NFL Rookie Quarterbacks Who Threw the Most Touchdown Passes in a Game

Five rookie quarterbacks have thrown five touchdown passes in a single NFL game since the start of the 2009 season, all tying an NFL record that was first set in 1937.

The passing game has become more prominent in the NFL in recent years, but Ray Buivid was well ahead of his time with the Chicago Bears nearly 90 years ago. Ray who?

What’s even more impressive about Buivid’s performance is that he did it in relief. In fact, he never made one start at quarterback as a rookie.

Here is a look at the six rookie quarterbacks with the most touchdown passes in a single NFL game.

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1 Ray Buivid (5), December 5, 1937

Ray Buivid threw five touchdown passes as a rookie in 1937 and never started a game all season

Ray Buivid played just two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. As a rookie in 1937, the quarterback out of Marquette never started a game, yet he became not only the first rookie to throw five touchdown passes in a game, but also the first quarterback ever to do so.

Playing against the crosstown rival Chicago Cardinals in the season finale on December 5, 1937, Buivid threw five straight touchdown passes to turn a 14-0 Bears deficit into a 33-14 lead. His first three scoring strikes went to Les McDonald, who scored two of them in the second quarter as the Bears trailed 14-13 at the half.

McDonald caught the first TD pass of the second half, and Buivid then hit Pug Renter and Gene Rozani to make it 33-14. Buivid still wasn’t done.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound QB then found himself on the receiving end of a touchdown pass from Sam Francis that helped give the Bears a 40-13 lead after three quarters. The Bears ultimately won by a score of 42-28.

Buivid finished the game having completed 12 of 23 passes for 164 yards and five touchdown passes. He completed 17 passes all season and ended the year with six TD passes.

2 Matthew Stafford (5), November 22, 2009

Matthew Stafford showed how good — and tough — he was against the Cleveland Browns in his rookie season in 2009

Like most quarterbacks when they enter the NFL, Matthew Stafford struggled. The top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford entered the league with plenty of hype and went 2-8 as the starter in his rookie season with the Detroit Lions, throwing 13 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions.

Five of those 13 touchdown passes came against the Cleveland Browns on November 22, 2009, in one of Stafford’s gutsiest performances of his career.

An injured Stafford returned to the field after the Browns called a timeout as the Lions quarterback was getting his shoulder evaluated. There was one untimed down left after the Browns were called for pass interference in the end zone while holding a 37-31 lead.

Stafford was injured on the play and went to the sideline favoring his shoulder. He was able to return for the final play and hit Brandon Pettigrew with a 1-yard touchdown pass to give the Lions an improbable 38-37 victory.

The throw to Pettigrew was Stafford’s fifth TD pass of the game. He completed 26 of 43 passes for 422 yards and was intercepted twice.

3 Jameis Winston (5), November 22, 2015

Jameis Winston put up some pretty big numbers as a rookie for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015

Like Stafford, Jameis Winston came into the NFL with plenty of hype and high expectations after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Although the Florida State product went 6-10 in his first NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he still put up some big numbers.

Winston threw for 4,042 yards and added 22 touchdown passes to finish second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Winston’s rookie season was highlighted by a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 22, 2015. It was a game in which Winston and the Bucs did very little wrong. He threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers in a 45-17 victory.

What made things even more special for Winston was that he had the biggest day of his young career on the road against the team he rooted for while growing up.

“I ain’t going to cry, but this is a dream come true for me,” Winston said, per ESPN. “I always wanted to play here, ever since I was a little boy. I always wanted to be an Eagle. I was even singing the fight song on the sideline. It was a special day for me.”

Winston completed 19 of his 29 passes for 246 yards and five touchdowns and did not throw an interception. While Winston lit up the Eagles secondary, Bucs running back Doug Martin kept his quarterback honest by rushing for 235 yards in the victory.

4 Deshaun Watson (5), October 8, 2017

DeShaun Watson completed just 16 passes against the Chiefs as a rookie, but five of them went for touchdowns

Deshaun Watson only started six games as a rookie in 2017. The third quarterback selected in the 2017 NFL Draft behind Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 overall) and Patrick Mahomes (No. 10), Watson was taken with the 12th overall pick by the Houston Texans.

Watson went 3-3 in his six starts as a rookie, but he made one of them memorable. On October 8, 2017, against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Clemson alum threw five touchdown passes in a 42-34 loss. The Texans’ offense remained red-hot after putting up 57 points the previous week in a win over the Tennessee Titans.

Five of Watson’s 16 completions against the Chiefs went for touchdowns, and three of those scoring strikes were caught by DeAndre Hopkins. Watson threw for 261 yards and was not intercepted in the game.

The Chiefs remained undefeated at 5-0, while the Texans fell to 2-3.

5 Daniel Jones (5), December 22, 2019

Daniel Jones’ rookie season was highlighted by a five-TD game against Washington

There were mixed emotions among New York Giants fans when the team selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones in the 2019 NFL Draft. The team desperately needed new blood at the position, but most believed selecting Jones with the sixth overall pick was a reach.

Although Jones went 3-9 in his 12 starts as a rookie, he showed plenty of promise, throwing for 3,027 yards and adding 24 touchdown passes. He was intercepted 12 times. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Jones also showed plenty of mobility by rushing for 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The highlight of Jones’ rookie season came on the road at Washington on December 22, 2019, when Jones completed 28 of 42 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-35 Giants victory.

Two of those touchdown passes went to Kaden Smith, including a 3-yarder in overtime to seal the victory. Jones was not intercepted in the game.

6 C.J. Stroud (5), November 5, 2023

C.J. Stroud lit it up and came up clutch in the final second against the Buccaneers in 2023

C.J. Stroud cemented his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year on November 5, 2023, during a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, Stroud pulled away from Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua in the OROY voting by throwing for 470 yards and five touchdown passes in a thrilling 39-37 victory.

Stroud completed 30 of his 42 passes and hit Tank Dell with a game-winning, 15-yard touchdown pass with six seconds remaining. The touchdown strike came 40 seconds after the Bucs took a 37-33 lead on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass.

Stroud showed plenty of poise during the drive that was capped by Dell’s second touchdown reception of the game. What was most impressive about Stroud’s performance was that the Texans were short-handed in the running department.

Leading rusher Dameon Pierce sat out with an ankle injury, and the Texans managed just 53 yards on the ground. The Bucs knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop Stroud.

Stroud finished his remarkable rookie campaign with 4,108 passing yards and 23 TD passes in 15 games. He was intercepted just five times.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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