Eli Manning Passes Warren Moon for 7th-Most Passing Yards in NFL History

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning leapfrogged Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon into seventh place on the NFL's list of all-time career leaders in passing yards Sunday during the team's Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NFL account celebrated the accomplishment:

Manning threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns as he surpassed Moon's total of 49,325. Next up on the list is Denver Broncos legend John Elway at 51,475, and then it's a nearly 10,000-yard journey before he could reach longtime Miami Dolphins star Dan Marino at No. 5 (61,361).

Moon's numbers are always more impressive when you consider he spent the first six years of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. It was a move necessitated by going undrafted out of the University of Washington in 1978.

The Los Angeles native accumulated 21,228 passing yards in the CFL before finally getting his chance in the NFL with the Houston Oilers in 1984. He went on to earn nine Pro Bowl selections. He also led the league in passing yardage twice and won the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award in 1990.

In October of that year, he told Thomas George of the New York Times there was one thing he wanted more than any individual honor or record, though.

"I hear all of these things said, and sometimes I have to ask myself, 'Is it all true and has it really happened to me,'" Moon said. "But then there's still that gnawing thought that winning the Super Bowl is the stamp of approval. I really believe that until we win the Super Bowl, I'll always be just another quarterback."

Getting a chance to raise the Lombardi Trophy never happened for Moon—he did win five Grey Cup titles in Canada—but his bust in Canton, Ohio, shows he's far more than "just another quarterback."

Meanwhile, Manning has reached the NFL mountaintop with the Giants twice, helping lead the team to victories in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.

Now 36, and starting to show some signs of physical decline, it's unclear how much longer the 2004 first overall pick will continue to climb the record books.

In late July, the Ole Miss product downplayed any concerns about his long-term outlook and flipped his age into a positive, per Roger Rubin of the New York Post.

"I know how old I am," Manning said. "I don't think there is anything wrong with being 36. I'm proud of it."

Moving up one more notch on the passing yards list is another accomplishment on an already loaded resume for Manning. Regardless of how much longer he ends up playing, eventually he'll join Moon in the Hall of Fame.