Colts quarterback Peyton Manning says the one record he set that won’t be broken is the record he shares with Marvin Harrison.
Manning threw 114 touchdown passes to Harrison, the most in NFL history for one quarterback/receiver pairing. Manning fondly recalled Harrison today, and said he doesn’t believe any quarterback and receiver will ever connect for that many touchdowns again.
“The very first preseason game, my very first pass, I threw a five-yard pass, and Marvin Harrison ran 48 yards for a touchdown,” Manning said. “I remember thinking, ‘The NFL is easy. You just throw a short pass and Marvin Harrison will run for touchdowns.’ Which is pretty much what he did for the entire time we played together. I think many records will be broken -- most of my records will be broken -- I don’t believe that record that me and Marvin have of throwing the most touchdowns together will ever be broken.”
If the record is ever going to be broken, it will be a long time from now, because no one else is close. The second-most touchdowns for one quarterback receiver pairing is the 92 touchdowns that Steve Young threw to Jerry Rice. Among active pairings, the record is the 76 touchdown passes that Philip Rivers has thrown to Antonio Gates. There’s no chance of Rivers and Gates sticking around long enough to connect for 38 more touchdowns, which is what it would take to equal Manning and Harrison, and there’s no other active pairing even close.
So Manning may be right: The record he shares with Harrison is a record that could outlast us all.