Was Calvin Johnson’s 329-yard Game The Best Ever By a WR?

by Chase Stuart on October 29, 2013

in Receiving, Statgeekery

Cowboys defense know the back of their hands like the back of Megatron's jersey

Cowboys defenders know the back of their hands like the back of Megatron's jersey.

On Sunday, Calvin Johnson picked up 329 receiving yards against the Cowboys, the second most receiving yards in a single game after Flipper Anderson’s 336 yards in 1989 against the Saints. But when I think of the greatest games by a receiver of all time, my mind instantly goes to a performance by Kansas City’s Stephone Paige in a game in December 1985 against the Chargers. Regular readers will recall that this summer, Neil Paine and I developed a statistic known as True Receiving Yards. You can see a list of the leaders in TRY since 1950 here, but today I want to apply that same methodology on the single-game level. After crunching the numbers, Paige comes in at #2, Megatron’s performance comes in at #11, and Anderson is all the way down at #26. Why? How? Glad you asked. And I’ll keep the top spot a secret for now, in case anyone wants to guess.

1) First, we convert receiving yards into Adjusted Catch Yards by giving a five-yard bonus for receptions and a 20-yard bonus for touchdowns. Johnson had 419 ACY against the Cowboys, tied with Jerry Rice (against the ’95 Vikings) for the third highest mark since 1960. The top spot belongs to Anderson at 431 (and personal favorite Jimmy Smith holds the number two spot for his performance against the 2000 Ravens). Paige — who produced an 8-309-2 stat line — totaled 389 Adjusted Catch Yards.

2) Next, we convert back to receiving yards by multiplying each receiver’s ACY by the league average ratio of receiving yards to Adjusted Catch Yards in that season. The point of using ACY instead of receiving yards is to include things other than receiving yards, but we still want to convert back into receiving yards. In 1985, the ACY/RecYd ratio was 0.66, in ’89 it was 0.66, and through eight weeks, that number is 0.65 in 2013, so not much is changing here. After step two, Anderson is at 286.6 receiving yards, Johnson 270.9 yards, and Paige 258.0 yards.

3) The third step is the pass attempts adjustment. The league average team team this year has averaged 38.7 attempts (including sacks) in 2013, while Matthew Stafford had 49 dropbacks yesterday. This means the Lions passed 26.6% more often than the average team. So what sort of adjustment do we make? In True Receiving Yards version 2.0, we split that number in half. I tried that here, and honestly, the numbers just didn’t look right — the top of the list was almost exclusively players on teams that had 10 or 12 pass attempts in that game. So instead of contracting the difference between pass attempts and league average pass attempts by two, I’m going to do it by three. So Johnson only gets downgraded to 91.1% of his production, or 246.9 yards.

Anderson’s record-breaking performance came in overtime in a game the Rams trailed by 14 entering the fourth quarter. As a result, Jim Everett had 57 dropbacks in a time period when 34.5 attempts was the norm. So with Los Angeles having 65.3% more attempts than the average team that year, we have to lower Anderson from 286.6 to 224.1.

Paige, meanwhile, goes far in the other direction. The Chiefs took a 35-3 second quarter lead that day — in no small part due to Paige’s touchdown receptions of 56 and 84 yards — so Kansas City was limited to just 24 dropbacks. The average number of dropbacks in ’85 was 35.1, putting the Chiefs at just 68.4% of league average. Therefore, we bump up Paige by 15.4%, vaulting him from 258 yards to 297.9.

4) The final adjustment is the era adjustment. I’m going to use a different way to incorporate era adjustments here, because while passing yards have shot through the roof, the value of a team’s #1 wide receiver has been much less volatile. So I used the following baseline for each year: the number of Adjusted Catch Yards in the Nth best receiving game, when 2N = the number of team games in that season. So in modern times, with 512 games, this means the 256th highest ACY total in that season is the baseline; in 2011 and 2012, that was 135 Adjusted Catch Yards. From 1960 to 2012, the average was 124.3. ^[1]Note: I was lazy, and combined the AFL and NFL. I know, I know.

So what we do now is multiply each receiver’s score from step three by the baseline for that year, and divide by 124.3. I will use the same 135 as the baseline for 2013, which brings Megatron to 227. The baseline in ’89 was 130, so Anderson goes to 214.3, and in ’85, the baseline was 125, so Paige only drops to 296.2.

