Cam Newton Breaks Peyton Manning's Record for Passing Yards in First 2 Seasons

Cam Newton continues to break Peyton Manning's records.

A year after shattering Manning's mark for most passing yards by a rookie (a mark since broken by Indianapolis' Andrew Luck), the Carolina Panthers' dynamic dual-threat quarterback has once again bested one of the NFL's all-time greats, as reported by ESPN's SportsCenter via Twitter:

"

With 7,881 passing yards, Cam Newton breaks Peyton Manning's NFL record for most yards in 1st 2 seasons.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 30, 2012"

That's an impressive record to own.

For as much attention that Newton receives for his ability to attack the opposition with his legs, it's his ability to throw the ball that truly makes him one of the NFL's most explosive players.

To put Newton's accomplishment in its proper place, let's take a look at how the two men in front of Manning on the NFL's all-time passing yardage leaderboard—Brett Favre and Dan Marino—fared in their first two seasons under center.

Favre: 6,530 yards

Marino: 7,294 yards

While it's true that Newton has failed to lead the Panthers to the playoffs in 2012 as many expected him to, he has overcome his early-season struggles and put together a strong second half of the season.

Any doubts that people had about Newton's ability to lead a team to victory under center surely have been erased by now, as the second-year QB continues to improve his game on a weekly basis.

With the way he's throwing the ball, there's no reason to think that, when the final chapter of his playing career has been written, Newton's name won't be up there with Favre, Manning and Marino as some of the greatest passers in the history of the NFL.