5 players with most receiving yards in a single NFL game

Ja'Marr Chase had a game to remember for the Bengals notching 264 yards out of the 428 passing yards Joe Burrow threw against the Ravens. Of the four receiving touchdowns Cincinnati scored, he had three. His average was 24 yards per catch. It was a performance that was one of the best this season. However, that still does not match the highest marks of all time, which we list below.

Ja'Marr Chase is 19th on the list of top scorers after this game, just ahead of Josh Gordon, who recorded 261 yards from the Browns against the Jaguars in 2013. It is also not his best game of all time; he had 266 yards against the Chiefs in 2022. All the players who make the top five had more than 300 yards and they are as follows.

Top five most receiving yards in a single regular season NFL game

5 - Cloyce Box, Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Colts, 302 yards, 1950

Cloyce Box, who would later become a successful business owner, is the first player on our list. He had 302 yards for the Lions in a game against the Colts in 1950. He also had four touchdowns in the game for good measure, with nearly half his yards coming on two long passes that he carried into the endzone. One was an 82-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and he followed that up with a 67-yard score later in the game.

He accumulated the yardage in just 12 receptions and the Lions won the match 45-21, with Cloyce Box scoring a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

4 - Jim Benton, Cleveland Rams vs. Detroit Lions, 303 yards, 1945

Jim Benton was the first person to cross the 300-yard barrier in a single game and his record stood for 40 years before it was eclipsed. He achieved it for the Cleveland Rams against the Browns in 1945.

He accomplished his 303 yards in just 10 receptions, giving him a staggering 30.3 yards per attempt. One was a 70-yard reception in the second quarter from quarterback Bob Waterfield, as they won the game 28-21.

3 - Stephon Paige, Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers, 309 yards, 1985

Stephon Paige broke Jim Benton's record with a virtuoso performance for the Chiefs against the Chargers in 1985. He had two touchdown receptions over fifty yards, one measuring 56 and the other 84. His 309 yards came on just eight receptions, with an average of over 38.6 yards per attempt.

That whopping number allowed the Chiefs to win over their divisional rivals 38-34. If one is wondering how the score was so close, the rest of the Kansas City team recorded just 34 receiving yards.

2 - Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys, 329 yards, 2013

There have been no performances as great as Calvin Johnson's against the Cowboys this century. On Oct. 27, 2013, he recorded 329 yards in 14 catches as Detroit sneaked out a 31-30 win over Dallas. It came in pulsating circumstances with Matthew Stafford faking a spike to get the go-ahead touchdown with just 12 seconds left on the clock.

He had two long 87-yard and 54-yard touchdown catches but that was eclipsed by the 22-yard reception in the final drive that set the game-winning touchdown.

1 - Flipper Anderson, Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints, 336 yards, 1989

The record for the most yards in an NFL game in the regular season dates back to 1989 and resides with Willie "Flipper" Anderson. On Nov. 26 of that year, he tore apart the New Orleans Saints as he recorded 336 yards on 15 catches at 22.4 yards per attempt.

He also recorded one touchdown but his greatest contribution came in overtime as he hauled in a 26-yard reception in sudden-death overtime. That set up the game-winning walk-off field goal with Los Angeles defeating New Orleans 20-17. Playing in only his second season at that time, Flipper Anderson remains untouched until now.