Matthew Stafford now owns one of the NFL records a quarterback would rather avoid.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback threw the 33rd pick-six of his career during a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos on September 27, 2026, passing Brett Favre for the most interceptions returned for touchdowns in NFL history. [Yahoo Sports]
Denver safety Talanoa Hufanga set the record in dramatic fashion, intercepting Stafford late in the fourth quarter and returning the ball 66 yards for a touchdown that gave Denver its first lead of the game. [Broncos]
Who Has Thrown The Most Pick-Sixes In NFL History?
Stafford is now No. 1.
His 33rd career pick-six moved him ahead of Favre, who had held the record with 32.
Rank
Quarterback
Career Pick-Sixes Thrown
1
Matthew Stafford
33
2
Brett Favre
32
3
Dan Marino
29
4
Joe Namath
28
T-5
Drew Brees
27
T-5
Peyton Manning
27
7
Philip Rivers
26
T-8
Carson Palmer
23
T-8
Vinny Testaverde
23
T-10
Eli Manning
22
T-10
Norm Snead
22
The historical leaderboard is tracked by Pro Football Reference, whose pick-six records extend back to 1940. [Pro Football Reference]
How Did Matthew Stafford Break The Record?
The record-breaking play came at an especially damaging moment for the Rams.
Los Angeles had led Denver 16-0 at halftime and held a 19-16 advantage late in the fourth quarter.
With just over five minutes remaining, Stafford tried to complete a short pass to running back Kyren Williams.
Hufanga recognized the play, jumped the route and intercepted Stafford at the Denver 34-yard line.
He then raced 66 yards for a touchdown, breaking Stafford’s tackle attempt along the way. The score put Denver ahead 23-19 with 4:49 remaining. [Denver Gazette]
More significantly for NFL history, it was the 33rd time a Stafford interception had been returned for a touchdown.
Who Had The Previous Pick-Six Record?
Brett Favre had held the record with 32.
Favre played from 1991 through 2010 with the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.
His final pick-six came while playing for Minnesota on December 5, 2010. [Packers Wire]
Stafford tied Favre’s record during the 2025 season before finally passing him against Denver.
When Did Stafford Tie Brett Favre?
Stafford threw his 32nd career pick-six against the Atlanta Falcons on December 29, 2025.
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III intercepted a Stafford pass that went off receiver Konata Mumpfield’s fingertips and returned it for a touchdown.
Stafford remained tied with Favre until Hufanga broke the deadlock in Week 3 of the 2026 season.
What Is A Pick-Six?
A pick-six occurs when a defensive player intercepts a quarterback’s pass and returns the interception for a touchdown.
“Pick” is common football shorthand for an interception.
“Six” refers to the six points awarded for a touchdown.
For example, if Stafford throws a pass that Hufanga intercepts but Hufanga is tackled immediately, Stafford is charged with an interception but not a pick-six.
Because Hufanga returned the interception all the way into the end zone, it became a pick-six.
Did Stafford Throw Two Interceptions Against Denver?
Yes.
Hufanga intercepted Stafford twice in the fourth quarter.
The first became the 66-yard record-breaking pick-six.
The second came on the final play of the game.
After Denver quarterback Bo Nix scored on a one-yard run with 48 seconds remaining to put the Broncos ahead 30-26, Stafford drove Los Angeles into scoring position.
With two seconds remaining, Stafford attempted one final pass into the end zone.
Hufanga intercepted it to secure Denver’s victory. [AP]
That interception did not count as another pick-six because Hufanga did not return it for a touchdown.
How Did Stafford Respond To The Record-Breaking Pick-Six?
Stafford accepted responsibility for the mistake.
He explained that Denver brought more pass rushers than Los Angeles could block and that Hufanga made a good play on the ball.
Stafford said he should have thrown the ball into the ground rather than forcing the pass. [NBC Sports]
The veteran quarterback also said he needed to play better.
Stafford nevertheless responded almost immediately on the field.
What Did Stafford Do After The Pick-Six?
He threw a touchdown.
On Los Angeles’ next possession, Stafford connected with Konata Mumpfield for a 48-yard touchdown that put the Rams back ahead 26-23 with 3:38 remaining. [AP]
Denver subsequently answered with Nix’s late rushing touchdown before Hufanga intercepted Stafford again in the end zone on the final play.
Stafford finished the night with 390 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Why Has Matthew Stafford Thrown So Many Pick-Sixes?
There is no single explanation.
One major factor is longevity.
Stafford has been an NFL starting quarterback since Detroit selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. A quarterback who attempts thousands of passes over nearly two decades naturally accumulates more opportunities for interceptions than a short-term starter.
But longevity alone does not fully explain Stafford’s unusually high total.
Stafford has also spent much of his career as an aggressive downfield passer willing to attempt difficult throws into tight windows.
That style has helped him produce enormous passing totals and hundreds of touchdowns, but aggressive passing can also create interception opportunities.
Does Stafford Have The Most Interceptions In NFL History?
No.
This is an important distinction.
Stafford has thrown the most interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, but he does not hold the overall career interception record.
That record still belongs to Favre, who threw 336 career interceptions.
