In American football, passing, along with running, is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can throw one, provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. To qualify as a passing play, the ball must move forward upon leaving the passer's hands; if it moves laterally or backward, the play is considered a running play. A player catching a forward pass is called a receiver. A touchdown pass occurs when a pass results in a touchdown, either by being caught and advanced into the end zone or caught within its boundaries. The number of passing touchdowns a player makes is a recorded statistic in football games. In addition to the overall National Football League (NFL) passing touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the passing touchdown leaders of the American Football League, which operated from 1960 to 1969 before merging with the NFL in 1970. In 2025, the league announced that they would acknowledge records from the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), which operated from 1946 to 1949 before merging with the NFL in 1950.