DETROIT -- The Lions lost a Hall of Fame-caliber receiver this year, but gained another. And against the Bears, he continued to improve his credentials.
Anquan Boldin moved into the top 10 in career catches during Sunday's game against Chicago at Ford Field. He entered the day with 1,061, and needing just one to match Andre Johnson for 10th in NFL history.
He got there on a first-down catch late in the second quarter of a 3-3 game with the Bears. He moved past Johnson moments later -- and did so on a 16-yard touchdown snag, giving the Lions their first lead at 10-3 with 19 seconds before halftime.
It shouldn't take Boldin long to continue his climb, either. Reggie Wayne is next up, ninth all time with 1,070 catches, while Jason Witten is eighth with 1,072 and Terrell Owens is seventh with 1,078.
For comparison, Calvin Johnson racked up 731 catches before retiring in March after nine seasons with the Lions. He has a great shot to make the Hall because of how uncoverable he was for so long. A great case can be made he was the best receiver of his generation.
But his candidacy could be hurt where Boldin's is best made: Longevity.
At 36, Boldin is continuing to play well. His addition was overshadowed by that of the big-money Marvin Jones, but he's proven to actually been the club's best free-agent signing this year. He entered the Bears game with 52 catches for 432 yards and a team-high six touchdowns.
He doesn't run like he used to, but Boldin is big enough and smart enough to know how to use his body to win the short shorts. And because of that, he has been Matthew Stafford's favorite target both on third downs and in the red zone.
Entering today, Boldin had caught 16 balls that moved the chains on third down. That's a team high, and sixth best in the league.
"He's been great really since Day 1," Stafford said last week. "It was pretty incredible just how he stepped in and jumped right in. I didn't know if he was going to, in training camp, take a couple weeks. (Then) he's practicing with the first-string offense Day 1, and has really not missed a beat since then.
"He's a true professional -- a guy that's going to get Hall of Fame consideration when he's done. The guy's moving up the charts of catches and touchdowns and yards and all that. It's incredible, it's really fun to play with a guy that's that accomplished and still has such a great hunger for the game, the guy's as competitive as anybody on our team. That shows with his third-down receptions, his red-zone receptions. The guy wants to help us win any way he can."
NFL all-time catches list coming into Sunday
1. Jerry Rice 1,549 (303 games)
2. Tony Gonzalez 1,325 (270 games)
3. Larry Fitzgerald 1,106 (198 games*)
4. Marvin Harrison 1,102 (190 games)
5. Cris Carter 1,101 (234 games)
6. Tim Brown 1,094 (255 games)
7. Terrell Owens 1,078 (219 games)
8. Jason Witten 1,072 (219 games*)
9. Reggie Wayne 1,070 (211 games)
10. Andre Johnson 1,062 (193 games)
11. Anquan Boldin 1,061 (198 games*)
* -- denotes active player