Bennett Sets Bears Single-Season Record for Catches by a Tight End

Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett passed Mike Ditka to set the single-season team record for receptions by a tight end Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys, according to a tweet from the Bears after the game.

Ditka is a household name among NFL fans, due to his triple career as a player, coach and media personality. Following an impressive playing career that was commemorated with a 1988 Hall of Fame induction, he coached the Bears to the franchise's only Super Bowl victory in 1985. While Bennett will likely never measure up to what Ditka did for the franchise, the 27-year-old tight end is starting to make a name for himself.

Bennett finished Thursday's game with a team-high 12 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, becoming the main target for quarterback Jay Cutler after wide receiver Brandon Marshall was knocked out with a rib injury.

Following Thursday's 12-catch performance, Bennett sits at 77 receptions for the season, with the total placing him two ahead of Ditka's 75 catches from 1964. Although the NFL season has expanded from 14 games to 16 since Ditka's record-setting campaign, Bennett and the Bears have thus far played just 13 contests this season.

With Marshall expected to miss the rest of the season, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Alshon Jeffery and Bennett figure to be the top two options in Chicago's passing game over the final three weeks of the season.

At his current pace, Bennett would finish the season with 95 receptions for 1,010 yards. However, the combination of a poor Bears defense and games against the Saints and Lions on tap will likely lead to some extra passing and even more balls thrown his way.

If the 6'6" Bennett can reach 100 receptions by the end of the year, he will become just the fourth tight end to reach triple digits in a single season, joining Jason Witten (2012), Tony Gonzalez (2004) and Dallas Clark (2009).

To reach that mark, Bennett needs 23 catches over the final three games. While the number means he would need to average nearly eight grabs per contest, it doesn't seem out of the question for a guy coming off Thursday's outing.