Greatest passing day in Pro Football history?

[Rupert Patrick]

Ben Roethlisberger is 40-49 for 522 yards and 6 TD passes. This has to be one of the half dozen greatest passing days in Pro Football history.

The Steelers and Colts have currently combined for 922 yards passing, which is the second most by both teams in a game all time, with the record being 971 between the Packers and Lions in their 2011 Week 17 shootout.

[ChrisBabcock]

Possibly the best ever. I'd say either Ben's game today or you could make a case for Y. A. Tittle here...
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 280nyg.htm

[conace21]

When you curve the performances, accounting for the different eras, Tittle's game is a clear cut #1. If you just take the numbers at face value, I still give Tittle a very slight edge.

[Reaser]

When you curve the performances, accounting for the different eras, Tittle's game is a clear cut #1. If you just take the numbers at face value, I still give Tittle a very slight edge.

This. Never been easier to accumulate passing numbers.

[coachtj]

.....december 16th, 1962 is the greatest passing day in nfl history. 6 games on that sunday....with the following: tittle 21 of 42 for 341, with 6/2, johnny high tops 19 of 34 for 385, with 4/4, sonny j. 15 of 34 for 419, with 5/3 while his counterpart in the shoot-out young charley of the cards was 17 of 32 for 386, with 2/2, and finally in his last regular season game bobby 8 of 17 for 201, with 2/2. while this group completed 80 of 159...obviously not a high%....the 19 touchdown tosses out of just 159 throws is excellent, but what sets this day apart from the others.....21 yards a catch!

[ChrisBabcock]

Here's an interesting read...

http://www.footballperspective.com/ben- ... ames-ever/

[Rupert Patrick]

Roethlisberger has set a record with 12 TD passes in two games, and along with being the only man with two 500-yard passing games, it looks like 2014 is the year Big Ben is passing the so called Bus test.

[3243]

.....december 16th, 1962 is the greatest passing day in nfl history. 6 games on that sunday....with the following: tittle 21 of 42 for 341, with 6/2, johnny high tops 19 of 34 for 385, with 4/4, sonny j. 15 of 34 for 419, with 5/3 while his counterpart in the shoot-out young charley of the cards was 17 of 32 for 386, with 2/2, and finally in his last regular season game bobby 8 of 17 for 201, with 2/2. while this group completed 80 of 159...obviously not a high%....the 19 touchdown tosses out of just 159 throws is excellent, but what sets this day apart from the others.....21 yards a catch!

I agree, because back then teams were still allowed to play defense. You could axe receivers and bump them all over the field, and you could still hit quarterbacks when they were throwing (and if you blasted them a second or two after they got rid of the ball, hey, it was no big deal) and you could pulverize receivers in mid-air, even in the pass-happy AFL. Offensive statistics were not cheapened the way they are now.

[King Kong]

Roethlisberger has set a record with 12 TD passes in two games, and along with being the only man with two 500-yard passing games, it looks like 2014 is the year Big Ben is passing the so called Bus test.

What is the Bus test?

[Rupert Patrick]

Roethlisberger has set a record with 12 TD passes in two games, and along with being the only man with two 500-yard passing games, it looks like 2014 is the year Big Ben is passing the so called Bus test.

What is the Bus test?

The Bus test is an exercise to try to figure out, if he were hit by a bus tomorrow, would he make the Hall of Fame based on what he had accomplished to this point? All HOFers cross this point at some juncture in their careers, except for the ones who were frankly poor selections, but the qualified ones all pass the test at some point. I would suppose an exception is made for those with short careers like Gale Sayers.

Tom Brady passed it probably in 2007, and Peyton Manning in 2006, possibly 2004. Terry Bradshaw passed the Bus test in 1978 or 1979, and Jerry Rice at some point around 1994-95. Steve Young probably passed it in 1994, and Emmitt Smith passed it in 1995, as Troy Aikman also did, and probably Michael Irvin. Drew Brees has probably already passed it, although I would have to look at his stats to see the place where it occurred but it was sometime in the last two or three years. Joe Namath had a short career, but it probably could be argued he passed the bus test when the Jets won Super Bowl III. On the other hand, I'm not sure Eli Manning has passed it yet, as he doesn't have a lot going for him on his HOF resume after the two Super Bowl wins. The bus test is a way of determining the point when a player has crossed the line and become a certain future HOFer. If you examine his career once it is over, you can usually spot the point where it happens. I am saying that I think we will be able to look back and it will be clear that Roethlisberger reached that point in 2014, and I think the same can probably be said for Devin Hester.