Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen reaches 1,000 receiving yards
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings had gone a long time without having a wide receiver gain over 1,000 yards in the passing game, but Adam Thielen finally did it in 2017!
Fans of the Minnesota Vikings need to have a good memory to remember their most recent wide receiver to gain 1,000 in the franchise’s history before entering the 2017 NFL season, but their long dry streak has come to an end.
In fact, the team has been waiting since 2009 for this milestone to be reached again. That year, sure-handed wide receiver Sidney Rice gained 1,312 yards with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre throwing him the football.
Rice was one of the first people to congratulate the newest member of the 1,000-yard club on his personal Twitter account:
Been waiting for this for a while now @athielen19 First 1000 Yard receiver since 2009!! Congrats man, keep up the great work!! #Skol
— Sidney Rice (@sidneyrice) November 24, 2017
In week 12 of the 2017 season, Adam Thielen gained 89 yards on 8 catches, but one, in particular, was extra special for the wide receiver. With 11:27 left in the game, it was a 16-yard reception from quarterback Case Keenum that put him over the 1,000-yard mark.
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Thielen is having an amazing season for Minnesota. With 11 games played, he has accumulated a total of 1,005 yards so far and still has 5 more games to add to the total. Plus, he has already caught more passes this season than any other in his career, grabbing 70 receptions.
While he says he’s not too concerned with personal milestones since he is focused on team wins, he is putting together an amazing season. He has caught at least 5 passes in each game this year and is the most targeted player by Vikings quarterbacks, seeing the ball thrown his way 107 times so far.
In fact, there is still a chance that Adam Thielen can catch Randy Moss for the most receiving yards in a season by a Vikings player. In 2003, Moss had 1,632 yards, which means Thielen would need to average a little over 125 yards per game going forward to reach that mark.
Next: Top graded Vikings from Week 12 vs Lions
Congratulations to Adam Thielen on reaching this big milestone with the Minnesota Vikings and hopefully his excellent season can continue for the rest of the 2017 NFL season. His play this year has made his extension this offseason look like a massive bargain for the franchise.