Fansided

Ranking the 30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

By Brad Weiss

ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49er cornerback Darnell Walker (L) can’t stop St. Louis Rams receiver Isaac Bruce (R) as he makes a 42-yard touchdown catch from Rams quarterback Kurt Warner in the fourth quarter of their 10 October 1999 game in St. Louis. Bruce had four touchdown catches on the day as the Rams beat the 49ers 42-20, breaking a 17-game losing streak against San Francisco.AFP PHOTO/PETER NEWCOMB (Photo by PETER NEWCOMB / AFP) (Photo credit should read PETER NEWCOMB/AFP via Getty Images)
San Francisco 49er cornerback Darnell Walker (L) can’t stop St. Louis Rams receiver Isaac Bruce (R) as he makes a 42-yard touchdown catch from Rams quarterback Kurt Warner in the fourth quarter of their 10 October 1999 game in St. Louis. Bruce had four touchdown catches on the day as the Rams beat the 49ers 42-20, breaking a 17-game losing streak against San Francisco.AFP PHOTO/PETER NEWCOMB (Photo by PETER NEWCOMB / AFP) (Photo credit should read PETER NEWCOMB/AFP via Getty Images) /

30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

No. 5: Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce

For the second time in our top-30 ranking of the best QB-WR duos, we go back to the “Greatest Show on Turf,” but this time, we look at the connection between Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce. Going into the 1999 season, Bruce was coming off his worst season as a pro, but the Rams had added some key weapons, and the expectation was Trent Green was the one to get them back on track.

However, Green blew out his knee in the preseason, Warner stepped in, and the rest is history. In fact, Warner was the perfect quarterback to run Mike Martz’s scheme, and in Bruce, he found a superstar wide receiver that he could rely on in his first season as a starter. The returns were immediate, as their connection became the best in football.

In that 1999 season, Bruce would go on to haul in 77 passes for 1,165 yards, finding the end zone 12 times. However, it was his final touchdown of that season that meant the most, as his 70-yard fourth-quarter touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIV proved to be the difference. Not only did the Rams win the Super Bowl, but Warner was the Most Valuable Player of the NFL, not bad for a guy bagging groceries a few years earlier.

Like Warner, Bruce is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and while he was a solid wideout before the incredible Warner was given a shot, he became an elite player after.

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