NFL's National Tight End Day Lived Up To The Hype In 2024
Every NFL season, there is a week of special appreciation around the league for tight ends. National Tight Ends Day falls on the fourth Sunday in October every year. The unofficial holiday always gives the position a bump in statistics, but in 2024 it turned into a different animal. Tight ends turned it up a notch in week eight, breaking records nobody knew existed.
Breaking Records
On Sunday, October 27, 2024, tight ends in the NFL banded together to break records. 13 different tight ends found the endzone on week eight’s Sunday slate. There were only five games that didn’t include a tight end touchdown. NFL tight ends caught 177 passes, breaking the record for receptions by the position in a single day in league history. They also combined for 16 total touchdowns, the most by the position in a single day.
Tight ends that caught a touchdown were Adam Trautman, Travis Kelce, Dalton Kincaid, David Njoku, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Evan Engram, Tyler Conklin, Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, George Kittle, and two each from Kyle Pitts and Cade Otton. A lengthy list that includes some legends of the game alongside guys that some fans have never heard of puts the spotlight on the greatness of the position.
NFL’s Unrecognized Greatness
Even the tight ends that didn’t find the endzone played well. Trey McBride caught nine passes for 124 yards against the Bengals. Mike Gesicki hauled in seven receptions for 73 yards against the Eagles. Travis Kelce found the endzone for the first time this season and enjoyed his best game of the year. He caught ten passes for 90 yards. NFL fans have been waiting for him to have this game all season.
Some games even saw both teams record a tight end touchdown on Sunday. Ravens against Browns, Packers versus Jaguars, and Falcons against Buccaneers all saw fiery tight end duels. Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions got both tight ends into the endzone in their blowout of the Titans. Unfortunately, Vikings tight end Josh Oliver was early to the party when he scored a touchdown on Thursday Night Football.
Happy Ending On TE Day
It was fitting that the football gods set up the founding father of the NFL’s official holiday with a chance to wrap things up on Sunday Night Football. George Kittle faced off against the rival Dallas Cowboys with an opportunity to put a stamp on the holiday that he invented. Kittle took full advantage of the opportunity, posting 128 yards and a touchdown on six receptions in primetime.
Tight end day saw its usual customers show up and perform like they do weekly in the NFL. Legends like Kelce, Kittle, and Andrews have been at the forefront of appreciation for the position for a while now and they’re ushering in the next generation of great tight ends. Guys like LaPorta, Kincaid, and McBride are all doing a great job of continuing the greatness of the NFL’s most underappreciated position.