If you’ve made it this far, then maybe I’m not a complete idiot for putting the fine print up front. Without further ado, here are the top 250 ^[2]Note. I excluded two games during the 1987 strike played with replacement players: Anthony Allen had 262 TRY against the Cardinals, and Steve Largent had 260 TRY in Detroit. performances since 1960 using this formula:

Rk	Receiver	Year	Team	Opp	Box	Rec	Yds	TD	ACY	ATT	ACY/Ryd	Avg Att/G	Lg Base	TRY
1	Harold Jackson	1973	RAM	DAL	Box	7	238	4	353	22	0.655	26.7	101	304.6
2	Stephone Paige	1985	KAN	SDG	Box	8	309	2	389	24	0.663	35.1	125	296.2
3	Jerry Butler	1979	BUF	NYJ	Box	10	255	4	385	32	0.66	31.3	119	263.7
4	Eddie Kennison	1996	STL	ATL	Box	5	226	3	311	19	0.646	35.6	127	253.7
5	Michael Irvin	1992	DAL	PHO	Box	8	210	3	310	21	0.653	32.5	118	252.1
6	Roger Carr	1978	BAL	NWE	Box	6	187	2	257	17	0.661	28.7	108	240.4
7	Bob Hayes	1970	DAL	HOU	Box	6	187	4	297	25	0.662	29.3	112	230.9
8	Ken Burrough	1977	HOU	CHI	Box	6	180	2	250	20	0.659	27.4	100	230.1
9	Homer Jones	1965	NYG	WAS	Box	3	182	2	237	13	0.669	31.9	127	230.1
10	Qadry Ismail	1999	BAL	PIT	Box	6	258	3	348	30	0.649	36.3	131	229.5
11	Calvin Johnson	2013	DET	DAL	Box	14	329	1	419	49	0.647	38.7	135	227.4
12	Rich Caster	1972	NYJ	BAL	Box	6	204	3	294	29	0.662	26.8	104	226.4
13	Art Powell	1963	OAK	HOU	Box	10	247	4	377	36	0.67	31.7	133	225.4
14	Sammy White	1976	MIN	DET	Box	7	210	2	285	25	0.658	28.8	110	222.5
15	James Scott	1980	CHI	DET	Box	3	140	1	175	9	0.655	32.9	121	221.8
16	John Taylor	1989	SFO	RAM	Box	11	286	2	381	44	0.665	34.5	130	219.9
17	Ken Burrow	1973	ATL	SFO	Box	5	164	2	229	17	0.655	26.7	101	219.5
18	Jerry Rice	1995	SFO	MIN	Box	14	289	3	419	50	0.646	37	136	218.7
19	George Farmer	1972	CHI	STL	Box	5	141	1	186	11	0.662	26.8	104	217.8
20	Eric Metcalf	1992	CLE	RAI	Box	5	177	3	262	20	0.653	32.5	118	217.7
21	Kevin Curtis	2007	PHI	DET	Box	11	221	3	336	29	0.637	35.4	132	216.6
22	Ron Jessie	1976	RAM	MIA	Box	7	220	2	295	30	0.658	28.8	110	216.1
23	Jerry Rice	1990	SFO	ATL	Box	13	225	5	390	53	0.657	32.6	117	215.3
24	Henry Ellard	1989	RAM	IND	Box	12	230	3	350	38	0.665	34.5	130	214.9
25	Terrell Owens	2000	SFO	CHI	Box	20	283	1	403	48	0.647	35.4	133	214.7
26	Flipper Anderson	1989	RAM	NOR	Box	15	336	1	431	57	0.665	34.5	130	214.3
27	Albert Connell	2000	WAS	JAX	Box	7	211	3	306	24	0.647	35.4	133	214.2
28	Ken Burrow	1971	ATL	DET	Box	6	190	2	260	25	0.666	28	105	213.1
29	Bob Hayes	1966	DAL	WAS	Box	9	246	2	331	34	0.668	32.5	127	213
30	James Lofton	1991	BUF	CIN	Box	8	220	2	300	27	0.657	33.4	124	213
31	Lee Evans	2006	BUF	HOU	Box	11	265	2	360	40	0.644	34.3	128	212.8
32	Jimmy Smith	2000	JAX	BAL	Box	15	291	3	426	54	0.647	35.4	133	212.4
33	Eddie Brown	1988	CIN	PIT	Box	7	216	2	291	26	0.664	33.9	125	211.4
34	Isaac Bruce	1997	STL	ATL	Box	10	233	2	323	35	0.651	35.4	124	211.4
35	Haven Moses	1977	DEN	OAK	Box	5	168	2	233	21	0.659	27.4	100	210.3
36	Miles Austin	2009	DAL	KAN	Box	10	250	2	340	35	0.643	35.4	130	209.8
37	Ken Burrough	1975	HOU	KAN	Box	7	177	2	252	21	0.657	29.9	112	209.6
38	Sonny Randle	1965	STL	CLE	Box	7	198	3	293	25	0.669	31.9	127	209.3
39	Amani Toomer	2002	NYG	IND	Box	10	204	3	314	29	0.64	36.1	129	209.3
40	Morris Owens	1977	TAM	STL	Box	4	138	1	178	12	0.659	27.4	100	208.3
41	Paul Warfield	1971	MIA	PIT	Box	3	158	3	233	20	0.666	28	105	208.1
42	Dave Parks	1965	SFO	BAL	Box	9	231	3	336	37	0.669	31.9	127	208.1
43	Otis Taylor	1971	KAN	PIT	Box	6	190	2	260	27	0.666	28	105	207.4
44	Lance Alworth	1963	SDG	KAN	Box	9	232	2	317	28	0.67	31.7	133	207.3
45	Drew Pearson	1975	DAL	DET	Box	6	188	2	258	23	0.657	29.9	112	206.8
46	J.J. Birden	1991	KAN	RAI	Box	8	188	2	268	22	0.657	33.4	124	206.8
47	Mel Gray	1975	STL	NYG	Box	7	187	2	262	24	0.657	29.9	112	206.6
48	Roger Carr	1976	BAL	NYJ	Box	5	210	2	275	28	0.658	28.8	110	206.3
49	Don Maynard	1969	NYJ	HOU	Box	7	212	2	287	24	0.661	31	126	205.4
50	Buddy Dial	1961	PIT	CLE	Box	9	235	2	320	30	0.669	31.6	132	205.2
51	Roy Jefferson	1968	PIT	ATL	Box	11	199	4	334	36	0.667	30	126	205
52	Wes Chandler	1982	SDG	CIN	Box	10	260	2	350	43	0.659	34.2	128	204.7
53	Wesley Walker	1978	NYJ	BAL	Box	5	154	1	199	14	0.661	28.7	108	204.4
54	Nat Moore	1977	MIA	BUF	Box	5	144	1	189	14	0.659	27.4	100	204.3
55	Art Monk	1985	WAS	CIN	Box	13	230	1	315	37	0.663	35.1	125	204.1
56	Chad Johnson	2006	CIN	NOR	Box	6	190	3	280	23	0.644	34.3	128	203.9
57	Rich Houston	1971	NYG	GNB	Box	6	151	3	241	23	0.666	28	105	203.7
58	Roger Carr	1976	BAL	CIN	Box	6	198	3	288	33	0.658	28.8	110	203.6
59	Charley Taylor	1972	WAS	DAL	Box	7	146	2	221	18	0.662	26.8	104	203.5
60	Fred Barnett	1992	PHI	PHO	Box	8	193	2	273	26	0.653	32.5	118	203.4
61	Earnest Gray	1980	NYG	STL	Box	9	174	4	299	32	0.655	32.9	121	202.9
62	Charley Hennigan	1961	HOU	BOS	Box	13	272	1	357	42	0.669	31.6	132	200.2
63	Randy Moss	2003	MIN	SFO	Box	8	172	3	272	23	0.64	34.3	126	200
64	Steve Smith	2005	CAR	CHI	Box	12	218	2	318	34	0.644	34.5	128	199.7
65	Chad Johnson	2006	CIN	SDG	Box	11	260	2	355	45	0.644	34.3	128	199
66	Charley Hennigan	1961	HOU	SDG	Box	10	214	3	324	34	0.669	31.6	132	198.9
67	Charley Hennigan	1961	HOU	BUF	Box	9	232	2	317	32	0.669	31.6	132	198.8
68	Boyd Dowler	1968	GNB	CHI	Box	6	182	2	252	19	0.667	30	126	197.7
69	Alfred Jenkins	1981	ATL	NOR	Box	5	179	3	264	23	0.664	33.9	128	197.1
70	Ken Burrow	1971	ATL	NOR	Box	8	190	1	250	28	0.666	28	105	197
71	Frank Clarke	1962	DAL	WAS	Box	10	241	3	351	40	0.672	31.1	135	196.4
72	Ahmad Rashad	1977	MIN	DET	Box	8	139	1	199	17	0.659	27.4	100	196.3
73	Carl Pickens	1998	CIN	PIT	Box	13	204	1	289	29	0.651	34.8	127	196.2
74	Steve Watson	1981	DEN	DET	Box	5	182	2	247	20	0.664	33.9	128	196.1
75	Carroll Dale	1968	GNB	DET	Box	6	205	2	275	24	0.667	30	126	196
76	Jerry Rice	1985	SFO	RAM	Box	10	241	1	311	40	0.663	35.1	125	195.6
77	Kenny Britt	2010	TEN	PHI	Box	7	225	3	320	34	0.642	35.9	133	195.6
78	Paul Warfield	1971	MIA	BAL	Box	2	125	1	155	10	0.666	28	105	195.4
79	Plaxico Burress	2002	PIT	ATL	Box	9	253	2	338	43	0.64	36.1	129	195
80	Brandon Marshall	2009	DEN	IND	Box	21	200	2	345	44	0.643	35.4	130	194.9
81	Richard Johnson	1989	DET	NOR	Box	8	248	1	308	35	0.665	34.5	130	194.8
82	Del Shofner	1962	NYG	WAS	Box	11	269	1	344	39	0.672	31.1	135	194.8
83	Paul Warfield	1973	MIA	DET	Box	6	103	4	213	19	0.655	26.7	101	194.7
84	Cliff Branch	1976	OAK	CHI	Box	5	163	2	228	20	0.658	28.8	110	194.2
85	Carroll Dale	1970	GNB	ATL	Box	4	186	2	246	24	0.662	29.3	112	194.2
86	Eddie Bell	1972	NYJ	BAL	Box	7	197	1	252	29	0.662	26.8	104	194
87	Carl Pickens	1994	CIN	HOU	Box	11	188	3	303	34	0.648	35.7	128	193.8
88	Roy Jefferson	1971	WAS	RAM	Box	8	137	2	217	20	0.666	28	105	193.8
89	Roy Green	1989	PHO	SEA	Box	8	166	3	266	24	0.665	34.5	130	193.7
90	Andre Reed	1992	BUF	NWE	Box	9	168	1	233	20	0.653	32.5	118	193.6
91	Antonio Freeman	1998	GNB	TEN	Box	7	186	3	281	28	0.651	34.8	127	193.4
92	Gene A. Washington	1972	SFO	SDG	Box	8	140	3	240	26	0.662	26.8	104	191.9
93	Warren Wells	1970	OAK	DEN	Box	7	198	3	293	39	0.662	29.3	112	191.7
94	Jerry Rice	1993	SFO	TAM	Box	8	172	4	292	35	0.649	34.5	123	190.8
95	Art Powell	1965	OAK	BOS	Box	11	206	2	301	35	0.669	31.9	127	190.5
96	Santana Moss	2005	WAS	NYG	Box	5	160	3	245	20	0.644	34.5	128	190.1
97	Gary Clark	1986	WAS	NYG	Box	11	241	1	316	44	0.661	35	125	189.9
98	Isaac Curtis	1974	CIN	BAL	Box	5	166	2	231	25	0.656	28.6	104	189.9
99	Sonny Randle	1962	STL	NYG	Box	16	256	1	356	44	0.672	31.1	135	189.8
100	Tommy McDonald	1961	PHI	NYG	Box	7	237	2	312	35	0.669	31.6	132	189.5
101	Eric Martin	1986	NOR	GNB	Box	3	164	1	199	15	0.661	35	125	188.9
102	Gary Clark	1991	WAS	ATL	Box	4	203	3	283	32	0.657	33.4	124	188.9
103	Wesley Walker	1979	NYJ	DET	Box	6	177	0	207	16	0.66	31.3	119	188.4
104	Homer Jones	1967	NYG	STL	Box	5	175	2	240	20	0.663	32	126	188.4
105	Mel Gray	1973	STL	NYG	Box	5	125	3	210	20	0.655	26.7	101	188
106	Reggie Wayne	2004	IND	DEN	Box	10	221	2	311	34	0.645	34.3	133	188
107	James Lofton	1983	GNB	PIT	Box	5	169	3	254	25	0.658	34.1	124	187.8
108	Mark Duper	1985	MIA	NYJ	Box	8	217	2	297	40	0.663	35.1	125	186.8
