The 25 greatest receiving performances from one NFL playoff run

Reaching 317 receiving yards to help the Rams cap off their stunning march to a championship, Bruce is best remembered for a 73-yard score that became the Super Bowl XXXIV game-winner over the Titans. Prior to his Superdome heroics, Bruce shredded an overmatched Vikings secondary for 133 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. The explosive St. Louis attack, which featured Bruce as the only key skill-position player held over from the Tony Banks years, gutted out a defensive battle over the Buccaneers in the NFC championship game before its No. 1 receiver amassed 162 yards in a Super Bowl thriller.

While his career did not include the lengthy prime of teammates Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Clark profiled as a dependable option for Peyton Manning at his apex. That peak came in the late 2000s, but the former first-round pick stepped up to close his fourth season. Clark tallied 317 receiving yards in the Colts' four-game playoff docket. Returning from a late-season injury, the blossoming tight end posted two 100-yard playoff games -- 103 against the Chiefs, 137 against the Patriots. In between, he snagged a pinpoint pass from Manning to help the Colts stave off the second-seeded Ravens.

This space's greatest NFL team deployed Rice in his age-27 season. The league's receiving kingpin did not disappoint in the postseason. Rice finished out his fifth NFL season with 317 yards in the 49ers' explosive three-game playoffs. Outscoring the opposition 126-26, San Francisco saw Joe Montana finish with 11 TD passes and no INTs. Rice totaled 114 yards in the 49ers' divisional-round win over the Vikings and submitted an all-time Super Bowl showing by dicing through the Broncos' secondary for seven receptions, 148 yards, and three TDs. Rice remains the NFL's all-time postseason touchdown leader; this January work did plenty to lift him there. 

It took only two games for Hilton to hobnob with the other historically great playoff showings. He made No. 1 count, soaring past the Chiefs with regularity in a thrilling Colts comeback. That 13-catch, 224-yard, two-touchdown performance ranks among the most explosive playoff outings in NFL history. Hilton also totaled 103 yards in a divisional-round loss in New England, however, bringing his two-game total to 327 yards. Hilton vexed an injury-plagued Chiefs defense, which coughed up a 28-point lead in the second-biggest playoff collapse ever, to score a game-winning TD on a 64-yard pass from Andrew Luck. Hilton's Round 2 work mattered less in a 21-point loss.

After languishing as the Packers' No. 1 target on several forgettable teams, Lofton did not do much during a short Raiders stint. Signing with the Bills in 1989, the future Hall of Famer did factor into the Raiders not reaching Super Bowl XXV. Lofton produced a 327-yard playoff performance, catching two touchdowns during a 113-yard day in Buffalo's 51-3 demolition of Los Angeles in the AFC title game. A week earlier in the snow, Lofton posted 149 yards and a score to help the Bills win a shootout over the Dolphins. While the Bills memorably fell just short in Super Bowl XXV, Lofton snared a 61-yard tipped reception to set up a Scott Norwood field goal.

Three separate Tom Brady targets make this list, as the Patriots did well to unleash role players on defenses during the second leg of their dynasty. Hogan was the most anonymous, though he did lead the NFL in yards per catch (17.9) during his 2016 Patriots debut. The ex-lacrosse standout punctuated that breakout slate with a 332-yard showing in three Pats playoff tilts. Hogan's masterpiece vexed the Steelers, who allowed him to escape frequently during a nine-catch, 180-yard, two-touchdown night. Hogan added 57 yards in Super Bowl LI, working as a Julian Edelman sidekick during a banner Pats night. 

Dueling with Antonio Brown for the title of best NFL wideout in the period after injuries slowed Calvin Johnson, Jones flexed his muscles plenty to close his sixth season. The 2016 Falcons' 33.8 points per game remain eighth in post-merger NFL history; they sustained that pace in the playoffs. Jones accumulated 334 yards in three playoff games. He matched Hogan with nine receptions for 180 yards and two TDs, dousing the Packers in the NFC championship game, but also contributed 87 yards in Super Bowl LI. This included one of the great catches in Super Bowl history. Unfortunately, Atlanta's defense could not provide sufficient late-game support.

