When the New England Patriots take the field on Sunday to face off with the Washington Redskins, they will do so as heavy favorites. Tom Brady and his team are 4-0 while Washington has failed to win a game. This is a game that could quickly turn into a blowout on the scoreboard while also becoming a record-setting affair for the Patriots quarterback.
Heading into Sunday, Brady currently sits at 71,575 yards in his career. This puts him at fourth on the all-time passing yards list, just behind Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Brett Favre. Brady has been at fourth since passing Dan Marino in 2016, but he could potentially move to second all-time with a big performance.
Videos by PopCulture.com
In order to reach third on the list, passing Favre, Brady just needs to throw for 264 yards during the game. This should be well within the realm of possibility based on Brady reaching this mark against the Miami Dolphins in week two and topping 300 yards in two other games.
Through four weeks, the Redskins have struggled to stop opposing quarterbacks. They allowed big games to both Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys to start the season, allowing completion rates of 71 and 86 percent, respectively. In addition, Mitch Trubisky of the Bears threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns while rookie Daniel Jones reached 225 yards with a score of his own.
To reach second place, however, Brady would need to throw for 365 yards. This is certainly possible considering that Washington’s defense has struggled mightily, but he has not reached this yardage mark since week three of the 2017 season. Additionally, Brady could ultimately leave the game early if the Patriots put up four or five touchdowns prior to the Redskins scoring once.
At this point, it’s far more likely that he will pass Favre to take sole possession of third place, but he may not pass Peyton Manning just yet. However, reaching second place will be inevitable given that two of the quarterbacks ahead of Brady are both retired.
First place, on the other hand, may not be in reach for the Patriots quarterback. Drew Brees currently holds the top spot on the all-time records list with 74,845 yards. He is 3,270 yards ahead of Brady but is still an active player. Yes, Brees has been out of action after undergoing surgery on his thumb, but he will be back in the coming weeks.
While Brees recovers, Brady could draw closer to the top spot with big performances, but he will only be closing the gap. The only way to guarantee another record is to outlast Brees and throw for more career yards after the Saints quarterback retires.
Whether or not this happens remains to be seen, but Brady will be able to make some moves on Sunday when the Patriots face off with the Redskins.
