Souhan: NFL receivers are turning ‘Did you see that?!’ into a catchphrase

Before Sunday, no one had ever seen an NFL running back spin away from one tackler, then execute a reverse leapfrog of another.

The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley did that, instantly morphing into a combination of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Simone Biles.

As recently as 10 or 20 years ago, the one-handed catch, like Jordan Addison’s on Sunday night against the Colts, was a unicorn.

In 2024, we have a herd of unicorns — which is, fittingly, called a blessing.

When the Vikings play at Jacksonville on Sunday, don’t be surprised if Justin Jefferson catches the ball between two fingers of his right hand while his left hand plays air-guitar arpeggios, or if someone kicks a 70-yard field goal while executing a somersault.

Former Vikings coach Denny Green once spoke of receiver Cris Carter expanding the parameters of the field with his ability to catch passes thrown four feet out of bounds while keeping his toes inbounds. The modern NFL player viewed receivers like Carter and Randy Moss as pioneers, not pinnacles.

“I was just saying in here that the level of receiving talent, just purely from body awareness and catching ability, is at such a high level,” Vikings safety Harrison Smith said in the locker room this week. “There are multiple catches every week that I feel like — and I could be wrong — you would have seen maybe once a week, or here or there, in the past. Now it’s every game.

“Last week it was Jordan. Jets [Justin Jefferson] is always making catches like that.”

A partial list of one-handed catches in Week 9:

• Jets receiver Garrett Wilson made two one-handed touchdown catches, the more spectacular of the two requiring him to leap above a defender, snag the ball one-handed as he reached back, then touch his knee at the border of the end zone.

• Addison sprinted along the back of the end zone as Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw toward the corner. Addison dove with both arms outstretched, but caught the ball with only his left hand, pinning the ball to his chest as he fell.

• The Eagles’ DaVonta Smith mimicked Wilson, making a one-handed diving catch at the back of the end zone and barely touching down before flying out of bounds.

• Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson caught a 39-yard touchdown pass with one hand in overtime to beat Seattle.

In the NBA, the three-point shot went from a late-game desperation heave to being a core stratagem, as players developed the skill to make the shot and discarded old-school philosophies. In the NFL, skill position players have the ability to execute maneuvers that once were unheard of and un-thought of.

“It was a weekend of back-to-back-to-back great catches,” Vikings running back Aaron Jones said. “I think that’s just a testament to how talented this league is.”

Addison said he doesn’t practice catching the ball with one hand, but that Jefferson does. “Yeah, he does it all the time,” Addison said. “He’s got that in his bag.”

The modern receiver’s bag of tricks has become more like a magician’s closet.

“When I was growing up, I remember Randy Moss making catches like that,” Vikings receiver Brandon Powell said. “Him and Calvin Johnson were maybe the only ones.”

Now? “Each and every week, there seems to be a play or two where you have no idea how it happened,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “That makes our league what it is. Every Sunday I’m just blown away by what I see on offense, defense, kickers making it from 60 yards …”

Jerry Rice is the greatest receiver, and perhaps the greatest player, in NFL history. No one else holds the statistical advantage he does over everyone else at his position.

He didn’t make many one-handed catches. He probably didn’t even think about it.

Now we’re seeing even backup receivers make one-handed catches while defenders grab their arms.

“I’m a defensive player, but I have an appreciation for how hard it is to do that,” Smith said. “It’s good for the game. And it’s great when our guys do it.”