Only seven wide receivers scored at least 10 touchdowns last year. The Bengals were the only team with two of them.
Ja’Marr Chase might be the best of all receivers right now. He won the receiving triple crown last year, leading the league in catches, yards and touchdowns.
But Tee Higgins is also a big-time pass catcher. He finished with 10 touchdowns despite missing five games. (He also missed five games in the previous season – that’s part of the risk with him).
Nonetheless, a pair of 10-touchdown wide receivers for the Bengals, and that doesn’t happen often. Only two other pairs have done it in the last nine years.
PAIRS OF WIDE RECEIVERS WITH 10-PLUS TOUCHDOWNS | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | G | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
1984 | Daryl Turner, Sea. | 16 | 35 | 715 | 20.4 | 10 |
1984 | Steve Largent, Sea. | 16 | 74 | 1,164 | 15.7 | 12 |
1986 | Mark Clayton, Mia. | 15 | 60 | 1,150 | 19.2 | 10 |
1986 | Mark Duper, Mia. | 16 | 67 | 1,313 | 19.6 | 11 |
1989 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 16 | 82 | 1,483 | 18.1 | 17 |
1989 | John Taylor, S.F. | 15 | 60 | 1,077 | 18.0 | 10 |
1991 | Andre Rison, Atl. | 16 | 81 | 976 | 12.0 | 12 |
1991 | Michael Haynes, Atl. | 16 | 50 | 1,122 | 22.4 | 11 |
1992 | Andre Rison, Atl. | 15 | 93 | 1,119 | 12.0 | 11 |
1992 | Michael Haynes, Atl. | 14 | 48 | 808 | 16.8 | 10 |
1998 | Cris Carter, Min. | 16 | 78 | 1,011 | 13.0 | 12 |
1998 | Randy Moss, Min. | 16 | 69 | 1,313 | 19.0 | 17 |
1999 | Cris Carter, Min. | 16 | 90 | 1,241 | 13.8 | 13 |
1999 | Randy Moss, Min. | 16 | 80 | 1,413 | 17.7 | 11 |
2004 | Brandon Stokley, Ind. | 16 | 68 | 1,077 | 15.8 | 10 |
2004 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 16 | 86 | 1,113 | 12.9 | 15 |
2004 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 16 | 77 | 1,210 | 15.7 | 12 |
2008 | Anquan Boldin, Ari. | 12 | 89 | 1,038 | 11.7 | 11 |
2008 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 16 | 96 | 1,431 | 14.9 | 12 |
2012 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 16 | 94 | 1,434 | 15.3 | 10 |
2012 | Eric Decker, Den. | 16 | 85 | 1,064 | 12.5 | 13 |
2013 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 16 | 98 | 1,426 | 14.6 | 11 |
2013 | Marvin Jones, Cin. | 16 | 51 | 712 | 14.0 | 10 |
2013 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 16 | 92 | 1,430 | 15.5 | 14 |
2013 | Eric Decker, Den. | 16 | 87 | 1,288 | 14.8 | 11 |
2013 | Wes Welker, Den. | 13 | 73 | 778 | 10.7 | 10 |
2014 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 16 | 98 | 1,519 | 15.5 | 13 |
2014 | Randall Cobb, G.B. | 16 | 91 | 1,287 | 14.1 | 12 |
2015 | Allen Hurns, Jac. | 15 | 64 | 1,031 | 16.1 | 10 |
2015 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 16 | 80 | 1,400 | 17.5 | 14 |
2015 | Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 16 | 109 | 1,502 | 13.8 | 14 |
2015 | Eric Decker, NYJ | 15 | 80 | 1,027 | 12.8 | 12 |
2016 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 16 | 75 | 997 | 13.3 | 12 |
2016 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 16 | 97 | 1,257 | 13.0 | 14 |
2020 | DK Metcalf, Sea. | 16 | 83 | 1,303 | 15.7 | 10 |
2020 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 16 | 100 | 1,054 | 10.5 | 10 |
2021 | Adam Thielen, Min. | 13 | 67 | 726 | 10.8 | 10 |
2021 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 17 | 108 | 1,616 | 15.0 | 10 |
2024 | Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 17 | 127 | 1,708 | 13.4 | 17 |
2024 | Tee Higgins, Cin. | 12 | 73 | 911 | 12.5 | 10 |
This sort of thing, of course, is hard to repeat. Of those previous tandems, only three have been able to come back and do it again the next season. That includes just one pair in the last 25 years.
