Touchdowns in Losses

by Chase Stuart on August 3, 2014

A fun trivia question from Scott Kacsmar this week:

The most TD passes a QB threw in one season in games he LOST is 25. Name the QB, and if you can, the year.

Here’s the answer:

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Vinny Testaverde in 1996. Archie Manning (1980) and Jeff Garcia (2000) are tied for second with 22, while Dan Marino (1986), Carson Palmer (2010), Drew Brees (2012), and Sonny Jurgensen (1967) are the only other players with more than twenty. Last year, the leader in this category was Matt Ryan with 19, although Tony Romo was right on his heels with 17 touchdown passes in losses.

Who is the career leader in touchdown passes in losses?

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Marino with 142. Testaverde and Brett Favre are tied for second place with 130. Fran Tarkenton (122) and Peyton Manning (118) round out the top five.

Who is the single-season leader in rushing touchdowns in losses?

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Earl Campbell had 11 rushing touchdowns in 1983. Domanick Williams had 10 in 2004. My initial guess was Priest Holmes: he had 9 in 2002. Other players with nine rushing touchdowns in losses in a season: Barry Sanders, 1996; James Wilder, 1985; and Pete Johnson, 1979.

What about the career leader in rushing touchdowns in losses?

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Emmitt Smith with 45. Barry Sanders (39) and Walter Payton (35) rank second and third, and then there’s a five-way logjam for fourth place. LaDainian Tomlinson, O.J. Simpson, John Riggins, Adrian Peterson, and Marshall Faulk all rushed for 31 touchdowns in losses. My spider sense tells me Peterson has a good chance of finishing at least in the top three, and maybe as the career leader in this category.

Click 'Show' for the Answer

How about the single-season leader in receiving touchdowns in losses?

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Testaverde’s top target in 1996, Michael Jackson, and Calvin Johnson (2008), share the record with twelve. Drew Bennett (2004), Carl Pickens (1995), Terrell Owens (2000), and Dez Bryant (2013) all had ten touchdowns in losses.

Finally, what about the career leader? There’s a three-way tie in this category, with 46 touchdown receptions in losses.

Click 'Show' for the Answer	Select Show
Owens, Marvin Harrison, and Tony Gonzalez all share the top spot. Tim Brown is in fourth place with 45, and Randy Moss is in fifth with forty-three. After that, Steve Largent and Megatron are next with 40; is there any chance Johnson doesn’t completely blow this record out of the water?

The trivia run ends tomorrow, as Andrew Healy has another fun post.