Ryan Fitzpatrick probably wasn't thinking he was going to join NFL legend Walter Payton in the record books during Thursday's game, but that's exactly what he did. Fitzpatrick became one of just two players (since at least 1948) to finish with two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, 20 rushing yards, and a reception in a single game -- joining Payton in 1983 -- during the Miami Dolphins' 31-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
What makes this nugget more impressive is Fitzpatrick is the first quarterback to accomplish the feat in at least 72 years. Fitzpatrick finished 18 of 20 for 160 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for the Dolphins, finishing with a passer rating of 133.3. He completed his first 12 passes, which was a career-high for a quarterback that has made 141 career starts in 16 seasons. The 90% completion rate was also a career-high (minimum 20 attempts). Fitzpatrick also had seven carries for 38 yards (5.43 yards per carry) on the night with a rushing touchdown -- his fifth in the last two seasons.
Fitzpatrick also caught a pass for the first time since 2013, when he was starting for the Tennessee Titans. He has just three catches in his career, none of which went for positive yards. At 37 years, 305 days old, Fitzpatrick is the oldest player to catch a pass in the NFL this season and the sixth-oldest quarterback to catch a pass since 1950. For those wondering, Fitzpatrick surpassed Larry Fitzgerald (37 years, 20 days old) as the oldest player to catch a pass this year and Tom Brady (41 years, 100 days) is the oldest quarterback to record a reception (since 1950).
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes, rushed for a touchdown and COMPLETED A PASS TO HIMSELF in that game. Just give him the MVP now please. #Dolphins #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/jS5wKkJFv9
— John Breech (@johnbreech) September 25, 2020
Beating the Jaguars was also a milestone for Fitzpatrick, as he has defeated them for the sixth time as a starting quarterback and all six wins have come with a different team: He also has won with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. He's also thrown a touchdown pass against the Jaguars for five different teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins.
Fitzpatrick has jumped into the top 35 on the all-time passing list in yards (33,565) and passing touchdowns (214). He's 34th on the all-time passing yards list, 503 yards behind Alex Smith for 33rd and 1,100 yards behind Jim Hart for 30th. Fitzpatrick is tied with John Brodie for 35th on the passing touchdowns list (passed Terry Bradshaw during the game) and four behind Joe Flacco for 34th and he's 22 touchdowns away from the top 30 (George Blanda and Russell Wilson have 236).
Just another day at the office for Fitzpatrick, who continues to provide "Fitz Magic" even with Tua Tagovailoa waiting to take over as the Dolphins franchise quarterback. Fitzpatrick will continue to delay that decision as long as he can.