SAME WIDE RECEIVER TANDEMS (next season) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | G | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
1985 | Daryl Turner, Sea. | 16 | 34 | 670 | 19.7 | 13 |
1985 | Steve Largent, Sea. | 16 | 79 | 1,287 | 16.3 | 6 |
1987 | Mark Clayton, Mia. | 12 | 46 | 776 | 16.9 | 7 |
1987 | Mark Duper, Mia. | 11 | 33 | 597 | 18.1 | 8 |
1990 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 16 | 100 | 1,502 | 15.0 | 13 |
1990 | John Taylor, S.F. | 14 | 49 | 748 | 15.3 | 7 |
1992 | • Andre Rison, Atl. | 15 | 93 | 1,119 | 12.0 | 11 |
1992 | • Michael Haynes, Atl. | 14 | 48 | 808 | 16.8 | 10 |
1993 | Andre Rison, Atl. | 16 | 86 | 1,242 | 14.4 | 15 |
1993 | Michael Haynes, Atl. | 16 | 72 | 778 | 10.8 | 4 |
1999 | • Cris Carter, Min. | 16 | 90 | 1,241 | 13.8 | 13 |
1999 | • Randy Moss, Min. | 16 | 80 | 1,413 | 17.7 | 11 |
2000 | Cris Carter, Min. | 16 | 96 | 1,274 | 13.3 | 9 |
2000 | Randy Moss, Min. | 16 | 77 | 1,437 | 18.7 | 15 |
2005 | Brandon Stokley, Ind. | 15 | 41 | 543 | 13.2 | 1 |
2005 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 15 | 82 | 1,146 | 14.0 | 12 |
2005 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 16 | 83 | 1,055 | 12.7 | 5 |
2009 | Anquan Boldin, Ari. | 15 | 84 | 1,024 | 12.2 | 4 |
2009 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 16 | 97 | 1,092 | 11.3 | 13 |
2013 | • Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 16 | 92 | 1,430 | 15.5 | 14 |
2013 | • Eric Decker, Den. | 16 | 87 | 1,288 | 14.8 | 11 |
2014 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 13 | 69 | 1,041 | 15.1 | 6 |
2014 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 16 | 111 | 1,619 | 14.6 | 11 |
2014 | Wes Welker, Den. | 14 | 49 | 464 | 9.5 | 2 |
2014 | Eric Decker, NYJ | 15 | 74 | 962 | 13.0 | 5 |
2015 | Marvin Jones, Cin. | 16 | 65 | 816 | 12.6 | 4 |
2015 | Randall Cobb, G.B. | 16 | 79 | 829 | 10.5 | 6 |
2016 | Allen Hurns, Jac. | 11 | 35 | 477 | 13.6 | 3 |
2016 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 16 | 73 | 883 | 12.1 | 6 |
2016 | Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 15 | 59 | 788 | 13.4 | 3 |
2016 | Eric Decker, NYJ | 3 | 9 | 194 | 21.6 | 2 |
2017 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 14 | 74 | 885 | 12.0 | 10 |
2017 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 15 | 53 | 482 | 9.1 | 6 |
2021 | DK Metcalf, Sea. | 17 | 75 | 967 | 12.9 | 12 |
2021 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 16 | 73 | 1,175 | 16.1 | 8 |
2022 | Adam Thielen, Min. | 17 | 70 | 716 | 10.2 | 6 |
2022 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 17 | 128 | 1,809 | 14.1 | 8 |
2024 | Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
2024 | Tee Higgins, Cin. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan