20 best quarterback seasons in NFL history

3. Dan Marino, Dolphins (1984)

He was surprisingly the sixth quarterback taken in the 1983 NFL Draft. University of Pittsburgh standout Dan Marino had an abundance of talent but was coming off a disappointing senior year with the Panthers. He wound up slipping all the way to the 27th overall spot in the first round and the defending AFC champion Miami Dolphins were happy to scoop him up.

He would turn the NFL upside down in his second season in the league, his first as a full-time starter. A year earlier during his rookie campaign, he made his first start in Week 6 and helped Don Shula’s team get into the playoffs. In 1984, he embarked on a 16-game campaign that the league had not seen to date.

It began against reigning NFC champion Washington in Week 1. He threw for 311 yards and five scores in a 35-17 victory. It ended with four straight games in which he threw for exactly four scores in each contest. It added up to 5,084 yards and 48 TD passes compared to 17 interceptions and a completion percentage of 64.2.

Marino threw a combined seven TD passes (3 interceptions) in playoff wins over the Seahawks and Steelers. However, the 15-1 49ers humbled the second-year quarterback and Don Shula’s team, 38-16, in Super Bowl XIX.