Fears led the NFL in receptions in each of his first three seasons. He capped off his third with a playoffs so explosive that only two games -- during a period not known for prolific aerial attacks (though these Rams were an exception) -- were required for placement on a list filled with modern receivers. Fears, who paced the NFL with 1,116 yards in 1950, added 334 in games against the Bears and Browns. The Rams' 38.8 points per game remains the all-time NFL record, and the Rams' two-QB rotation (Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin) found Fears often in crunch time. After a 198-yard, three-TD game to down the Bears, he added 136 on nine catches in a shootout championship loss in Cleveland.

In terms of a wide receiver impacting a playoff team's fortunes, few efforts outflank Smith's. Coming off a 2004 ACL tear, Smith won the triple crown in '05. The Utah alum powered a Panthers team years away from assembling the DeAngelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart backfield; Smith tacked on 335 yards to his NFL-leading regular-season total (1,563). He did most of his damage against the Bears' No. 1-ranked defense, which allowed a 12-catch, 218-yard, two-TD game. While the Seahawks took notice and made stopping Smith their top NFC championship game priority, Smith started his run with an 84-yard, one-score outing in a wild-card shutout over the Giants.

While Hogan rode one dominant game to this all-time list, Edelman was Tom Brady's most consistent target during the playoffs without Rob Gronkowski. En route to 342 yards in New England's three postseason tilts, Edelman cleared 100 (137, 113) in wins over the Texans and Steelers. During Brady's historic Super Bowl LI performance, Edelman contributed five receptions for 87 yards. The converted QB's career's most memorable play -- a juggling masterpiece as two Falcons DBs aimed to derail him -- came during the Pats' game-tying final drive to produce overtime. Not on Wes Welker's All-Pro level, Edelman still outplayed his predecessor in the playoffs.

The Patriots lost Edelman to a season-ending ACL tear during the 2017 preseason. This changed their approach, mandating more from Amendola. Although the Pats had traded a first-round pick for Brandin Cooks, they turned to one of Brady's favorites in the playoffs. Amendola compiled 348 yards and two touchdown receptions in the Pats' three postseason contests. While Amendola fared better statistically against the Titans (112 yards) and Eagles (152), his most crucial contributions came against the Jaguars. With Gronkowski concussed midgame, "Playoff Danny" rode shotgun in a comeback effort, catching two second-half TD passes to help this dynasty to its eighth Super Bowl. 

Steve Smith had not become a bona fide No. 1 receiver by 2003; Muhammad was the more established player at this point. The duo fueled free agent signing Jake Delhomme to a Super Bowl. Closing out his eighth NFL season, Muhammad added 352 playoff receiving yards. He started the journey with 103 in a rout of Dallas and added 70 more in Carolina's double-overtime win -- a Smith-punctuated classic -- over St. Louis. But Muhammad's best stuff came when Delhomme needed him most. He tallied 140 yards on four catches to test the Patriots; this included an 85-yard score during a 19-point Panthers fourth quarter in defeat.

The Chiefs portion of this list begins after they separated from Tyreek Hill. Kelce had slowed during the 2023 regular season, his first as a confirmed Swiftie, but reemerged as Patrick Mahomes' top option in the playoffs. The longtime Mahomes sidekick ripped off at least 70 yards in all four Chiefs conquests, finishing with 355. Kelce came through for 75 yards and two scores against a battered Bills defense before keeping the Ravens off the field with 11 catches for 116 yards and another score. The 49ers losing potential Kelce stopper Dre Greenlaw became quite significant in Super Bowl LVIII, a Chiefs comeback that ended with an overtime walk-off TD. 

