Brandon Marshall & Eric Decker Quietly the Best Wide Receiver Duo in NFL this Season
Everyone can name the best wide receivers in the NFL this season. No matter the order, guys like Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr, Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins come to mind. Not many people would mention New York Jets receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker in their top five or maybe even ten.
Taken together. However, they’re the best duo in the NFL.
Decker and Marshall have combined for over 122 receptions and 17 touchdowns this season as the Jets offensive leaders and favorite targets of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Those numbers include Marshall’s two touchdowns and Decker’s scoring grab in the Jets 38-20 blowout victory against the Miami Dolphins Sunday.
That win marks the sixth game this season in which both Decker and Marshall have caught a touchdown in the same game. Six games. The duo is only one shy of the NFL record of seven set by Minnesota Vikings greats Randy Moss and Cris Carter back in the 1998 season.
Everyone knew Marshall was great, and the only concern for him was his age, but Decker has certainly earned a lot more respect this season. Leading the league in drops with Peyton Manning as your quarterback does not a good receiver make; however, Decker has proven that he can actually hold on to the damn ball over the past two seasons with the Jets. In fact, Decker has caught a touchdown in all but two of his starts this season, bringing his total to eight through 11 games. No bad for the former drop king.
The Jets are 6-5 after their victory, but they will need more from Marshall and Decker in order to stay alive in the tight AFC Wild Card race. The Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs are all 6-5 right now, and the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills are both knocking on the door at 5-6.
Of course, either the Texans or Colts will win the AFC South, but that still doesn’t allow for much breathing room. Marshall and Decker will need to break that record if they want to continue playing into January.