109	Fred Barnett	1994	PHI	ARI	Box	11	173	2	268	27	0.648	35.7	128	186.7
110	Ricky Sanders	1987	WAS	DEN	Box	9	193	2	278	32	0.656	34.8	125	186.6
111	Carroll Dale	1963	RAM	DET	Box	7	207	3	302	33	0.67	31.7	133	186.5
112	Riley Odoms	1978	DEN	KAN	Box	7	165	2	240	27	0.661	28.7	108	186.5
113	Bill Groman	1960	HOU	DEN	Box	3	182	2	237	17	0.664	31.6	135	186.4
114	Eric Moulds	1998	BUF	MIA	Box	9	240	1	305	39	0.651	34.8	127	186.3
115	Don Maynard	1968	NYJ	KAN	Box	8	203	2	283	30	0.667	30	126	186.2
116	Michael Irvin	1996	DAL	ARI	Box	8	198	1	258	25	0.646	35.6	127	186
117	Gary Clark	1990	WAS	PHO	Box	8	162	2	242	25	0.657	32.6	117	186
118	Wes Welker	2011	NWE	BUF	Box	16	217	2	337	45	0.651	36.3	135	185.9
119	Ben Hawkins	1967	PHI	PIT	Box	8	187	2	267	27	0.663	32	126	185.4
120	Andre Rison	1994	ATL	DET	Box	14	193	2	303	39	0.648	35.7	128	184.8
121	James Scott	1977	CHI	RAM	Box	2	142	2	192	18	0.659	27.4	100	184.7
122	Isaac Curtis	1973	CIN	CLE	Box	5	117	3	202	19	0.655	26.7	101	184.7
123	Mark Duper	1983	MIA	BUF	Box	7	202	2	277	33	0.658	34.1	124	184.7
124	Ray Jarvis	1976	DET	GNB	Box	6	163	2	233	24	0.658	28.8	110	184.7
125	Roddy White	2009	ATL	SFO	Box	8	210	2	290	32	0.643	35.4	130	184.6
126	Webster Slaughter	1989	CLE	HOU	Box	4	184	2	244	22	0.665	34.5	130	184.4
127	Drew Bennett	2004	TEN	KAN	Box	12	233	3	353	48	0.645	34.3	133	184.4
128	Dwayne Bowe	2010	KAN	SEA	Box	13	170	3	295	32	0.642	35.9	133	184.2
129	Al Toon	1986	NYJ	SEA	Box	9	195	2	280	35	0.661	35	125	184.1
130	Art Monk	1984	WAS	IND	Box	8	141	3	241	23	0.66	34.9	126	184
131	Max McGee	1960	GNB	RAM	Box	4	125	2	185	11	0.664	31.6	135	183.7
132	Elbert Dubenion	1964	BUF	NYJ	Box	5	218	2	283	27	0.668	32.7	137	183.6
133	Brian Hartline	2012	MIA	ARI	Box	12	253	1	333	45	0.645	37	135	183.6
134	Tommy McDonald	1965	RAM	CLE	Box	6	200	3	290	35	0.669	31.9	127	183.5
135	Steve Watson	1981	DEN	SDG	Box	8	178	2	258	26	0.664	33.9	128	183.2
136	Yancey Thigpen	1997	PIT	DEN	Box	6	175	3	265	30	0.651	35.4	124	183.1
137	Cliff Branch	1974	OAK	NWE	Box	6	138	2	208	21	0.656	28.6	104	182.9
138	Roddy White	2010	ATL	CIN	Box	11	201	2	296	33	0.642	35.9	133	182.8
139	John Gilliam	1973	MIN	CHI	Box	5	139	2	204	20	0.655	26.7	101	182.7
140	Derrick Alexander	1996	BAL	PIT	Box	7	198	1	253	25	0.646	35.6	127	182.4
141	Haywood Jeffires	1990	HOU	KAN	Box	9	245	1	310	48	0.657	32.6	117	182.3
142	Jerry Rice	1986	SFO	STL	Box	4	156	3	236	23	0.661	35	125	182.1
143	Lance Alworth	1965	SDG	DEN	Box	7	211	1	266	28	0.669	31.9	127	182.1
144	Demaryius Thomas	2011	DEN	PIT	Box	4	204	1	244	21	0.651	36.3	135	181.8
145	Nat Moore	1981	MIA	NYJ	Box	7	210	2	285	35	0.664	33.9	128	181.7
