Let’s start with the pros, because everyone loves a freak show. The official single-game record for passing touchdowns is seven, and it’s a crowded club. Drew Brees, Joe Burrow, Tom Brady, and—yes—Nick Foles all hit that number. Foles did it in a 2013 game against the Raiders where he threw for seven scores... and zero incompletions on touchdown passes. That’s absurd.
But wait—there’s a ghost. Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears threw for seven TDs back in 1943, and people argue he had a couple more that got called back. (Hey, it was the 40s—replay wasn’t even a dream.) And then you have Peyton Manning, who threw for six TDs in a Week 1 game in 2013... but the Broncos benched him in the fourth quarter. Travesty. He could have tied it.
The funniest part? Nobody has hit eight in an NFL regular-season game. The league is too good, too balanced. You need a perfect storm: a weak secondary, a running game that works just enough to keep safeties honest, and a quarterback who’s in a Flow State—where every throw feels like a cheat code.
The College and High School Lunacy
Now, if you want to see the real numbers, step away from the NFL. College football is where records go to die. In 1998, Drew Brees (yes, him again) threw for six TDs against Indiana. Cute. In 2026, Zach Wilson had six TDs in a half against Houston. Still cute.
Most passing TD's after X regular season games chart: Mahomes just 2
But the king? Kansas State’s Collin Klein? No. Washington State’s John Beck threw for seven in 2004. And then there’s Mike Leach’s entire system—back when he was at Texas Tech, they’d routinely have QBs throwing five or six. But the all-time NCAA record for a single game is eleven (various players, including an NAIA star named David Kling or a Division III wizard). Wait, let me check—yes, David Kling of St. John’s (Minnesota) threw for eleven touchdowns in 1983. Against a team that probably had eleven fans in the stands.
And high school? Oh, you sweet summer child. In 2019, a kid from California named Jaxson Dart threw for seven TDs in a state championship game. But the national high school record? Some insiders say it’s nine or even ten in a single game. I found a report of a player in Texas throwing for nine TDs in a playoff game. Texas football, man. It’s a different planet.
