NFL Thursday deserves something fun today, so that’s what we’re going to provide: amusement. And what could be more fun than examining professional football leaderboards for pick sixes? It is the ultimate momentum changer in the sport, and it can happen to anyone, no matter how good the quarterback. Even a cheater like Tom Brady tossed a disastrous pick six or 18: there is no escaping the demon, really. It just is.

Single-Game Pick Sixes

Four AFL/NFL QBs have thrown three (3) pick sixes in a single game, the first being Joe Namath back in 1968—in season where he ended up leading the New York Jets to an upset win in Super Bowl III. On September 29, 1968, the Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills, 37-35, in a game where Namath tossed five interceptions overall. For the year, he ended up throwing 17 INTs and only 15 touchdowns, while completing less than 50 percent of his passes. It’s odd how a QB that bad could end up winning the Super Bowl.

San Diego Chargers QB John Hadl matched this “feat” in 1971, and Houston Oilers QB Ed Baker also threw three pick sixes in a single 1972 game. And then no one else did it until 2007, when the eternally overrated Eli Manning did—and somehow, like Namath, still ended up getting his team to the Super Bowl for a win. His New York Giants lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 41-17, in a matchup where Manning tossed four INTs.

Single-Season Pick Sixes

The record here is seven (7), although two men jointly held the record at six (6) before then. In 1966, Chicago Bears QB Rudy Bukich toss half a dozen INTs that were returned for TDs, before Peyton Manning tied that mark in 2001. The ’66 Bears turned in a 5-7-2 record, as Bukich tossed 21 total picks and just ten TDs. Meanwhile, the ’01 Indianapolis Colts were just 6-10 after winning 23 games combined the prior two years.

This Manning finished the 2001 season with 23 INTs: after throwing 20-plus INTs in two of his first four seasons (1998-2001), he never did it again. Even the great ones have growing pains that cannot be escaped. Which brings us to the record holder here: Jameis Winston in 2019. He tossed 33 TDs and 30 INTs, leading the Tampa Bay franchise to go buy Brady for the 2020 season, which turned out okay for the Buccaneers.

Winston’s seven pick sixes held the Bucs to a 7-9 record where they lost two overtime games and six games by a combined 27 points. Winston was a Heisman Trophy winner, of course, and you have to be some kind of QB to throw 30-plus TDs and 30 INTs in the same season. He is the only member of the 30-30 Club.

Most Pick Sixes Ever

Remember, to hold this record, you have to be good enough to play for a long time, and that’s exactly what we have here. In fact, most QBs in the “Top 10” here are either in Canton already—or will be soon enough. And at the top of the heap is Brett Favre, who threw 32 pick sixes in his long career. Of course, he had a reputation as a gunslinger, so this shouldn’t be too surprising to see him atop this list for most pick sixes.

Matthew Stafford is second with 30 pick sixes, followed by Dan Marino (29), Joe Namath (28), Peyton Manning (27), and Drew Brees (27). Rounding out the Top 10 are Philip Rivers (25), Carson Palmer (23), Vinny Testeverde (23), Eli Manning (22), and Norm Snead (22). No other pro quarterback has surpassed 25 pick sixes, although some active guys might still have a chance: Andy Dalton (19) and Derek Carr (17).

For the record, Winston has just 14 pick sixes for his career, even though half of them came in that one year.