The connection between Joe Flacco and David Njoku was on full display right out of the game in Cleveland’s Week 17 matchup with the Jets. In just the first quarter alone, the tight end reeled in all four of his targets for 113 yards. That’s the most receiving yards by a tight end in the first quarter since at least 1991 (as far back as the quarter-by-quarter splits go). This explosion by Njoku bests the previous record of 106 held by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who accomplished that feat back in 2016 on Christmas.
Njoku got most of his yardage on two chunk plays in the first quarter. On the opening drive of the game, Flacco connected with his tight end for a 36-yard gain that put the Browns inside Jets territory and moved the chains on third-and-15.
That conversion ultimately led to the first points of the game with Flacco hitting running back Jerome Ford for a 7-yard touchdown pass to give Cleveland the lead. After the Jets answered with a quick touchdown drive of their own, Njoku again flipped the field for the Browns, making a one-handed reception on a third-and-12 at the 50-yard line that went for 43 yards.
While Njoku did have a historic first quarter — and finished with 134 yards on six catches in the Browns’ 37-20 win — he couldn’t get near the tight end single-game record, which belongs to Shannon Sharpe (214 yards).
This is just the second time this season that Njoku has gone over 100 receiving yards in a game, let alone a single quarter. He put together a 10-catch, 104-yard performance back in Week 15 against Chicago.
