Matt Smith/CFL.ca
TORONTO — This season could be a historic passing year in the Canadian Football League, with as many as six quarterbacks within reach of 5,000 yards through the air.
Four quarterbacks are on pace for the elusive mark, including Bo Levi Mitchell and Mike Reilly, who could accomplish the feat for the second consecutive season. Matt Nichols is on pace to throw for 5,000 yards for the first time in his career, while Ricky Ray could become just the third quarterback in CFL history to record his fourth 5,000-yard season.
Kevin Glenn and Trevor Harris are also on the bubble, although the latter would need more than 400 yards per game — an unlikely but possible scenario:
| PLAYER | YARDS TO DATE | ON PACE FOR 5K? | YARDS NEEDED | GAMES REMAINING | AVERAGE NEEDED | 2017 AVERAGE |
| Bo Levi Mitchell | 3,978 | YES | 1,022 | 4 | 255.5 | 284.1 |
| Matt Nichols | 3,844 | YES | 1,156 | 5 | 231.2 | 295.7 |
| Ricky Ray | 4,079 | YES | 921 | 4 | 230.3 | 313.8 |
| Mike Reilly | 4,260 | YES | 740 | 5 | 148.0 | 327.7 |
| Trevor Harris | 3,724 | NO | 1,276 | 3 | 425.3 | 310.3 |
| Kevin Glenn | 3,436 | NO | 1,564 | 5 | 312.8 | 286.3 |
Despite the recent uptick in passing yards over the last two seasons, 5,000-yard passers are nothing new. In fact, quarterbacks have accomplished the feat 38 times, while 19 different quarterbacks have reached 5K.
Still, more passing yards mean the potential for more 5,000-yard passers. Last season, three quarterbacks — Mike Reilly, Jonathon Jennings and Bo Levi Mitchell — hit the 5,000-yard benchmark, something that hadn’t previously happened since 2008 (Ricky Ray, Anthony Calvillo and Henry Burris).
Last year’s breakout followed a span of three years over which only one pivot, Henry Burris in 2015, reached 5,000 passing yards.
If all four quarterbacks currently on pace come through, it would mark only the third time in league history that four QBs have thrown for 5,000 passing yards in a single season. That last occurred in 2004, when Anthony Calvillo, Jason Maas, Casey Printers and Danny McManus all went over 5K. It happened one other time, in 1993, when Doug Flutie, David Archer, Kent Austin and Tom Burgess all went over 5,000.
That year, Flutie and Archer each eclipsed 6,000 passing yards, something no quarterback has done since Calvillo and his 6,041 yards in 2004. Only five times has a quarterback thrown for 6,000-plus passing yards, something that isn’t likely to occur this season (Mike Reilly would need 348 yards per game to hit that mark).
Barring injury, Mike Reilly is expected to reach 5,000 yards for the second straight year (Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca)
But that’s not to take away from what the CFL’s top quarterbacks have accomplished this season.
While leading the Bombers to a 10-3 record and second in the West, Nichols can reach 5,000 for the first time in his career, becoming the 20th different player to do so.
And while Mitchell and Reilly have a chance to reach 5K in back-to-back seasons, Ray could do it for the fourth time in his career, joining Anthony Calvillo (seven times) and Doug Flutie (six times).
Of course, while four quarterbacks are on pace and six have at least an outside shot at 5,000 passing yards, a lot still has to happen. Last season, the Stampeders sat Bo Levi Mitchell in their season finale after they wrapped up the West early. In the same circumstance, Mitchell would need 340.7 yards per game should he sit a game out.
If Matt Nichols doesn’t play his team’s finale, another possibility, the Bombers’ pivot would need to average 289.0 yards per remaining game — that compared to his 295.7 yards-per-game average.
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