Matt Ryan breaks Peyton Manning’s passing yardage record through 13 seasons

Coming into Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers, Matt Ryan needed just 207 yards to surpass Peyton Manning’s passing yardage mark through 13 full seasons. This offense has been so shaky of late that it wasn’t a given he’d get there, but he did, and now owns that yardage mark with three-plus games to go in the 2020 season. The play came on a short pass to Ito Smith, and it came in the midst of yet another shaky game for Ryan, who threw his second interception of the day shortly thereafter.

Ryan has been on a collision course with history for a while now, repeatedly breaking by pace marks in yardage, touchdowns, and other statistics with each passing season. The fact that he’s ahead of everyone through 13 seasons with time to build on that tells you he’s set to finish his career among the all-time greats if he plays long enough, especially if the offense isn’t a tar pit of mediocrity in the years ahead.

At the moment, Ryan is 9th all-time in passing yards, 9th in attempts, 9th in completions, 11th in touchdowns, and 13th in passer rating. It’s safe to say if he keeps playing—something he’s indicated he’ll do for a while yet—he’s going to keep climbing.

Congratulations to Ryan, and may next season bring more success for both #2 and this Falcons team.