Arizona Cardinals History: Who had the most receiving yards in a single game?
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals have a legendary list of receivers, but the franchise leader in receiving yards actually played for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals have relocated twice since they joined the NFL in 1920. Their first move came in 1960, when the Chicago Cardinals took off to the Gateway of the West, St. Louis.
After spending nearly three decades as the St. Louis Cardinals, the Redbirds moved even farther out west to Phoenix, Arizona, even if they play their games in the city’s outskirts. So to answer who had the most receiving yards in a single game in franchise history, we need to go back to their days in St. Louis to find the answer.
In fact, we must go all the way back to November 4th, 1962 when Sonny Randle recorded 256 receiving yards on an astounding 16 receptions in a 31-28 loss to the New York Giants. The Cardinals, who went 4-9-1 that season, had a dynamic receiver in Randle, who earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and he even received All-Pro honors twice during his NFL career.
Who had the most single-game receiving yards in Arizona Cardinals history?
If we’re talking about the most single-game receiving yards in Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals history (1988-present), then we would point to Anquan Boldin. On September 7th, 2003 against the Detroit Lions, Boldin went off, amassing 217 yards on 10 receptions and 14 targets, good for an outrageous 21.7 yards per catch and two touchdowns on the day.
Want more fun? Despite the Cardinals 42-24 loss, this game served as Boldin’s NFL debut, which as you can imagine, ranks among the best in NFL history. It foreshadowed Boldin’s illustrious time with the Cards, as he logged 101 receptions and 1,377 receiving yards that year.
Boldin ended his seven-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals with 586 receptions, 7,520 yards, and 44 touchdowns. Between 2004 and 2009, he became part of one of the most dynamic receiving duos in NFL history with Larry Fitzgerald.
dark. Related. Cardinals History: Who had the most rushing yards in a single season?. Cardinals History: Who had the most rushing yards in a single season?
(Statistics provided by Stat Muse and Pro-Football-Reference)