SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks five-game winning streak may have come to an end Sunday, but wide receiver Doug Baldwin extended his streak of being the best wide receiver in the National Football League for at least one more week.
Baldwin caught a touchdown for a fifth consecutive game and now has 11 touchdowns in those five games, something that has been done just four times in NFL history. The only other players with that accomplishment are San Francisco 49er great Jerry Rice in 1987, Oakland’s Art Powell in 1963 and Green Bay’s Sterling Sharpe in 1994.
Baldwin’s touchdown in Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the Rams was his 14th of the season and set the Seahawks’ record for touchdown receptions in a season, surpassing Daryl Turner’s mark set in 1985.
“To score 14 touchdowns, he’s an All-Pro type receiver, obviously,” Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson said. “His stats show it. It’s hard to cover him.”
What is perhaps most remarkable about Baldwin’s past five games is Sunday’s game is the only one in which he didn’t have multiple touchdown receptions. The streak started with three against the Pittsburgh Steelers and continued with two against the Minnesota Vikings, three against the Baltimore Ravens and two against the Cleveland Browns.
Baldwin caught eight passes for 118 yards to go along with his touchdown and became the first Seahawks’ receiver to go over 1,000 yards since Bobby Engram in 2007.
“It was so exciting,” Wilson said. “I told him after the game that I was really happy for him. Doug Baldwin’s work ethic is unrelenting. He’s a true champion on and off the field.
“You watch him and his ability to make plays and all of that, you’re not surprised,” Wilson added. “For him to go over 1,000 yards is exciting for him, I know that. He doesn’t care about the personal accolades or anything like that.”
After holding a lead in 62 consecutive regular-season games, an NFL record, Seattle never led Sunday, but Baldwin kept his team in the game.
Trailing 16-3 early in the third quarter, Baldwin caught a 28-yard pass on a 3rd-and-31 to move the ball to the St. Louis 30-yard line. Baldwin sacrificed his body at the end of the play with an acrobatic dive that would have been good enough for a first down had he not stepped out prior to the leap.
The big play gave the Seahawks a manageable attempt at a fourth-down conversion and Wilson was able to convert with a 13-yard pass to tight end Cooper Helfet.
Three plays later Baldwin caught his lone touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Wilson.
While Wilson had plenty to say about his star receiver, Baldwin, as usual, downplayed his accomplishments and said he won’t be reflecting on them any time soon.
“I’ll think about it when I retire,” Baldwin said.
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