This is not the playoffs in which Hill motored for a go-ahead score in a historic Bills shootout. These efforts came a year prior, as the Chiefs stampeded to Super Bowl LV. Hill produced 355 yards in the three-game Kansas City playoffs. After an eight-catch, 110-yard outing to help the Chiefs escape a Browns team in a game featuring a Patrick Mahomes concussion, the elite speedster razed a then-unseasoned Bills secondary -- in its first postseason Chiefs test -- for 172 yards on nine grabs. The Buccaneers mostly stifled Hill, however, with Antoine Winfield Jr. memorably returning Hill's peace-sign favor in what became a blowout. 

The zenith of Chiefs' offensive football brought an endpoint with the March 2022 Hill trade, but during a four-season span with Mahomes at the controls, his receiving duo was nearly indefensible. Hill's speed notwithstanding, No. 1-seeded Chiefs still ran through Kelce. The future Hall of Fame tight end amassed 360 yards in three playoff games. All three Kelce games cleared 100 yards. He and Hill helped bail the Chiefs out with Chad Henne as a fill-in against the Browns, and a 13-catch night (for 118 yards) came in a rout of the Bills. Kelce's 10 catches for 133 yards against the Bucs proved less relevant in the grand scheme.

The Buccaneers had cooled the Chiefs' jets in Super Bowl LV, but no player has hurt the Steve Spagnuolo-era Kansas City defense like Chase. After the then-rookie Bengal's record-setting 266-yard performance in a Week 17 win over the defending AFC champions, he ended their conference reign weeks later. Chase posted a 368-yard playoff ledger, clearing 100 in wins over the Raiders (116) and Titans (109). Chase's only playoff TD came in the second half of an 18-point comeback at Arrowhead Stadium. In Super Bowl LVI, the top-five pick tallied 89 yards on five catches. Aaron Donald prevented what would have probably been many more on his game-ending sack of Joe Burrow.

The 1968 AFL playoffs did not involve the Raiders booking a second straight Super Bowl berth, as the Jets made their important voyage. But Biletnikoff dominated in his two outings. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver, then in his fourth season, erupted for 370 yards in games against the Chiefs and Jets. Biletnikoff bedeviled the Chiefs -- a team that eventually put six defenders in Canton -- for 180 yards on seven catches and nearly dragged Oakland to a win at Shea Stadium with a seven-catch, 190-yard performance on a windy day. The crafty pass catcher scored three times in the Raiders' home win and once in New York.

As the Ravens made one of the most surprising Super Bowl journeys, Boldin served as Joe Flacco's top sidekick. Closing out his age-32 season, the possession receiver amassed 380 yards on 22 receptions. Boldin's best two efforts came against the Colts in the wild-card round (five catches, 145 yards, one touchdown) and in Super Bowl XLVII (6/104/1), but he snared two TD receptions in Baltimore's AFC championship game upset win in New England -- a revenge matchup after a narrow conference title loss there a year earlier. Boldin snared a 13-yarder to open the Super Bowl, winning several prop bettors some dough as Baltimore defeated San Francisco in the blackout-marred event.

Edelman's injury-marred 2017 season was followed by a four-game PED suspension to open 2018. After the 20-game hiatus, Tom Brady's late-career favorites' reemergence made a considerable difference. Accumulating 388 yards in three playoff games, Edelman ripped the Chargers for 151 on nine receptions before adding 96 on seven grabs in a Kansas City shootout. Edelman completed his postseason without a touchdown, but he snagged Super Bowl LIII MVP honors after a 10-catch, 141-yard performance against the Rams. Edelman followed Deion Branch's footsteps as a Brady target to win Super Bowl MVP.

Finishing his third year with the Vikings, Carter delivered one of the most impactful receiving showings in NFL history. Sneaking into the playoffs at 8-7, Minnesota downed a 13-2 San Francisco squad that ended the strike-altered season ranked first on offense and defense. Carter, who produced 391 receiving yards in three games, set a then-record with 227 on 10 receptions in that divisional-round stunner. Carter scored two TDs in the Vikings' wild-card romp in New Orleans and added 85 yards in the team's narrow NFC decider in Washington. Carter's effort was not enough to book the Vikes an elusive Super Bowl berth, but the diminutive target nearly pulled it off. 

