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) /

18 of 20

NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 28: Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball 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) /

3. Jerry Rice, 49ers (1989)

There have been cases made for the 1989 San Francisco 49ers being the best team of the Super Bowl era. They finished the regular season with a 14-2 record and then obliterated the Vikings, Rams and Broncos in the postseason by a combined 126-26 score.

Wide receiver Jerry Rice obviously had a big hand in the club’s offensive success, once again under the command of talented coordinator and led by legendary quarterback Joe Montana. The Niners were coming off a Super Bowl XXIII victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, which would be the final game for head coach Bill Walsh.

In stepped promoted defensive coordinator George Seifert/ This would be a very motivated football team determined to become the first repeat NFL champion since the 1978 and ’79 Steelers.

Montana (26), Steve Young (8) and Steve Bono (1) combined for 35 touchdown passes that season, and Rice finished with nearly half (17) of those scoring grabs. He also led the team in catches (82) and receiving yards (1, 483) and reached the end zone at least once in 13 of the club’s 16 regular-season outings.

Rice totaled 19 grabs for 317 yards and five scores in the playoffs. The includes seven catches for 148 yards and three TDs in the 55-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XXIV.

Next: No. 2

Home/NFL