Matthew Stafford leads the NFL in passing yards after five weeks. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback has thrown for 1,572 yards on 139-of-216 passing (64.4 percent), according to league passing statistics through Monday night.
Jared Goff sits second at 1,485 yards for Detroit, 87 behind Stafford. Jordan Love (1,408), C.J. Stroud (1,402) and Dak Prescott (1,381) round out the top five. Stafford’s Rams are 2-3 after the overtime loss to Buffalo on Monday; Goff’s Lions are 3-2 and on bye in Week 6.
Passing yards leaders after Week 5
| # | Player | Team | Yds | Att | Cmp% | TD | INT | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | 1572 | 216 | 64.4 | 9 | 6 | 88.4 |
| 2 | Jared Goff | DET | 1485 | 191 | 67.0 | 12 | 0 | 111.3 |
| 3 | Jordan Love | GB | 1408 | 185 | 60.5 | 10 | 3 | 95.5 |
| 4 | C.J. Stroud | HOU | 1402 | 185 | 64.3 | 6 | 0 | 98.1 |
| 5 | Dak Prescott | DAL | 1381 | 192 | 67.2 | 9 | 3 | 97.2 |
| 6 | Joe Burrow | CIN | 1361 | 189 | 71.4 | 11 | 3 | 104.4 |
| 7 | Tyler Shough | NO | 1299 | 205 | 66.8 | 9 | 5 | 88.6 |
| 8 | Kirk Cousins | ATL | 1269 | 172 | 65.1 | 12 | 4 | 100.6 |
| 9 | Bryce Young | CAR | 1268 | 162 | 62.4 | 9 | 2 | 100.0 |
| 10 | Josh Allen | BUF | 1249 | 138 | 65.9 | 7 | 4 | 99.6 |
Volume vs. efficiency
Stafford has thrown more passes than anyone in the top 10 (216) and owns the yards lead, but the rate stats favor other names. Goff has yet to throw an interception and sits at a 111.3 passer rating with 12 touchdowns. Stroud also has zero picks. Brock Purdy, 13th in yards at 1,196, leads the league in passer rating among qualifiers at 119.3 with 13 touchdown passes — covered separately when the rating board was published earlier this week.
Josh Allen is 10th in yards (1,249) on only 138 attempts, a 9.0 yards-per-attempt mark that tops the top-10 group. Lamar Jackson is further down the yards list at 967 but averages 10.1 yards per attempt on 96 throws.
Stafford’s edge
Stafford’s 7.3 yards per attempt is middle of the pack among the leaders, and his six interceptions are the most in the top five. The yards total is driven by volume and by the Rams staying in shootouts — Los Angeles has scored 119 points and allowed 120 through five games after Monday night’s overtime loss to Buffalo.
Week 6 and the race
Stafford’s next start is Sunday at Arizona (4:05 p.m. ET / 11:05 p.m. Cairo). Love hosts Dallas on Sunday night. Prescott is on the other sideline in that game. Burrow visits Green Bay in the late window. Stroud faces Jacksonville in London on Sunday morning. Shough hosts the Giants; Young hosts Philadelphia; Allen visits Las Vegas.
Goff will not add to his total this week: Detroit is on bye, so Stafford has a chance to stretch the lead before Goff returns in Week 7.
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