The Six Most Prolific NFL Quarterbacks Of The 1980s

The criteria was quite simple. To qualify for the list, a player needed to have started a minimum of 60 games between 1980 and 1989. I then sorted by average yards per game. As it turned out, no player in the top eight started fewer than 80 games. The top three players (and especially the top two) were very clear cut: the most prolific QB of the 1980s passed for 60 yards per game more than the fourth most prolific. There are a couple of surprises along the way…

#6 Warren Moon, 217.9 yards per game

Very little separated places 4 and 8 on the list, and Moon was able to just sneak in. He started his career with the Oilers, and considering the high-octane passing attack the team developed around Moon it's perhaps surprising he had 'only' 217.9 yards a game.

Bonus fact: The only undrafted player on the list after starring for the Washington Huskies, although he quickly went on to be a star in the CFL.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1984	16	3-13-0	259	450	57.6	3338	12	14	208.6
1985	14	4-10-0	200	377	53.1	2709	15	19	193.5
1986	15	5-10-0	256	488	52.5	3489	13	26	232.6
1987	12	7-5-0	184	368	50.0	2806	21	18	233.8
1988*	11	7-4-0	160	294	54.4	2327	17	8	211.5
1989*	16	9-7-0	280	464	60.3	3631	23	14	226.9

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2012.

#5 Phil Simms, 218.7 yards per game

If you had asked me which NY quarterback of the 1980s had the most passing yards per game I probably would've guessed Ken O'Brien of the Jets. However, he only came in eighth on the list with 214.5. Simms, from tiny Morehead State, was never a spectacular gunslinger but his peerless performance in Super Bowl XXI is a masterclass in controlled quarterbacking. He doesn't get the credit he deserves (and certainly faced vitriolic criticism in the early '80s), but some of that may be due to him being such an annoying broadcaster now.

Bonus fact: Was the highest overall pick (7th in 1980) of anyone in this list.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1980	13	3-10-0	193	402	48.0	2321	15	19	178.5
1981	10	5-5-0	172	316	54.4	2031	11	9	203.1
1983	0		7	13	53.8	130	0	1	65.0
1984	16	9-7-0	286	533	53.7	4044	22	18	252.8
1985*	16	10-6-0	275	495	55.6	3829	22	20	239.3
1986	16	14-2-0	259	468	55.3	3487	21	22	217.9
1987	9	4-5-0	163	282	57.8	2230	17	9	247.8
1988	15	9-6-0	263	479	54.9	3359	21	11	223.9
1989	15	11-4-0	228	405	56.3	3061	14	14	204.1

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2012.

#4 Lynn Dickey, 219.4 yards per game

Wow. The only player on this list to not be a Super Bowl MVP or a Hall of Famer. He was no Starr, Favre or Rodgers. He's probably not even as good as Majikowski, but this Packers QB passed for more yards per game than all but three NFL legends in this decade. Green Bay were a bottom feeder for most of the '70s and '80s, and Dickey's Packers never won more than eight games in a season with him as starting QB in this decade (despite him being an All Pro in 1983 with what was until 2011 a team record of 4,458 yards). So how did the Kansas State standout rank so highly? Thank James Lofton. The Hall of Fame receiver put up tremendous numbers through the '80s, making even the likes of Dickey look legendary.

Bonus fact: Started the fewest 1980s games (81) of anyone in this list.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1980	16	5-10-1	278	478	58.2	3529	15	25	220.6
1981	13	6-7-0	204	354	57.6	2593	17	15	199.5
1982	9	5-3-1	124	218	56.9	1790	12	14	198.9
1983	16	8-8-0	289	484	59.7	4458	32	29	278.6
1984	15	7-8-0	237	401	59.1	3195	25	19	213.0
1985	10	5-5-0	172	314	54.8	2206	15	17	183.8

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2012.

#3 Joe Montana, 229.3 yards per game

Almost certainly the best quarterback of the 1980s, the style of the 49ers offense meant Montana was never going to put up absurd numbers. However, his accuracy and reliability means he's clearly in the top three even in this category. Drafted out of Notre Dame in 1979, Montana was the talent around which Bill Walsh would turn a perennial losing franchise into the team of the decade. He owned the 1980s and made it look easy.

Bonus fact: Attempted more passes (4,036) than anyone else in the 1980s.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1980	7	2-5-0	176	273	64.5	1795	15	9	119.7
1981*	16	13-3-0	311	488	63.7	3565	19	12	222.8
1982	9	3-6-0	213	346	61.6	2613	17	11	290.3
1983*	16	10-6-0	332	515	64.5	3910	26	12	244.4
1984*	15	14-1-0	279	432	64.6	3630	28	10	226.9
1985*	15	9-6-0	303	494	61.3	3653	27	13	243.5
1986	8	6-2-0	191	307	62.2	2236	8	9	279.5
1987*+	11	10-1-0	266	398	66.8	3054	31	13	234.9
1988	13	8-5-0	238	397	59.9	2981	18	10	212.9
1989*+	13	11-2-0	271	386	70.2	3521	26	8	270.8

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2012.

#2 Dan Marino, 270.4 yards per game

Over the course of the 1980s, Marino passed for more than 40 yards per game more than Montana did. That's pretty incredible. Of course, the Dolphins were a far less balanced team than the 49ers back then, plus San Francisco were usually eating up the clock in the fourth quarter rather than passing. Or often the third quarter. Regardless of the circumstances, without a transcendent talent such as Marino, 270 passing yards per game was a pipe dream in the 1980s. The NFL was far less of a passing league back then, with receivers and quarterbacks afforded far less protection.

Bonus fact: Threw more TDs (220) than anyone else in the 1980s.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1983*	9	7-2-0	173	296	58.4	2210	20	6	200.9
1984*+	16	14-2-0	362	564	64.2	5084	48	17	317.8
1985*+	16	12-4-0	336	567	59.3	4137	30	21	258.6
1986*+	16	8-8-0	378	623	60.7	4746	44	23	296.6
1987*	12	7-5-0	263	444	59.2	3245	26	13	270.4
1988	16	6-10-0	354	606	58.4	4434	28	23	277.1
1989	16	8-8-0	308	550	56.0	3997	24	22	249.8

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2012.

#1 Dan Fouts, 280.2 yards per game

And we come to the top slot. Like Marino, Fouts didn't win a Super Bowl. Hell, the poor guy never even reached one (although how good would #3 on this list have been?). But his mastery of the Air Coryell offense in San Diego confounded defenders and thrilled spectators throughout the 1980s. As exciting as it is to watch Chargers highlights from this era, it always makes me think that Fouts would thrive even more if he was around today. I think he would light up the NFL in a way few of his peers could ever hope for.

Bonus fact: Threw more interceptions (141) than anyone else in the 1980s.

Year	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/G
1980*	16	11-5-0	348	589	59.1	4715	30	24	294.7
1981*	16	10-6-0	360	609	59.1	4802	33	17	300.1
1982*+	9	6-3-0	204	330	61.8	2883	17	11	320.3
1983*	10	5-5-0	215	340	63.2	2975	20	15	297.5
1984	13	6-7-0	317	507	62.5	3740	19	17	287.7
1985*	12	7-5-0	254	430	59.1	3638	27	20	259.9
1986	12	3-9-0	252	430	58.6	3031	16	22	252.6
1987	10	5-5-0	206	364	56.6	2517	10	15	228.8

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 7/26/2012.