146	Jerry Rice	1988	SFO	CIN	Box	11	215	1	290	39	0.664	33.9	125	181.7
147	Wes Chandler	1985	SDG	SEA	Box	13	243	1	328	52	0.663	35.1	125	181.7
148	Carl Pickens	1996	CIN	ATL	Box	11	176	3	291	37	0.646	35.6	127	181.5
149	Larry Walton	1970	DET	CLE	Box	4	158	2	218	21	0.662	29.3	112	181.4
150	Derrick Mason	2003	TEN	HOU	Box	6	177	3	267	28	0.64	34.3	126	181.3
151	Henry Marshall	1980	KAN	BAL	Box	9	176	2	261	30	0.655	32.9	121	181.2
152	Plaxico Burress	2005	NYG	STL	Box	10	204	2	294	36	0.644	34.5	128	181.1
153	Gary Garrison	1970	SDG	CHI	Box	8	165	2	245	29	0.662	29.3	112	180.8
154	Billy Brooks	1977	CIN	MIN	Box	7	198	1	253	38	0.659	27.4	100	180.6
155	Jerry Rice	1992	SFO	ATL	Box	7	183	2	258	31	0.653	32.5	118	180.3
156	Tony Hill	1979	DAL	PHI	Box	7	213	2	288	40	0.66	31.3	119	180.3
157	Stanley Morgan	1978	NWE	BAL	Box	5	170	1	215	22	0.661	28.7	108	180.2
158	Terrell Owens	2007	DAL	WAS	Box	8	173	4	293	33	0.637	35.4	132	180.2
159	Rich Houston	1972	NYG	DAL	Box	5	175	2	240	31	0.662	26.8	104	180.1
160	Drew Hill	1985	HOU	IND	Box	9	210	2	295	43	0.663	35.1	125	180
161	Antonio Freeman	1998	GNB	SFO	Box	7	193	2	268	30	0.651	34.8	127	179.7
162	Bob Tucker	1970	NYG	STL	Box	6	150	2	220	22	0.662	29.3	112	179.7
163	Torry Holt	2001	STL	IND	Box	7	203	2	278	32	0.645	35	128	179.6
164	John Gilliam	1969	STL	CLE	Box	4	192	3	272	30	0.661	31	126	179.4
165	Gary Garrison	1969	SDG	NYJ	Box	10	188	2	278	32	0.661	31	126	179.4
166	Wesley Walker	1986	NYJ	MIA	Box	6	194	4	304	46	0.661	35	125	178.9
167	Morris Owens	1977	TAM	SEA	Box	9	166	1	231	32	0.659	27.4	100	178.7
168	Amani Toomer	1999	NYG	NYJ	Box	6	181	3	271	30	0.649	36.3	131	178.7
169	Eddie Brown	1990	CIN	SDG	Box	10	178	2	268	37	0.657	32.6	117	178.6
170	John Jefferson	1978	SDG	KAN	Box	7	130	2	205	20	0.661	28.7	108	178.6
171	Anthony Carter	1987	MIN	SFO	Box	10	227	0	277	36	0.656	34.8	125	178.6
172	Bob Hayes	1965	DAL	PHI	Box	8	177	2	257	27	0.669	31.9	127	178.3
173	Harold Jackson	1970	PHI	NYG	Box	7	194	2	269	38	0.662	29.3	112	178.2
174	John Gilliam	1969	STL	PIT	Box	10	197	1	267	29	0.661	31	126	178.2
175	Frank Grant	1976	WAS	SFO	Box	11	200	0	255	34	0.658	28.8	110	178.1
176	Bob Hayes	1971	DAL	NYG	Box	4	154	2	214	24	0.666	28	105	178
177	Lynn Swann	1979	PIT	CIN	Box	5	192	2	257	31	0.66	31.3	119	177.9
178	Jimmy Smith	1999	JAX	NOR	Box	9	220	1	285	35	0.649	36.3	131	177.8
179	Gary Clark	1987	WAS	DAL	Box	9	187	1	252	28	0.656	34.8	125	177.6
180	Jerry Rice	1986	SFO	IND	Box	6	172	3	262	32	0.661	35	125	177.6
181	Terance Mathis	1998	ATL	NOR	Box	6	198	2	268	31	0.651	34.8	127	177.6
182	Torry Holt	2000	STL	ATL	Box	3	189	2	244	22	0.647	35.4	133	177.4
183	Cris Collinsworth	1983	CIN	BAL	Box	8	206	1	266	33	0.658	34.1	124	177.3
