This season, Peyton Manning set a new single-season mark of 5,477 passing yards. Or did he? Usually, the Elias Sports Bureau reviews game tapes after the conclusion of the previous week's NFL matchups in order to effectively alter any incorrect stats, rulings, etc. So, when they come across video of this past Sunday's contest between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, a slight alteration could cost Peyton Manning the aforementioned record.
In the first quarter of yesterday's Raiders/Broncos game, Manning threw a simple bubble screen to Eric Decker, who caught it and gained seven yards on the play. Check it out below.
If the NFL rules that Manning threw the ball to Decker behind the imaginary line of scrimmage from where the ball was released, then the play will be deemed a 7-yard run by Decker. Therefore, the seven yards gained on that play wouldn't count towards Manning's passing total, leaving him with 5,470 yards and six yards short of Drew Brees' 2011 mark.
It's really close, but given the fact that this is a record involving one of the league's most favorite players, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them simply ignore this play and keep it moving.
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[via Audibles]
