Brandon Marshall's Unique Stat Line from Chicago Bears' Win over Vikings

When receiver Brandon Marshall was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears this past March, the Bears and their fans hoped that Marshall would add a unique element that has been missing in their offense.

Marshall has certainly met the expectations of the Bears' faithful.

This past weekend, he caught 12 passes for 92 yards, passing the 1,000-yard mark in receiving for the sixth time in his career. Marshall also became the first Bears receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards since Marty Booker in 2002.

Marshall’s 12-catch, 92-yard game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday was also a unique stat line that is rarely seen in the league. Marshall became the 35th player since 1966 (start of the Super Bowl era) to catch 12 or more passes in a game and finish with fewer than 100 yards receiving in the game. He became the third player with these numbers this year: Oakland’s Darren McFadden on Sept. 10 had 13 catches for 86 yards and the Cowboys’ Dez Bryant had 13 receptions for 95 yards on Oct. 14.

It was also only the ninth time in those 35 instances that a player’s team won in a game where a player had 12-plus receptions and fewer than 100 receiving yards.

Of these 35 times since 1966, four players accomplished this rare feat twice:

Larry Centers (Oct. 10, 2001 and Sept. 29, 1996). Centers did it with Buffalo and Arizona

Derrick Mason (Oct. 3, 2004 and Nov. 12, 2001). Mason did it both times with Tennessee

Lydell Mitchell (Nov. 28, 1976 and Dec. 15, 1974). Mitchell did it both times with Baltimore; both times against the Jets

Brian Westbrook (Nov. 4, 2007 and Nov. 19, 2006). Westbrook did it both times with the Eagles

Here’s a few other interesting tidbits about this stat:

Westbrook and Marshall Faulk hold the NFL mark (since 1966) for most catches in a game with fewer than 100 yards receiving. Both Westbrook and Faulk had 14 catches in a game; Westbrook accomplished this on Nov. 4, 2007 with 14 catches and 90 yards, Faulk did it on Sept. 8, 2002 with 14 catches and 91 yards.

Westbrook also holds the mark for fewest receiving yards in a game with 12 or more catches. On Nov. 19, 2006, Westbrook had 12 catches for only 46 yards in a game versus the Tennessee Titans.

Research Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

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