By the end of October, Around The League openly wondered if the Chicago Bears' second-year receiver Alshon Jeffery might be every bit as good as Brandon Marshall. A month later, we anointed Jeffery and Marshall the NFL's best wide receiver duo.
Last week's 249-yard effort against the Minnesota Vikings was the eighth-highest total in the past decade.
More impressive than just the numbers, though, was the fashion in which Jeffery sliced and diced the Vikings secondary. As I noted on Wednesday's "Around The League Podcast," this was one of the best performances I've seen from a wide receiver in the past three decades.
Take a look at the highlight package at the top of the page. Jeffery moves the chains, dives for a ball over the middle, picks up first downs by making defenders miss after the catch, outraces a pair of defenders for an 80-yard score and pulls down one of the most acrobatic touchdowns possible.
Slants, screens, go routes, end-arounds. You name it, Jeffery excels at it.
At the three-quarter season mark, only Calvin Johnson and Josh Gordon have more yards from scrimmage than Jeffery's 1,224. Jeffery joins the short list of big, physical receivers capable of winning at the point of the catch, blowing the top off defenses deep and making tacklers miss with the ball in his hands.
When comparing two great receivers on the same team, I defer to the one beating double teams. As for Gregg Rosenthal, he believes Jeffery has already overtaken Marshall as the most dangerous receiver on the Bears roster.
It might not be long before defensive coordinators agree, opting to flip their top cover corner to Jeffery's side of the field.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" debates the Seahawks' Super Bowl chances and asks "Who do you trust?" as the playoffs approach.
