KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark on the season during Sunday’s 17-13 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Dec. 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Albert Wilson (12) during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Arrowhead Stadium. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
And Maclin, the Chiefs’ prized free-agent signing in March, did it in grand fashion, hauling in an 11-yard touchdown catch on the team’s opening drive.
The seventh-year pro became the first Chiefs wide receiver to achieve 1,000 yards receiving in a season since Dwayne Bowe, the player Maclin replaced, totaled 1,159 yards in 2011.
But Maclin chose to savor something bigger than his individual accomplishment.
“I’ll tell you one thing, much sweeter now that we’re in (the playoffs) than that,” Maclin said. “I really don’t get caught up in that. It’s a milestone everybody else judges me by, but it really doesn’t mean that much.”
Regardless how Maclin feels about achieving a 1,000-yard receiving season, it is his second straight such campaign after he established a career-high 1,318 yards receiving in 2014 while with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maclin also becomes just the fourth wide receiver to have a 1,000-yard receiving season in coach Andy Reid’s version of the West Coast offense since Reid began his head coaching career in 1999.
The other three wide receivers to do it under Reid all occurred with the Eagles: Terrell Owens (2004), Kevin Curtis (2007) and DeSean Jackson (2009-10).
Nevertheless, Maclin’s modest approach to the accomplishment wouldn’t be a surprise to quarterback Alex Smith, who has never had a 1,000-yard wide receiver in his 11-year career.
“I think the great thing about him is that he is all team first,” Smith said of Maclin. “All he cares about is winning, but credit to him. I think it shows how smart he is besides the talent that he has. He sees things so well. He sees it like a quarterback.”
Maclin, who entered Week 16 with 985 yards receiving, finished the game with five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, boosting his yards receiving to 1,034 with one regular-season game remaining.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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