Fansided

Top 30 duos in NFL history

By Jarrett Bailey

BALTIMORE - 1960's: (L to R) Quarterback Johnny Unitas #19 and wide receiver Raymond Berry #82 of the Baltimore Colts on the sidelines during a game circa 1960's at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE - 1960's: (L to R) Quarterback Johnny Unitas #19 and wide receiver Raymond Berry #82 of the Baltimore Colts on the sidelines during a game circa 1960's at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
17 of 30
Next
DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 07: Matthew Stafford #9 talks to teammate Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions while playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on December 07, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 34-17. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 07: Matthew Stafford #9 talks to teammate Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions while playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on December 07, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 34-17. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

14. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson

The Lions may not have won much when these two were playing together, but wow were they fun to watch. From 2010-15, Johnson became one of the best receivers the NFL had ever seen. In 2011, Stafford and Johnson connected on 96 passes for 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns. Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards that season, which was ultimately a precursor for what was about to come.

In 2012, Johnson led the NFL in receptions with 122 and broke the single-season receiving yards record, totaling 1,964 yards. Johnson and Stafford continued their passing game dominance in 2013. Johnson had 84 catches for just under 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The one thing that keeps this duo from being much higher is that they didn’t win. The year that Johnson broke the receiving yards record, the Lions went 4-12. From 2009-15, the Lions had a winning record twice, and never won a playoff game. Had they won anything of note, this is a borderline top 10 duo. Unfortunately, that never happened and Johnson retired in 2015. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, and Stafford is now the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams.

Home/NFL