Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown made history on a pass from quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Coming into the Week 17 game against the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown was just 73 yards from reaching 1,000 in his rookie season.
Brown’s first two catches of the game came on passes from quarterback Ryan Tannehill and went for a total of 53 yards, and one of those catches was a 51-yard strike that found pay dirt.
However, Brown’s catch that put him over the 1,000-yard mark actually came via a dart from backup quarterback Marcus Mariota that went for 24 yards. The trick play saw Mariota lineup under center, while Tannehill was split wide.
Check it out.
Marcus Mariota connects with @Brown1arthur to put the rookie over 1,000 yards receiving on the season. 😎 #TENvsHOU pic.twitter.com/g8xeCM2DVZ
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 29, 2019
With the catch, Brown is the third rookie receiver in franchise history to break 1,000 yards. He also breaks the Titans’ cold streak of not having a 1,000-yard wide receiver since 2013 when Kendall Wright did it. The last Titans pass-catcher overall to break 1,000 yards was tight end Delanie Walker.
Brown also made more history with that catch. The Ole Miss product totaled 1,000 yards on his 51st catch, which is the fewest amount of catches by any rookie with 1,000 yards in a season.
It took him 3 catches. #Titans rookie WR A.J. Brown has 1,000+ yards on 51 catches.
— Ran GMC(arthon) (@jlomas72) December 29, 2019
He is the first rookie in NFL HISTORY to hit 1,000+ yards on fewer than 64 receptions. https://t.co/EuJ1uXzB6B
Meanwhile, that was Mariota’s first pass attempt since Week 6 when he was benched for Tannehill during the shutout loss to the Denver Broncos.
After the play, a bearded Mariota on the sideline drew the attention of Twitter.
This season alone has me looking like that, but I digress.
I feel this on every level https://t.co/YMCrqgpRwA
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) December 29, 2019
While Mariota’s future remains uncertain, Brown’s is as bright as any young player’s in the NFL. He should be considered one of the top options for Offensive Rookie of the Year.