Although this Washington season did not end with a repeat championship, the team set a single-season scoring record en route to a 14-2 record. Joe Theismann's "Fun Bunch" receiver cadre played a big role in that scoring total, and Brown -- one of a few Art Monk wingmen checking in south of 6 feet -- continued to shine in the playoffs, posting 401 yards in three games. A 51-7 Washington rout over the Rams featured 171 Brown yards; the third-year WR broke through on five grabs of at least 25 yards. He added 137 yards in a 24-21 NFC title game win over the 49ers, outracing Ronnie Lott on a 70-yard TD that gave Washington a 21-0 lead in a game remembered for a controversial finish. 

Quite deserving of a long Hall of Fame look, Smith made the most of a four-game playoff docket in his third season. Two years before his 335-yard 2005 postseason, the brash wideout delivered 404 in games against the Cowboys, Rams, Eagles and Patriots. None was more important than a 69-yard walk-off score to down St. Louis in a double-overtime divisional-round win. Smith finished with 163 yards in that game, doing so after a 135-yard performance against the Cowboys. Smith joined teammate Muhsin Muhammad in helping Jake Delhomme duel with Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII, mixing in a 39-yard TD in an 80-yard night. 

Eventually playing in four Super Bowls, Rice trekked to his first in Year 4. As the 49ers settled their late-'80s QB controversy by choosing Joe Montana over Steve Young, Rice helped the legendary triggerman with 409 yards. While Super Bowl XXIII became a Rice masterpiece (11 catches, 215 yards, one touchdown), he combined for five TD catches in wins over the Vikings and Bears. Rice scored three first-half TDs to assist the 49ers in avenging a 1987 divisional-round defeat, and he added two more in a conference-deciding rout in Chicago. Rice's 61-yard first-quarter score set the tone for a road romp, setting the stage for his Super Bowl MVP performance. 

Injuries ended Nicks' prime early, but he delivered as the Eli Manning-era Giants mounted a second storied Super Bowl charge. The 2009 first-round pick steamrolled for 444 yards and four touchdowns in New York's four-game docket. As Victor Cruz's breakout year concluded, Nicks was Manning's top target in the playoffs. Nicks produced three 100-yard games, including a 10-catch, 109-yarder in Super Bowl XLVI, and scored four times -- two apiece against the Falcons and Packers. The North Carolina product broke loose on a 66-yard catch-and-run and then caught a Hail Mary to close the half. Nicks' day powered the Giants to a 37-20 stunner over the 15-1 Packers.

Maybe Aaron Donald deserved Super Bowl MVP honors, but Kupp was vital to the Rams' overall mission. Threatening Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving yardage record, the slot receiver closed his first year with Matthew Stafford with a staggering playoff run. Kupp finished his four-game postseason with 478 yards and six touchdown receptions. He glided for 183 against the Buccaneers, posting a 70-yard first-half score then helping the Rams stave off a Brady-led comeback with a 44-yard grab to set up a game-winning field goal. After a 142-yard NFC title game outing over the 49ers, Kupp tallied 92 in Super Bowl LVI. Critical on the Rams' final march, Kupp snared the game-winner. 

As good as Kupp was, Fitzgerald's playoff debut stands alone. The Cardinals were 9-7, and DVOA ranked them as a bottom-half team. The Kurt Warner-Fitzgerald combo nearly lifted Arizona to a championship anyway. Fitz was 4-for-4 in 100-yard games, finishing with a staggering 546 and seven touchdowns -- the latter number a single-playoff record as well. His 166-yard night eliminated the Panthers; well, that and six Jake Delhomme turnovers. In a duel with the Eagles for NFC supremacy, the fifth-year wideout caught nine passes for 152 yards and three TDs -- one on a 62-yard flea flicker. Against a menacing Steelers defense, Fitzgerald dropped a 7/127/2 stat line that nearly toppled the favored squad.