184	Jerry Rice	1994	SFO	RAM	Box	16	165	3	305	44	0.648	35.7	128	177
185	Ahmad Rashad	1979	MIN	SFO	Box	7	152	4	267	35	0.66	31.3	119	177
186	Steve Smith	2005	CAR	MIN	Box	11	201	1	276	32	0.644	34.5	128	177
187	Andre Johnson	2012	HOU	JAX	Box	14	273	1	363	57	0.645	37	135	176.8
188	Sammy White	1982	MIN	CHI	Box	10	177	3	287	38	0.659	34.2	128	176.8
189	Willie Richardson	1967	BAL	PHI	Box	11	184	2	279	35	0.663	32	126	176.8
190	Carroll Dale	1969	GNB	STL	Box	9	195	2	280	34	0.661	31	126	176.8
191	Roy Green	1984	STL	DAL	Box	8	189	2	269	34	0.66	34.9	126	176.7
192	Wes Chandler	1979	NOR	ATL	Box	6	205	1	255	31	0.66	31.3	119	176.5
193	Marty Booker	2001	CHI	TAM	Box	7	165	3	260	28	0.645	35	128	176.4
194	Lance Alworth	1963	SDG	BOS	Box	13	210	1	295	36	0.67	31.7	133	176.4
195	Louis Lipps	1985	PIT	IND	Box	9	154	3	259	32	0.663	35.1	125	176.4
196	Lynn Swann	1978	PIT	SFO	Box	8	134	2	214	23	0.661	28.7	108	176.3
197	Cliff Branch	1976	OAK	SDG	Box	5	167	2	232	27	0.658	28.8	110	176.2
198	Tony Martin	1996	SDG	OAK	Box	10	138	3	248	26	0.646	35.6	127	176
199	Charles Wilson	1994	TAM	RAM	Box	4	176	2	236	23	0.648	35.7	128	175.8
200	Sterling Sharpe	1993	GNB	TAM	Box	10	147	4	277	38	0.649	34.5	123	175.7
201	Rod Smith	2001	DEN	ARI	Box	14	162	2	272	32	0.645	35	128	175.7
202	Cliff Branch	1974	OAK	PIT	Box	9	186	1	251	38	0.656	28.6	104	175.4
203	Raymond Berry	1960	BAL	DAL	Box	4	195	3	275	28	0.664	31.6	135	175.3
204	Mike Ditka	1961	CHI	GNB	Box	9	190	3	295	37	0.669	31.6	132	175.2
205	Lance Alworth	1968	SDG	DEN	Box	9	171	4	296	39	0.667	30	126	175.2
206	Isaac Bruce	1996	STL	BAL	Box	11	229	1	304	45	0.646	35.6	127	175.2
207	James Lofton	1978	GNB	NOR	Box	3	107	3	182	16	0.661	28.7	108	175.1
208	Duriel Harris	1979	MIA	GNB	Box	10	180	1	250	30	0.66	31.3	119	175
209	Calvin Johnson	2011	DET	NOR	Box	12	211	2	311	43	0.651	36.3	135	175
210	Mark Duper	1984	MIA	WAS	Box	6	178	2	248	28	0.66	34.9	126	174.7
211	Eric Moulds	1998	BUF	CIN	Box	6	196	2	266	32	0.651	34.8	127	174.3
212	Billy Brooks	1977	CIN	NYG	Box	3	87	2	142	11	0.659	27.4	100	174.2
213	Stephone Paige	1990	KAN	DEN	Box	10	206	2	296	48	0.657	32.6	117	174
214	Andre Reed	1994	BUF	GNB	Box	15	191	2	306	46	0.648	35.7	128	174
215	Homer Jones	1968	NYG	WAS	Box	5	179	2	244	24	0.667	30	126	173.9
216	Terance Mathis	1995	ATL	STL	Box	10	184	3	294	37	0.646	37	136	173.8
217	Kevin Williams	1995	DAL	ARI	Box	9	203	2	288	35	0.646	37	136	173.4
218	Louis Lipps	1989	PIT	TAM	Box	4	137	2	197	16	0.665	34.5	130	173.4
219	Paul Flatley	1965	MIN	SFO	Box	7	202	2	277	36	0.669	31.9	127	173.4
220	Gene A. Washington	1970	SFO	NOR	Box	5	131	3	216	23	0.662	29.3	112	173.3
