INDIANAPOLIS – Not one NFL receiver can catch The Ghost.
The leading receiver in the NFL this season was T.Y. Hilton.
In his fifth NFL season, Hilton's 1,448 receiving yards were the most of any player in the league this year.
After Hilton's dominant off-season, Chuck Pagano had high hopes for his star receiver coming into 2016.
When Hilton was named to his third straight Pro Bowl last week, offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski detailed why his star wideout was once again among the game's elite.
"He's expanded what he can do on the field," Chud said of Hilton. "Again, for a guy that's been in the league for four or five years to improve the way he has – he's played down inside, proving he'll go in there, mix it up, make the tough catches.
"The thing about T.Y. that I've got to know is he's an extremely smart football player. He understands the game so well. So explaining things, talking through things, he sees the game well, sees it out on the field. But just his ability to go everywhere and do everything for us and he's expanding that because at one time earlier maybe in his career he was just the deep ball guy, but he's become a complete receiver in that way. Again, just making the crucial, critical catches for us. Sometimes the ugly catches, the ones a guy is draped all over him inside that may have only been a six-yard gain but got us a first down. I think those are the areas he's improved specifically on."
Hilton joins past Colts Reggie Wayne (2007), Marvin Harrison (2002 and 1999), Roger Carr (1976) and Raymond Berry (1960, 1959 and 1957) as past league receiving champs.
"If I lead the league, I lead it," Hilton said after his six-catch, 96-yard effort on Sunday afternoon, not yet knowing if he had officially won the receiving title. "I'll be happy. Just to be at the top of those great receivers would be a milestone. I'm just happy we got the win."
2016 NFL's Leading Receivers
- T.Y. Hilton (1,448 yards)
- Julio Jones (1,409 yards)
- Odell Beckham (1,367 yards)
- Mike Evans (1,321 yards)
- Antonio Brown (1,284 yards)
