DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford is now officially one of the top 50 passers in NFL history.

Stafford moved past Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and former Minnesota, Washington, Kansas City and Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon to move into 50th place in all-time passing yards.

Stafford entered Thursday with 28,627 yards and needed 117 yards to pass both Dawson and Gannon to make the move. He officially passed both of them with a 1-yard pass to Theo Riddick in the second quarter during the Detroit Lions' game against the Minnesota Vikings.

He initially passed Dawson on a 41-yard pass play to Golden Tate in the second quarter, where he used his legs to buy time and found an open Tate on the sideline. Dawson had 28,711 yards in his career and Gannon 28,743.

Stafford finished the game with 28,859 career passing yards.

The 28-year-old has consistently moved up the all-time passing list over the past two seasons, having passed Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Ken Stabler and Joe Namath earlier this season.

He also moved up the all-time passing touchdowns leaderboard in the first half against Minnesota. With a 2-yard pass to Anquan Boldin, he threw his 182nd touchdown, placing him in a tie with Steve Grogan for No. 52 all time. The play was also the 80th touchdown catch of Boldin’s career.

It was also Stafford's 15th touchdown pass on Thanksgiving, setting a franchise record.