5 |
3. Dan Marino | 1983 | 173 | 296 | 58.4% | 2,210 | 20 | 6 | 96.0 |
4. Andy Dalton | 2011 | 300 | 516 | 58.1% | 3,398 | 20 | 13 | 80.4 |
5. Russell Wilson | 2012 | 201 | 317 | 63.4% | 2,344 | 19 | 8 | 95.4 |
6. Tom Brady | 2001* | 264 | 413 | 63.9% | 2,843 | 18 | 12 | 86.5 |
7. Sam Bradford | 2010 | 354 | 590 | 60.0% | 3,512 | 18 | 15 | 76.5 |
8. Ben Roethlisberger | 2004 | 196 | 295 | 66.4% | 2,621 | 17 | 11 | 98.1 |
9. Andrew Luck | 2012 | 279 | 503 | 55.5% | 3,596 | 17 | 16 | 76.1 |
10. Robert Griffin III | 2012 | 205 | 304 | 67.4% | 2,497 | 16 | 4 | 104.6 |
11. Matt Ryan | 2008 | 265 | 434 | 61.1% | 3,440 | 16 | 11 | 87.7 |
12. Joe Montana | 1980* | 176 | 273 | 64.5% | 1,795 | 15 | 9 | 87.8 |
13. Joe Flacco | 2008 | 257 | 428 | 60.0% | 2,971 | 14 | 12 | 80.3 |
14. Brandon Weeden | 2012 | 247 | 433 | 57.0% | 2,820 | 13 | 15 | 72.3 |
15. Warren Moon | 1984* | 259 | 450 | 57.6% | 3,338 | 12 | 14 | 76.9 |
16. Rick Mirer | 1993 | 274 | 486 | 56.4% | 2,833 | 12 | 17 | 67.0 |
17. Charlie Batch | 1998 | 173 | 303 | 57.1% | 2,178 | 11 | 6 | 83.5 |
18. Troy Aikman | 1989 | 155 | 293 | 52.9% | 1,749 | 9 | 18 | 55.7 |
19. Ryan Tannehill | 2012 | 210 | 363 | 57.9% | 2,559 | 7 | 12 | 72.3 |
20. John Elway | 1983 | 123 | 259 | 47.5% | 1,663 | 7 | 14 | 54.9 |
[tdo=10]Best Seasons by a Rookie QB All Time (Sorted by TD’s Thrown) [As of 12/3/12][/tdo]
*Montana started 1 game in 1979, so while he wasn’t technically a rookie, 1980 was his first season as a starter. Same thing goes for Tom Brady, as he started 1 game in 2000. Warren Moon technically was a rookie by NFL standards, but he had played 6 seasons in the CFL and powered the Edmonton Eskimos to 5 Grey Cup victories.
… Wilson is still on pace to break Manning’s record (at that pace, he would end up with 27 TD’s) … and we’ve got 4 games to go people! [In case you’re wondering, the All-Time TD’s in a season for a Seahawks QB was 32 by Dave Kreig in 1984. I highly doubt Wilson will get to that mark … BUT, with 3 of the 4 remaining games against some of the bigger bottom feeders in the NFL, you never know.]
As an aside, looking at this list really underscores just how much of a passing league this truly has become over the past few years.
With RGIII and the Redskins going on Monday Night Football, this list will undoubtedly change by tonight. Should be interesting to see how this race comes out.