The chemistry between a quarterback and a wide receiver can be stunning. Passes thrown to the spot before the wideout makes his break. There have been many incredible combos.
20. Brett Favre and Sterling Sharpe
This is a combo that could have set all sorts of record had Sterling Sharpe’s career not been cut short due to injury after 1994. They played together for three seasons and teamed for 315 receptions, 3,854 yards and 42 touchdowns.
19. Joe Namath and Don Maynard
The absolute glory years for the Jets featured Joe Namath and Don Maynard. They were together for six seasons and hooked up for 322 receptions and 45 TDs. However, their greatest accomplishment may have come in a game an injured Maynard was a decoy. After catching the TD pass against the Raiders to gain the Jets a spot in Super Bowl III, Maynard was injured and went without a grab as Joe and the Jets stunned the Colts, 16-7.
18. Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson
No rings but plenty of connections for Carson Palmer and the colorful and controversial Chad Johnson/Ochocino. They were together for seven seasons as Bengals and combined for 560 receptions and almost 8,000 yards.
17. Brett Favre and Donald Driver
16. Tom Brady and Randy Moss
Tom Brady and Randy Moss were together for two seasons. They combined for 23 TDs in the first, which saw Brady throw for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns. The encore was in 2009 and they combined for 13 more TDs.
15. Joe Montana and Dwight Clark
14. Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss
From 2000-2003, Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss were unstoppable: 376 receptions, 5,649 yards and 49 touchdowns. During that span the least yardage Moss had in receptions was 1,233 yards. Stunning.
13. John Hadl and Lance Alworth
The Chargers’, um, lightning connection of John Hadl and Lance Alworth played together for nine seasons. In seven of them, Alworth went over 1,000 yards receiving. He led the AFL in receiving yardage three times, twice averaging better than 100 yards per game.
12. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson
In seven seasons as Detroit Lions, Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson combined for 1,000 yards six times. The only season they missed Johnson caught 984 yards of passes. Sixty-seven of his 83 career TDs came while playing with Stafford. The Georgia-to-Georgia Tech connection provided a bright spot in the Lions’ struggles.
11. Jim Kelly and Andre Reed
10. Dan Marino and the Marks
You could say the same about Dan Marino and the Marks, Duper and Clayton. In the 11 years Marino and Duper played together as Dolphins, the tandem combined for 582 receptions, nearly 9,000 yards and 84 touchdowns. In 10 seasons together, Dan Marino and Clayton combined for more than 500 receptions, nearly 9,000 yards and 59 touchdowns. That makes about 18,000 of Marino’s better than 61,361 yards.
9. Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson
Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson connected for more than 5,500 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. They are also remembered for a play that wound up coining the everlasting term “Hail Mary.”
8. Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning played together with the Colts from 2001-2010. Three times, they combined for more than 100 receptions in a season. Sixty-nine of Wayne’s 83 career TD receptions came during this time frame.
7. Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin
Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin were two-thirds of The Triplets with Emmitt Smith completing the trio. Aikman and Irvin connected more than 700 times for 11,000 yards and 60 touchdowns.
6. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas
This is a tandem that has earned its place on the list in three seasons. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas have connected for an outrageous 321 completions, 3,787 yards and 23 touchdowns. It will be amazing to see where the Purdue-Ohio State connection finishes when Brees retires.
5. Jim Zorn and Steve Largent
Jim Zorn and Steve Largent played together in Seattle from 1976-84. They teamed for six seasons of 1,000-plus yards. Seventy-two of Largent’s 100 career touchdowns came during this run.
4. Steve Young and Jerry Rice
Steve Young and Jerry were incomparable 1991-1999 with Steve Young. They paired for almost 700 receptions, 10,000 yards and 85 touchdowns. In 1995, Rice broke the single-season receiving record with 1,848 yards.
3. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison
Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison played together from 1998-2008. In that time they combined for nearly 1,000 receptions, more than 1,300 yards and 114 touchdowns.
2. Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry
They were not coveted coming out of college but Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry showed the NFL how it was done. In 12 seasons, they connected for more than 600 receptions and 9,200 yards.
1. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice
Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were the ultimate combo. They had five 1,000-yard seasons and missed a sixth by 73 yards in Rice’s rookie season. Four times, Rice led the NFL in TD receptions with Montana as his QB and three times he led the league in total yardage.
