The handwringing and recognition continue to pour in for Browns top wideout Amari Cooper .
After putting up a record-setting day against the Houston Texans in Week 16, with 11 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown, the 29-year-old was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week by the NFL. The performance was a major catalyst in what wound up being a 36-22 win for the Browns, as the 265 receiving yards established a new franchise high for a single game.
The previous mark of 261 yards was established by ex-embattled Browns wideout Josh Gordon, who put up 261 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions, in a game against the Jaguars more than a decade ago in December of 2013. Gordon actually held the two highest single-game receiving totals prior to Cooper topping him on Sunday.
Cooper also pulled off another franchise first in Sunday's win. He entered the contest needing just 15 yards to put up a second consecutive 1,000-yard season, a plateau he reached on the opening play of the game when Joe Flacco connected with him for a 53-yard to put the Browns in scoring position immediately.
That made Cooper the first receiver in franchise history to put up back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving – a pretty absurd fact to consider. He currently leads the team in receiving yards with 1,250 and targets, and has been the best receiver statistically in football since Week 10, with 633 yards and three TDs, on 37 receptions.
In four games with Flacco, Cooper has been particularly potent – aside from the Browns week 13 loss to the Rams, which the former Cowboy left due to a head injury – as he's 451 yards and scored all three of those aforementioned touchdowns.
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