Revenge of the Birds
Two things happened in the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. #1: The loss placed them in the category of elimination for the upcoming playoffs, and #2: The jersey that Cardinals Trey McBride was confiscated after the contest.
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No, McBride did not owe the IRS back taxes. And that would be a hard no to the Cardinals not paying their cleaning bills.
McBride broke the NFL record for the most receptions by a tight end in his first four seasons in the league. The old record was set by tight end Jimmy Graham, who had 3,863 yards on 301 receptions. Against the Bucs, McBride led all receivers with eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. McBride now has 309 career receptions, with five games remaining on the schedule.
Of course, the NFL now plays 17 games to the 16 when Graham first came into the league.
McBride had tied Graham’s record the week before in the loss to Jacksonville where he had nine receptions for 79 yards. In overtime, he caught a four-yard pass from QB Jacoby Brissett.
Against Tampa Bay, during the Cardinals’ first possession, Brissett found McBride for a seven-yard route that garnered a first down with 9:10 remaining in the first quarter.
After the final gun, the Pro Football Hall of Fame swooped down and grabbed his jersey. Now it is on full display grass stains and all, and has that man-sweat smell all over it that is familiar to the game of football.
Currently, McBride leads the league in receptions with 88. That means over every receiver in the NFL. TE Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys is the next tight end on the list, coming in at #8.
Another record is in McBride’s grasp. He needs a five-catch game to tie Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s NFL record for 15 straight games with five receptions by a tight end.
By the way, Brissett’s jersey from the loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11 is also on display at the Hall of Fame. Brissett tossed 47 completions, which set a new record.
In that contest, the 49ers did not sack Brissett a single time, in case you are wondering why his jersey is devoid of grass stains.
