A good article today from our pal Neil Paine, who asks whether Antonio Gates is the second best tight end in NFL history. I won’t weigh in on that subject, but after catching three touchdowns against the Seahawks on Sunday, Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates have now connected on 63 touchdown passes.
That’s the 10th most in NFL history, and the most by any quarterback/tight end pairing. The table below shows all quarterback-receiver combinations that scored at least 50 touchdown passes, including playoffs (and the AAFC). The final column shows the last year in which the duo scored a touchdown; as you can see, one other active combination is on the list, although Drew Brees and Marques Colston have not connected for a touchdown yet this year.
| Rk | Quarterback | Receiver | TDs | Last Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peyton Manning | Marvin Harrison | 114 | 2008 |
| 2 | Steve Young | Jerry Rice | 92 | 1999 |
| 3 | Dan Marino | Mark Clayton | 82 | 1992 |
| 4 | Peyton Manning | Reggie Wayne | 76 | 2010 |
| 5 | Jim Kelly | Andre Reed | 71 | 1996 |
| 6 | Drew Brees | Marques Colston | 67 | 2013 |
| 6 | Brett Favre | Antonio Freeman | 67 | 2001 |
| 6 | Joe Montana | Jerry Rice | 67 | 1990 |
| 9 | Johnny Unitas | Raymond Berry | 64 | 1967 |
| 10 | Philip Rivers | Antonio Gates | 63 | 2014 |
| 11 | Otto Graham | Dante Lavelli | 62 | 1955 |
| 12 | Dan Marino | Mark Duper | 60 | 1992 |
| 13 | Terry Bradshaw | Lynn Swann | 58 | 1981 |
| 14 | Daunte Culpepper | Randy Moss | 57 | 2004 |
| 14 | Troy Aikman | Michael Irvin | 57 | 1999 |
| 16 | John Hadl | Lance Alworth | 56 | 1970 |
| 17 | Ron Jaworski | Harold Carmichael | 53 | 1983 |
| 17 | Ken Anderson | Isaac Curtis | 53 | 1983 |
| 17 | Terry Bradshaw | John Stallworth | 53 | 1982 |
| 17 | Sonny Jurgensen | Charley Taylor | 53 | 1974 |
| 17 | Frank Ryan | Gary Collins | 53 | 1967 |
| 22 | Jeff Garcia | Terrell Owens | 52 | 2003 |
| 23 | Mark Brunell | Jimmy Smith | 50 | 2002 |
| 23 | Dave Krieg | Steve Largent | 50 | 1989 |
Combinations that will hit the 50 mark sooner rather than later: Matt Ryan/Roddy White (47 entering 2014), Tom Brady/Rob Gronkowski (45 entering 2014), Brees/Jimmy Graham (44 entering 2014), and Matthew Stafford/Calvin Johnson (41 entering 2014).
As for the best tight end in NFL history? Tony Gonzalez caught 35 from Ryan, 34 from Trent Green, 23 from Elvis Grbac, and 19 more from players we’d rather not remember.