Peyton Manning has rewritten the history books once again with an incredible season with the Denver Broncos. His 55 touchdown passes easily broke Tom Brady’s NFL single-season record of 55. He also just barely bested Drew Brees’ record for passing yardage, finishing with 5,477 yards on the season. The previous record was 5,476. However, Manning’s passing yardage record is under review.
ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold reported on Monday that the league’s record-keepers are reviewing a 7-yard completion that Manning threw to Eric Decker in the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders. When looking at replays of that pass, it appears that it was actually a lateral. The screenshot above shows the ball out of Manning’s hand while Decker is deeper in Broncos’ territory than he is. Here’s another look:
If the play is ruled a lateral, it would be a 7-yard run for Decker rather than a catch. That would drop Manning’s passing yardage total to 5,470 and leave him seven yards shy of breaking Brees’ record. Would it make his 2013 season any less impressive? Not really.
Screenshots via Deadspin