Stafford had fewer than 200 career interceptions when he tied Favre’s pick-six record in 2025. [Sports Illustrated]
That produces an interesting statistical difference between the two quarterbacks.
How Does Stafford Compare With Brett Favre?
Favre threw considerably more interceptions overall.
But a much larger percentage of Stafford’s interceptions have been returned for touchdowns.
When Stafford tied the record at 32 in December 2025, he had thrown 195 career interceptions.
That meant approximately 16 percent of his interceptions had become pick-sixes.
Favre’s 32 pick-sixes came among 336 career interceptions, meaning fewer than 10 percent of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns. [Sports Illustrated]
That helps explain why Stafford was able to reach and pass Favre’s pick-six record despite throwing far fewer interceptions overall.
Who Is Third In Career Pick-Sixes?
Dan Marino is third with 29.
The Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback played from 1983 through 1999.
Behind Marino are Joe Namath with 28 and Drew Brees and Peyton Manning with 27 each. [Pro Football Reference]
The names at the top of the list demonstrate why the statistic requires context.
Favre, Marino, Namath, Brees and Manning are all Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Why Are So Many Hall Of Fame Quarterbacks On The List?
Because career volume matters enormously.
Quarterbacks who play for 15 or 20 seasons throw thousands more passes than players with shorter careers.
They therefore have more opportunities to accumulate:
Touchdown passes
Passing yards
Wins
Interceptions
Pick-sixes
A high career pick-six total is therefore not necessarily evidence that a quarterback was poor.
In many cases, simply appearing near the top of the career list requires a quarterback to remain a starter for an unusually long time.
How Many Pick-Sixes Has Stafford Thrown In A Single Season?
Stafford’s career total has accumulated across many seasons rather than coming from one historically disastrous year.
He threw four pick-sixes during the Rams’ 2021 season and three during his final season with Detroit in 2020. [Pro Football Reference]
He also threw two during the 2025 season, including the Jessie Bates touchdown that tied Favre’s career record.
What Is The NFL Record For Pick-Sixes In One Season?
The career record and single-season record are separate statistics.
A quarterback can accumulate a large career total through longevity without ever approaching the single-season record.
One of the most famous modern examples is Jameis Winston’s 2019 season with Tampa Bay, when he threw seven pick-sixes while also becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season.
Stafford has never had a season with anything close to seven pick-sixes.
Does The Record Hurt Stafford’s Legacy?
The record will now be attached to Stafford’s career statistics, but it exists alongside a much larger résumé.
Stafford has also accumulated more than 60,000 passing yards, more than 400 touchdown passes, a Super Bowl championship and numerous prominent places on the NFL’s career passing leaderboards.
In Week 2 of the 2026 season, he threw four touchdown passes against the Giants and moved to sixth in NFL history with 427 career touchdown passes. [Reuters]
The pick-six record is therefore one unusual piece of a career built largely around exceptional passing volume and production.
Why Was Stafford’s Record-Breaking Pick-Six So Costly?
The timing made the play much more damaging than an ordinary interception.
The Rams had controlled most of the game and led 16-0 at halftime.
Stafford’s interception came with Los Angeles still holding a three-point fourth-quarter lead.
Instead of the Rams extending their advantage or even settling for a field goal, Hufanga immediately turned the possession into six points for Denver.
The return swung the game dramatically and gave the Broncos their first lead. [Sporting Tribune]
Denver eventually won 30-26, dropping Los Angeles to 1-2.
Has Talanoa Hufanga Picked Off Stafford Before?
Yes.
Hufanga has an unusual place in Stafford’s pick-six history.
According to the Sporting Tribune, 32 different defenders have intercepted Stafford and returned one for a touchdown, but Hufanga is the only defender to do it twice. [Sporting Tribune]
He then added another non-touchdown interception on the final play of Sunday’s game.
Most Career Pick-Sixes Thrown At A Glance
Record holder: Matthew Stafford
Career pick-sixes: 33
Previous record: Brett Favre, 32
Third place: Dan Marino, 29
Record-breaking date: September 27, 2026
Opponent: Denver Broncos
Defender: Talanoa Hufanga
Return: 66 yards
Quarter: Fourth
Time: 4:49 remaining after the touchdown and extra point sequence
Game result: Broncos 30, Rams 26
Stafford passing: 390 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions
Stafford’s response: 48-yard touchdown pass on the Rams’ next possession
Who Holds The NFL Pick-Six Record Now?
Matthew Stafford stands alone with 33 career pick-sixes thrown.
For years, Favre’s 32 was the benchmark. Stafford tied it late in the 2025 season and finally passed him against Denver in September 2026.
The record-breaking play could hardly have been more consequential.
Hufanga did not merely intercept Stafford during an otherwise decided game. He jumped a route late in the fourth quarter, returned the ball 66 yards and turned a Rams lead into a Broncos lead.
Stafford responded exactly as an accomplished veteran might be expected to, throwing a 48-yard touchdown on his next possession. But Denver rallied again, and Hufanga intercepted Stafford one more time on the game’s final play.
The result left Stafford with an unusual statistical distinction.
He is among the most productive passers in NFL history — and he has now thrown more interceptions returned for touchdowns than any quarterback the league has recorded.
