The NFL is a quarterback driven league, but even signal callers have their limitations. Passing for 500 yards in a single game is an incredibly difficult feat, tougher than scoring a hat trick, hitting a grand slam or recording a triple-double.

Only 21 NFL players have ever hit the 500-yard mark in a single game and the feat has only been accomplished 24 times in NFL history

So, will any player pass for 500 yards this regular season?

Active players who have passed for 500 yards

Only five active players have passed for 500 yards in a regular season NFL game. Joe Burrow was the last to do it when he threw for 525 yards and four touchdowns in Week 16 of the 2021 season. Before Burrow, Dak Prescott threw for 502 yards in 2020 and Jared Goff tossed for 517 yards in 2019.

Believe it or not Derek Carr also made the list when he passed for 513 yards in 2016, and Matthew Stafford did it all the way back in 2011 when he finished a game with 520 passing yards.

If you go by precedent, the 2024 season is do for a 500-yard passer. Prior to no one eclipsing the 500-yard mark in each of the last two seasons, the NFL had at least one 500-yard passer every year from 2011 to 2021.

Most single-game passing yards in 2023

Going by last year’s passing numbers, there’s a long list of candidates to hit 500 yards in a single game this season. In 2023, six players passed for over 400 yards, with Texans rookie C.J. Stroud topping the list with 470 yards and five TDs against Tampa Bay in just his eighth career professional start.

Tua Tagovailoa also came close with a 466-yard game and with Miami’s stacked offence he should have a great chance at hitting the 500-yard milestone in 2024. It’s no surprise that Patrick Mahomes had the third-most passing yards in a game last season with 424 yards, while Nick Mullens (411), Justin Herbert (405) and Dak Prescott (404) round out the 400-yard passers.

Prediction

Maybe I’m just trying to will it into existence, but of course I’m saying there will be a 500-yard passing game this season and I’ll go one further and call my shot: Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Houston’s C.J. Stroud will both hit the milestone.

Tagovailoa, who led the league in total passing yards last year, has thrived under Mike McDaniel and he’ll have no shortage of receiving targets in Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and even Odell Beckham Jr.

I’d be high on Stroud finishing with a 500-yard passing game this season even without the additions the Texans made in the off-season. Now that Stroud will be targeting Stefon Diggs, a 500-yard game is a lock.