Broncos' Demaryius Thomas Sets Franchise Single-Game Record for Receiving Yards

Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had a career-high 226 receiving yards in Sunday's 41-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, setting a franchise single-game record for receiving yards, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Thomas, who struggled through the first three weeks of the season, turned in his historic performance against a secondary that's viewed as one of the league's best, led by cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie.

No matter, the imposing 6'3" veteran ran circles around the Cardinals, finishing with eight catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets.

Thomas almost produced an even bigger game, as he had an easy 77-yard touchdown wiped out by a chop block penalty against tight end Julius Thomas, who became the subject of criticism for his illegal hit that resulted in a serious knee injury for superstar Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell.

In any case, Thomas is now on pace for 84 receptions, 1,468 yards and 12 touchdowns, with those numbers closely resembling what he produced the last two years, even though he started 2014 with three consecutive disappointing efforts.

In addition to setting a franchise record, Thomas' 226 receiving yards are the most produced by any player in one game through the first five weeks of the 2014 campaign, per ESPN Stats & Info.

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com's play index, there have been 147 200-yard receiving games since 1960, with five of those belonging to the Broncos.

Brandon Marshall had exactly 200 yards when he set the NFL single-game record of 21 receptions in a 2009 contest for the Broncos, and the list is rounded out by Shannon Sharpe (214), Jabar Gaffney (213) and Rod Smith (208).