20 best wide receiver seasons in NFL history

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after he scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 55-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

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SAN FRANCISCO – NOVEMBER 23: Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers is greeted by teammates during pre-game introductions before a National Football League game against the Atlanta Falcons played November 23, 1986 in Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

8. Jerry Rice, 49ers (1987)

The 1987 NFL season was interrupted by a players’ strike, but this was much different than the work stoppage five years earlier in 1982. There were no games in Week 3 and then organizations fielded clubs that featured “replacement players.” Slowly but surely, some veterans crossed the picket line (many different) and after three weeks of these contests, things returned to “normal.”

Despite finishing with the best record in the NFL that year, the season would not end well for Bill Walsh’s San Francisco 49ers. The club finished with a 13-2 mark in the 15-game season but would be stunned by the visiting Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Wide receiver Jerry Rice did not participate in any of the replacement contests. What he did in a dozen contests was impressive indeed. He finished the year with 65 catches for 1,078 yards and 22 scores. Rice scored at least one touchdown in each game and reached the end zone two or more times in seven of those outings.

Keep in mind that 20 years later, Patriots’ wide receiver Randy Moss set a new NFL record for touchdown reception in a season with 23 scoring grabs. What Rice did in just 12 games may not be the league mark but remains oh so very impressive.

Next: No. 7

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