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| Sunday, December 22 Updated: December 24, 2:01 PM ET Boerigter helping light up scoreboard By James C. Black ESPN.com |
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The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Sylvester Morris with their first-round pick in 2000 and lured Johnnie Morton to town with a lucrative deal this past offseason. However, their most productive wide receiver right now was unheard of coming into the season. Marc Boerigter, a former CFL player from Hastings (Neb.) College, got into the NFL record books as he kept the Chiefs' faint playoff hopes alive on Sunday. Boerigter's 99-yard scoring reception in the third quarter helped Kansas City knock off San Diego 24-22 to further muddle the AFC playoff picture.
"All he does is get better," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said in The Kansas City Star. "His hands have been improving since he got here, and he's very bright. He learns quickly." Apparently, foes are learning a little something about Boerigter as well. Despite leading the league in scoring (31.1 points per game), the Chiefs have had a disappointing campaign from their wide receivers. Morris and Marvin Minnis, a third-round pick in 2001, have missed virtually the whole season because of injuries. Morton, a sought after free agent this past offseason, has also been hampered by injuries and has just 28 catches for 384 yards with 1 touchdown. Eddie Kennison, the team's No. 1 receiver, has 51 receptions for 886 yards and two scores. To offset the unit's lack of production, the Chiefs have relied more heavily on running back Priest Holmes (who sat out last week because of an injury) and tight end Tony Gonzalez. However, there was still a void and Boerigter has done his part to fill it. In his previous three games, all four of Boerigter's catches went for touchdowns. So how did the Chiefs cap their opening series against San Diego -- going to Boerigter for an 8-yard score. However, he wasn't finished. In the third quarter while backed up at the 1-yard line, Green faked a pass to Mike Cloud that got safety Rogers Beckett out of position. Boerigter got behind the secondary, made the catch and made his ended up in the end zone for a 99-yard score -- tying a league record. "I'm not really the first option on that play," said Boerigter, who has 18 catches for 402 yards and 8 touchdowns this season. "We were trying to throw the ball underneath. They had it smelled out. I don't know if Tony just got held up or what. Trent just stepped up and let it rip." Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com reviews rookie performances. Here are some others who had a significant impact (or not so great outings) this past week:
The second-rounder from Florida was having a decent game until the final moments. With the Chargers down two points and trying to get in field goal range, Drew Brees hit Caldwell across the middle for an 8-yard gain. However, the ball was knocked free as he was spun down by two defenders and recovered by Kansas City. "I was trying to get a few extra yards. I should have gone down," said Caldwell, who had season highs of 4 catches for 53 yards. "I didn't give us a chance. That's the part that's hurting me."
Carr has his name next to one of the league's most dubious records. Carr was sacked three times during the loss to Washington, bringing his total to 73 for the year. The mark surpasses the 72 times Philadelphia's Randall Cunningham was sacked in 1986. "I was trying to break some NFL records when I came into the league, but hopefully not that one," Carr said. "We had some struggles early in the season."
Garrard's second outing against the Titans was much better than his first. The fourth-rounder from East Carolina, intercepted twice and sacked three times in Week 6 at Tennessee, threw his first career touchdown in relief of Mark Brunell in the loss. "There were a lot of things that were real positive out there, but, hopefully, in the future, I can turn a lot of the young mistakes into positives," Garrard said in The Florida Times-Union.
Hutchinson's painful first full season of football since his junior year at Stanford in 1997 is almost over. The former minor league pitcher has completed just 42 passes for 436 yards with 1 touchdown and five interceptions as the Cowboys take a three-game losing streak into next week's finale at Washington. "We need to protect him more and give him more time to throw the ball," offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet said in The Dallas Morning News. "But I still think he is progressing and not making the same mistakes over and over again."
The Miami alumnus seems to be having an impact everywhere except the end zone. Shockey surpassed the century mark for the second time this season, catching 7 passes for 116 yards the rout of Indianapolis that kept the Giants alive in the playoff race. Shockey's most impressive moment came in the second quarter when he barreled over Indy's David Gibson on way to a 24-yard gain. Tiki Barber finished the drive with a scoring run. For the season, Shockey has 64 receptions and 1 touchdown.
James C. Black is the assistant NFL editor for ESPN.com. |
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