Best quarterback/wide receiver duos in NFL history
By Staff
23. Joe Namath and Don Maynard
We’re taking it back a little bit with this one, but Joe Namath and Don Maynard have to be on this list.
During a time when running the football was still the most popular strategy on the block, Namath and Maynard developed a chemistry unlike any other.
From the time Namath joined the New York Jets in 1965 until Maynard’s departure to the St. Louis Cardinals (football) in 1972, the two helped make the Jets a one-of-a-kind team.
In their third year together in 1968, Namath and Maynard hooked up for eight touchdowns. But eight touchdowns between a quarterback and wide receiver in 1968 was a big deal. You have to account for inflation, guys.
Oh, there is the small matter of them leading the Jets to a Super Bowl victory against the Baltimore Colts 16-7. You may have heard about that game. You see, the Colts had a pretty good quarterback, too, named Johnny Unitas.
And Namath, see, he sort of guaranteed a victory in what was truly a David-and-Goliath matchup.
Namath and Maynard din’t hook up for any touchdowns in that game. In fact, they didn’t even hook up for a single completion. It was a nitty, gritty grind-it-out game. But they found a way to win, and that’s the important part.
But one other truly amazing aspect of Namath’s time tossing to Maynard was the fact that “Broadway Joe” only threw 173 touchdowns in his 13-year career, and 42 of those touchdowns went to Maynard. Again, they played during a time when throwing the football was not a popular decision. And for them to connect for 42 scores in seven years together is truly remarkable.