 | |
 |  |
Philip Rivers is on pace to throw for 5,506 yards this season, which would break Peyton Manning's 2-year-old record (5,477). But a closer look shows that Rivers is just the extreme example in a trend that seems to know no end.
In 2005, just two quarterbacks eclipsed 4,000 yards passing. Ten years later, three quarterbacks are on pace to throw for 5,000 yards, and a whopping 14 are on pace to hit the 4,000-yard mark.
Part of this is the pass-happy NFL which continues to evolve into a pass-first-and-often league. The other reason is the league's rules protecting quarterbacks appears to be working. In Week 9, only two of the 32 teams were missing their starting quarterback because of an injury, the Browns and Cowboys.
Cork Gaines/Business Insider