- Christian Kirk put together a career day: The veteran carried in each of his eight targets for a career-high 144 yards, earning a league-leading 91.8 PFF grade.
- Matthew Golden had his breakout performance in his last rookie outing: It was a quiet year for the first-rounder, but he managed four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown against the Bears and earned an elite 90.0 PFF grade.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
After diving into the top wide receivers by receiving PFF grades all year, we’re doing the same for the wild card round. These were the five highest-rated wide receivers during the opening week of the playoffs. To be eligible, players had to have recorded a minimum of 15 receiving snaps.
1. Christian Kirk, Houston Texans (91.8)
Kirk was unstoppable against the Steelers, carrying in each of his eight targets for a career-high 144 yards. It was also his first competition in the 100 meters since 2023.
Kirk enjoyed his matches against Brandin Echols. He got behind the cornerback for a 36-yard diving catch on a third-down play in the first quarter. He later secured an interception against Echols and went six yards for a touchdown to give Houston its first score of the game. Kirk closed out the third quarter by beating Echols downfield in single coverage for a 46-yard gain on another third down play.
He got the best of Echols again late in the fourth quarter, this time with a bottom goal from 33 yards deep into Pittsburgh territory, with the Texans 13 yards ahead.
Kirk averaged 6.26 yards per route run and 7.0 yards after the catch per reception in the game. He finished the game with six first downs and generated a perfect passer rating when targeted.
The 29-year-old was a third weapon against the Steelers. He has caught 18 passes on 28 conversion down targets for 232 yards and 12 first downs this season. Kirk has made four explosive gains on those plays and is averaging 5.3 yards after the catch per reception. He leads Houston’s receiver group in threat percentage (23.9%) and PFF receives a grade (69.8) on third and fourth down plays.
These efforts advanced the Texans to the divisional round, where they will face the Patriots. Kirk enters the matchup with 36 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns in his eighth season. Half of his receptions this season have gone on first downs (18), and he has also made six catches of more than 15 yards.
2. Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (90.0)
Golden hauled in four of six targets for 84 yards and a touchdown – the first of his NFL career. The score came with just under seven minutes left in the game, when he took a 23-yard screen pass into the end zone, breaking three tackles along the way.
That wasn’t Golden’s only explosive win. He was also able to break away from Jaylon Johnson for a 36-yard pickup early in the second quarter. He also recorded a first down on every catch.
Golden finished his rookie campaign having caught 33 of 46 targets for 445 yards. He moved the chains 20 times and recorded 11 catches of more than 15 yards en route to a PFF grade of 72.5 this season — fifth-best among rookie receivers.
The first-rounder registered PFF receiving grades of 83.9 or better at every depth of field, with his best work coming from beyond 10 yards. He caught seven of eight intermediate targets for 90 yards and earned a PFF grade of 94.9 on those plays. Most of his receiving yards this season came on deep passes, of which he caught seven of 15 for 233 yards, leading all rookies with a PFF grade of 98.0 on those plays.
3. Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars (88.6)
Washington scored seven of 10 targets for 107 yards in its first playoff appearance. He made a leaping 34-yard catch up the middle over the Bills’ Cole Bishop with 15 seconds left in the first half. He later worked his way around Christian Benford for a six-yard touchdown catch to give Jacksonville the lead early in the fourth quarter. Washington also recorded a 31-yard catch with just over seven minutes remaining to move the Jaguars deep into Buffalo territory. He finished the game with five first downs while averaging 4.46 yards per route.
Washington had a breakout third season and emerged as Jacksonville’s leading receiver in 2025, with 65 catches for 954 yards and six touchdowns at an adjusted target rate of 28.5%. He was one of the most explosive receivers in the league, with 19 catches of more than 20 yards (tied for sixth-most) while forcing 12 missed tackles.
He racked up 42 first downs, averaged 4.6 yards after the catch per reception and compiled the ninth-most yards after contact (190). Washington also ranked in the top 15 in yards per route run (2.19) among receivers with at least 50 targets this season.
The 6-foot-4 receiver knocked down 19 of 29 contested targets for 261 yards and four touchdowns – both top 10. He racked up 13 first downs (tied for seventh), recorded eight catches of more than 15 yards (tied for fifth) and produced a fifth-ranked 92.1 PFF and received a contested catches grade.
Most of Washington’s receiving yards this season also came in the single digits. He caught 38 passes for 539 yards and 24 first downs on those plays. Three of his six touchdowns this season came from that part of the field, leading to a PFF grade of 85.6 (11th best).
4. Demarcus Robinson, San Francisco 49ers (87.8)
Robinson recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, powered by six catches for 111 yards in the 49ers’ win over the Eagles. He was right out of the gate, beating All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell for a 61-yard gain on the second play from scrimmage, slipping two tackles along the way.
He ended that drive by beating Mitchell again for a two-yard touchdown catch – the first score of the game. Robinson wasn’t done yet, as he stiff-armed Adoree’ Jackson for a 15-yard sideline catch in the second quarter and beat him up the middle again late in the fourth quarter for a 16-yard gain. Robinson averaged 7.3 yards after the catch per reception and 3.96 yards per route, while generating a perfect passer rating when targeted.
The 10th-year pro has caught 28 of 38 targets for 387 yards and 20 first downs this season. He has also secured seven of the nine contested targets. Robinson has managed to widen the field for the 49ers, with six gains of 20-plus yards, while both of his touchdowns this season have come on passes of 10-plus yards.
Most of Robinson’s targets (17) are between 10 and 19 yards downfield, where he has caught 13 passes for 235 yards en route to a team-high PFF grade of 98.0, which was rated at an average level. He has also hauled in four of six targets from more than 20 yards for 97 yards, earning an elite PFF grade of 92.0 for those plays (second best on the team).
5.Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (87.5)
Doubs’ eight catches for 124 yards and a touchdown helped the Packers’ receiving corps lose the team against the Bears. The score came on fourth-and-1 with two minutes left in the second quarter, giving Green Bay a 20-3 lead.
Doubs also recorded three catches of 20-plus yards. He tackled Jaylon Johnson for a 33-yard gain on third-and-short late in the first quarter. Later, he came up the middle with room to run for a 22-yard pickup midway through the fourth quarter and pulled off a spectacular one-handed grab over Kyler Gordon for 34 yards with just over three minutes left.
Doubs collected seven first downs and generated a 140.0 passer rating when targeted in the game. He averaged 5.1 yards after the catch per reception and 3.44 yards per route.
Christian Watson emerged as the Packers’ top receiving option when he returned to the field in Week 8 (team-high 26.4% adjusted target percentage), but it was Doubs who led the team in targets (94), with 63 passes for 848 yards and 48 first downs – also team-highs. The soon-to-be free agent tied Watson with seven touchdown catches and recorded 48 first downs (top-15) and 24 explosive gains.
The fourth-year receiver dominated his single-coverage matchups, leading the Packers with 21 catches for 270 yards on such plays. He averaged 4.8 yards after the catch per reception and ranked in the top 10 in first downs (19) and touchdowns (six) against single coverage, earning a PFF grade of 76.5.
Doubs was also strong in zone coverage, where he caught 36 of 48 targets for 508 yards, a touchdown and 24 first downs. He secured 10 of 16 contested targets en route to a PFF grade of 78.2 on zone looks.
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