Larry Fitzgerald Moves into 5th on All-Time Receptions List

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald moved past Oakland (and Los Angeles) Raiders great Tim Brown for the fifth-most career receptions Sunday, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Fitzgerald secured each of his four targets for 53 yards in the Cardinals' 38-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, his efforts couldn't stop the Cardinals from losing for the third time in their last four games.

Despite turning 33 in August, Fitzgerald hasn't displayed many signs of aging. Through 11 contests this season, he's collected 78 passes for 802 yards and five touchdowns. The current output paces him to top 1,000 yards receiving for the second straight season and the eighth time in 13 seasons.

With Brown (1,094 receptions) in his rearview, Fitzgerald—who has 1,096 receptions after Sunday—can now set his sights on surpassing Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102). He owns a legitimate shot at doing so next week against the Washington Redskins.

Even with Fitzgerald's continued production, the team hasn't lived up to expectations following a promising 2015 campaign. The Cardinals sit at just 4-6-1 through 11 games this season, three games behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.

If Arizona wants to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season, it will need to turn things around in a hurry. Fitzgerald should remain a contributory member of the offense, but some of the other wideouts will need to pick up the slack.

Fitzgerald holds the lead in both receptions and receiving yards on the club by a wide margin. In fact, the closest trailing wide receivers—John Brown and Michael Floyd— have combined for fewer receptions (59) and nearly equal receiving yards (809) to Fitzgerald.

That won't cut it for a team with playoff aspirations. Unless the Cardinals have more consistent play from quarterback Carson Palmer, their receivers and the defense, they may be sitting on the couch come the playoffs. Unfortunately, so would Fitzgerald as he continues to near the end of his career.