Joe Burrow's 501 total yard game, by the numbers: How Bengals QB made NFL history vs. Falcons

Kyle Irving

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Joe Burrow's 501 total yard game, by the numbers: How Bengals QB made NFL history vs. Falcons image

Joe Burrow was at it again.

The Bengals star quarterback continues to impress, exploding against the Falcons with a historic performance to lead Cincinnati to its third-straight victory.

Burrow threw for 481 yards and 3 touchdowns, also rushing for one touchdown as the Bengals routed Atlanta, 35-17.

In total, Burrow combined for 501 yards of total offense, becoming the first QB in NFL history with multiple games of 500+ total yards and four total touchdowns

Burrow entered Sunday's contest with the fourth-most passing touchdowns (13) and seventh-most passing yards (1,616) in the NFL, but his Week 7 performance will shoot him up to No. 3 and No. 1 for the time being, respectively.

Burrow is no stranger to big performances, as the 25-year-old already had one 500-yard passing game under his belt. Last season against the Ravens, Burrow threw for 525 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, marking the fourth-most passing yards in a single game in NFL history.

The Sporting News takes a look at where this game ranks among the best by a quarterback in the NFL record books.

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Joe Burrow stats vs. Falcons: By the Numbers

500 total yards, 4 total touchdowns

Burrow didn't take long to get going, throwing the first touchdown of Week 7 just two minutes into the game when he found Tyler Boyd on a 60-yard bomb. He led the Bengals to a touchdown in each of their first four drives of the game, linking up with his favorite target, JaMarr Chase, for a pair of TDs in the first half.

By halftime, Burrow already had 344 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

With a big lead for the majority of the second half, Burrow and the Bengals let their foot off the gas a bit. He rushed for one touchdown but didn't throw for another, finishing with 481 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 20 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Burrow made history with his performance, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to have over 500 total yards and four total touchdowns in a game.

After the game, Burrow expressed confidence in Cincinnati's gameplan heading into this contest.

“We saw a lot of spots on film that we thought we could take advantage of," Burrow said, according to WLWT Cincinnati's Olivia Ray. "We have three No. 1 receivers who have no ego, and trust me to throw the ball to them.”

Burrow's weapons all showed out on Sunday, as Boyd finished with eight receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown, Chase finished with eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and Tee Higgins brought in five receptions for 93 yards.

Passing Dan Marino in history

Burrow created even more history on Sunday, passing an all-time great quarterback in the record books.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Burrow became the first quarterback in NFL history to have five games of 400-plus passing yards in the first three years of his career — a record that was previously held by Dan Marino, who had four of such games in his first three seasons.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Burrow is responsible for three of the four best single-game passing yards performances.

16 touchdowns, 1 interception

Burrow has Cincinnati rolling at the moment, elevating his play since an extremely uncharacteristic performance where he threw four interceptions in Week 1.

Since that Week 1 dud, Burrow has thrown for 16 touchdown passes and just one (!) interception.

After Sunday's win, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor put it best, "when (Burrow) gets in a rhythm, watch out."

Cincinnati's third-straight win keeps it in a tie for first place in the AFC North with the Ravens.

List of 500-yard games

According to StatHead, Burrow's 501 total yards of offense against the Falcons marked the 17th time in NFL history that a player crossed the 500-yard threshold.

You can find the complete list of 500-yard games below.

Player Date Team Opponent Yards Results
Norm Van Brocklin Sept. 28, 1951 Rams Yanks 538 W, 51-14
Dan Marino Oct. 23, 1988 Dolphins Jets 521 L, 44-30
Ben Roethlisberger Oct. 26, 2014 Steelers Colts 521 W, 51-31
Tom Brady Sept. 12, 2011 Patriots Dolphins 519 W, 38-24
Derek Carr Oct. 30, 2016 Raiders Buccaneers 511 W, 30-24 (OT)
Joe Burrow Dec. 26, 2021 Bengals Ravens 509 W, 41-21
Vince Ferragamo Dec. 26, 1982 Rams Bears 508 L, 34-26
Boomer Esiason Nov. 10, 1996 Cardinals Redskins 508 W, 37-34 (OT)
Eli Manning Sept. 16, 2012 Giants Buccaneers 508 W, 41-34
Warren Moon Dec. 16, 1990 Oilers Chiefs 507 W, 27-10
Drew Brees Nov. 1, 2015 Saints Giants 506 W, 52-49
Y.A. Tittle Oct. 28, 1962 Giants Redskins 506 W, 49-34
Jake Plummer Oct. 31, 2004 Broncos Falcons 504 L, 41-28
Drew Brees Nov. 19, 2006 Saints Bengals 504 L, 31-16
Matt Schaub Nov. 18, 2012 Texans Jaguars 504 W, 43-37 (OT)
Matthew Stafford Jan. 1, 2012 Lions Packers 502 L, 45-41
Joe Burrow Oct. 23, 2022 Bengals Falcons 501 W, 35-17

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.