Green Bay Packers receiver Jayden Reed leads all NFL receivers in catches of at least 20 yards and total explosive plays through the first four weeks of the 2024 season (pending Monday night’s results).
Reed added three more catches of 20 or more yards on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, bringing his season total to seven — which is tied with Nico Collins, Jauan Jennings and Malik Nabers for the NFL lead.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Reed is a tone setter for the Packers.
“I love the energy he brings. And it’s not just gameday, it’s every day,” LaFleur said. “We’re lucky to have a guy like that. He’s a tone-setter. He really is. I love the way he competes and prepares for every battle.”
Reed also has four rushing attempts of at least 15 yards, giving him 11 total explosive plays in four games. He ranks seventh among NFL players and second among receivers with 427 total yards. His 18.6-yard average per touch is first among players with at least 250 scrimmage yards.
LaFleur said Reed had three impressive catches against the Vikings. The first was a 15-yard touchdown catch right before the half that got the Packers back into the game. He later added a 42-yard catch and 21-yard catch on the Packers’ lightning-fast scoring drive late in the fourth quarter.
With Love under center in Week 1, Reed had catches of 70 yards, 33 yards and 26 yards.
With the Packers more focused on the run game with Malik Willis under center in Weeks 2 and 3, Reed turned 10 total touches into 115 total yards.
In Weeks 1 and 4, Reed produced 312 total yards — including 138 receiving yards in the opener and 139 receiving yards (new career-high) on Sunday.
It’s obviously early, but Reed is averaging a ridiculous 15.3 yards per target (second in NFL) and 3.17 yards per route run (third, tied with Justin Jefferson).
The Packers are expecting to be without Christian Watson for at least week, potentially giving Reed more opportunities to create game-changing plays in the coming weeks. Green Bay goes to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday.
Through four games, Reed is on pace for almost 1,200 total yards and 11 total touchdowns.