221	Dave L. Williams	1969	STL	NOR	Box	8	164	4	284	37	0.661	31	126	173.3
222	Gene A. Washington	1971	SFO	NWE	Box	5	160	1	205	23	0.666	28	105	173.3
223	Carroll Dale	1969	GNB	DET	Box	7	167	2	242	24	0.661	31	126	173.2
224	Marvin Harrison	2001	IND	MIA	Box	9	174	3	279	36	0.645	35	128	173.1
225	Boyd Dowler	1963	GNB	SFO	Box	8	188	2	268	29	0.67	31.7	133	173
226	Wesley Walker	1977	NYJ	OAK	Box	4	178	1	218	30	0.659	27.4	100	173
227	Marcus Robinson	1999	CHI	DET	Box	11	170	3	285	38	0.649	36.3	131	172.9
228	Justin Blackmon	2012	JAX	HOU	Box	7	236	1	291	37	0.645	37	135	172.9
229	Otto Stowe	1972	MIA	STL	Box	6	140	2	210	24	0.662	26.8	104	172.7
230	Bob Hayes	1967	DAL	PIT	Box	7	170	2	245	26	0.663	32	126	172.6
231	Danny Abramowicz	1970	NOR	SFO	Box	7	140	2	215	23	0.662	29.3	112	172.5
232	Jerry Rice	1988	SFO	SDG	Box	6	171	2	241	27	0.664	33.9	125	172.5
233	Isaac Bruce	1999	STL	SFO	Box	5	134	4	239	24	0.649	36.3	131	172.5
234	Randy Vataha	1971	NWE	MIA	Box	7	129	2	204	23	0.666	28	105	172.4
235	Henry Ellard	1994	WAS	ARI	Box	8	191	1	251	28	0.648	35.7	128	172.4
236	Rob Moore	1990	NYJ	NWE	Box	9	175	1	240	30	0.657	32.6	117	172.4
237	Homer Jones	1966	NYG	PIT	Box	2	173	2	223	21	0.668	32.5	127	172.4
238	Drew Hill	1988	HOU	WAS	Box	9	148	3	253	31	0.664	33.9	125	172.1
239	Don Maynard	1968	NYJ	OAK	Box	10	228	1	298	41	0.667	30	126	172
240	John McDaniel	1976	CIN	OAK	Box	9	201	1	266	40	0.658	28.8	110	172
241	Bob Trumpy	1969	CIN	HOU	Box	5	159	3	244	25	0.661	31	126	171.9
242	Cliff Branch	1975	OAK	ATL	Box	7	155	3	250	35	0.657	29.9	112	171.8
243	Irving Fryar	1994	MIA	NWE	Box	5	211	3	296	44	0.648	35.7	128	171.8
244	Steve Largent	1983	SEA	STL	Box	8	155	3	255	32	0.658	34.1	124	171.8
245	Kellen Winslow	1981	SDG	OAK	Box	13	144	5	309	48	0.664	33.9	128	171.6
246	John Stallworth	1984	PIT	HOU	Box	4	109	3	189	16	0.66	34.9	126	171.5
247	John Stallworth	1978	PIT	DEN	Box	10	156	1	226	29	0.661	28.7	108	171.4
248	Antonio Freeman	1996	GNB	DEN	Box	9	175	3	280	39	0.646	35.6	127	171.3
249	Andre Johnson	2009	HOU	SEA	Box	11	193	2	288	39	0.643	35.4	130	171.1
250	Sammy White	1976	MIN	MIA	Box	9	120	3	225	27	0.658	28.8	110	170.9

Harold Jackson taking the number one spot with 238 yards and 4 touchdowns in 1973 in a game where his team had just 22 dropbacks? Yeah, I’m okay with that.

References[+]

References
↑1	Note: I was lazy, and combined the AFL and NFL. I know, I know.
↑2	Note. I excluded two games during the 1987 strike played with replacement players: Anthony Allen had 262 TRY against the Cardinals, and Steve Largent had 260 TRY in Detroit.

Tagged as: WR Ranking Systems

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