Ravens' DeAndre Hopkins Reaches Massive Milestone vs. Bengals

Hopkins joins an elite group in NFL history

Going into the game, Hopkins had 999 receptions and needed one more to get into the elite 1,000th reception of his career before the Bengals game. He becomes the 18th wide receiver in NFL history to hit that mark in his career.

It has been an interesting first season in Baltimore for the Ravens as Hopkins went into the game with just 15 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games played.

Hopkins has put together quite a career in the NFL, making four Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections with the Houston Texans in his first seven seasons. He added one more Pro Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.

In 13 NFL seasons, Hopkins had caught 999 receptions for 13,197 yards and 85 touchdowns with four teams. One time during his NFL career, he finished a season leading the league in one statistical category with touchdown catches, as he had 13 back in 2017, a career-high for him.

Hopkins continued his historical day as his 10-yard reception also helped him pass Andre Reed for 18th all-time in receiving yards. He's less than 200 yards away from passing Torry Holt for 17th in receiving yards.

The Ravens have been accustomed over the last 20 years to taking in a future Hall of Fame receiver late in their careers. Steve Smith Sr. also finished the last three seasons with the Ravens, closing out his career. Dating back a bit too far, Derrick Mason was another who nearly ended his career with the Ravens after six seasons.

It's been clear this season that, despite the injury issues at quarterback with Jackson, Hopkins has not played at the same level that NFL fans have seen, and Ravens fans had hoped for. He seems to have lost a step a bit and is more used for his height to make the reception, as Zay Flowers is the number one receiver on the team.

Hopkins has a lot more work to do to keep climbing up the rankings of the top receivers in NFL history, but whatever else history gets made, Ravens fans will be the first to see it.