Is Larry Fitzgerald one of the best postseason receivers ever?
With one or two games left in his playoffs, Larry Fitzgerald is reaching some rare postseason air.
Following his 176-yard performance in the Arizona Cardinals’ insane overtime win over the Green Bay Packers, Fitzgerald has amassed some of the best playoff receiving totals of all time.
But first, let’s get one thing straight: No one is touching the GOAT. Jerry Rice is and might forever be No. 1 in this department. His playoff totals are just ridiculous. For a good laugh, check out Rice’s three playoffs in the 1988 season.
Wow.
But on a per-game basis, check this out: Fitzgerald has been better.
Rice averaged 5.2 receptions per playoff game; Fitzgerald is at 9.8.
Rice averaged 77.4 yards per game. Fitzgerald is at 114 — the highest in league history among players with at least two playoff games.
Rice averaged 0.8 touchdowns per playoff game. Fitzgerald is at 1.25.
Crazy, right? Even with far fewer games. In fact at 29 games for Rice to Fitzgerald’s eight, we must note that in Rice’s best eight playoff games, he totaled a stunning 1,182 yards on 67 catches with 13 touchdowns. But Fitzgerald isn’t that far behind those numbers, either.
Interestingly, in his two prior playoff games against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday’s opponent, Fitzgerald has turned in both his worst (last season) and one of his best playoff performances. In last January’s loss at Carolina, Fitzgerald — saddled with Ryan Lindley at QB — caught a mere three passes for 31 yards. Seven years ago he lit up Bank of America Stadium for eight catches, 166 yards and a touchdown before halftime that put a stake in the Panthers’ hearts.
Sunday’s matchup is tough because we are talking about a team that only allowed three wide receivers to collect 100 yards receiving in a game during the regular season, despite facing the likes of Allen Robinson, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans, Randall Cobb, DeSean Jackson, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr. and others.
But the Panthers’ pass defense has been leakier lately, and the Panthers’ shutdown corner, Josh Norman, might not marry with Fitzgerald with how much he plays in the slot (and how little Norman does) and with two speed receivers, John Brown and Michael Floyd, on the outside.
Could Fitzgerald roast over-matched Panthers corner Cortland Finnegan, who is the primary slot guy for now? That looks like a mismatch made in heaven for Fitz.
A two-TD game for Fitzgerald would move him into a tie for second all time for playoff touchdowns, with Pittsburgh Steelers legend John Stallworth, who caught his 12 in 18 postseason games.
And a 150-yard game would move Fitzgerald into the top 10 all time in receiving yards. For measure, Art Monk totaled his impressive 1,062 yards in 15 postseason games.
Fitzgerald is a bit lagging in total playoff receptions — tied for 33rd all time, with 53 — but could move into the top 10 with 16 more.
On a per-game basis, Fitzgerald has been the best playoff wide receiver ever, you could argue, although he only has one Super Bowl appearance to his name and hasn’t won one yet. He’ll have his chance, starting Sunday. All for a guy who signed a modest contract extension in the offseason and who didn’t appear to be a sure bet to end his career in Arizona. That talk appears to have subsided a bit.
And though his opportunities to catch Rice are pretty slim on the backside of his career at age 32, Fitzgerald is approaching some all-time efficiency with his playoff production.
PODCAST: Previewing Patriots-Broncos (0:00 mark), Cardinals-Panthers (21:00 mark):
Grandstanding: A Yahoo Sports podcast
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed
– – – – – – –
Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
