Anquan Boldin is proof that age is just a number to a properly motivated athlete.
Boldin, 36, hauled in eight catches for 60 yards and a touchdown last Sunday to help Detroit beat Los Angeles, 31-28, and improve to 3-3 on the season.
Boldin is now tied with Marvin Jones for the team lead with 29 receptions. His three touchdowns are one behind Jones' four.
Boldin's performance last week has also moved him up the NFL's all-time receiving charts.
He passed former St. Louis Rams receiver Torry Holt for No. 15 in league history in receiving yards.
Boldin entered the game with 13,379 yards – three behind Holt, who had 13,382 yards from 1999 to 2009.
Boldin has now amassed 13,439 career receiving yards. Next up the ladder from him in yards is either Larry Fitzgerald, who is still active with 13,776 yards, or Henry Ellard, who had 13,777 yards from 1983 to 1998.
Boldin's 4-yard touchdown catch vs. the Rams was the 77th of his career, tying Joey Galloway and Steve Smith for No. 28 all-time.
Boldin has been a terrific addition to Detroit's offense in the slot. He's become not only a security blanket for quarterback Matthew Stafford, but also a trusted playmaker.
Here's a look at some other key stats – good and bad – after five weeks of football:
- Stafford ranks second among NFL quarterbacks with a 68.9 completion percentage. He's third with 14 touchdowns, and his quarterback rating of 106.0 is also third best.
- Stafford's 139.8 passer rating against the Rams last week set a single-game franchise record among Lions passers with 30-plus pass attempts.
- Detroit's offense ranks No. 1 in the NFL at converting on 3rd & 10 or longer situations. While the NFL average is just 20.7 percent, the Lions have recorded a first down 40 percent of the time they've found themselves in that tough spot.
- Lions pass catchers have dropped 8.2 percent of the catchable passes thrown their way this season. It's the fifth-highest percentage in the league.
- WR Golden Tate's 165-yard outing vs. the Rams was his ninth career 100-yard game and sixth since joining the Lions. He now has three career 150-yard games, all since signing with Detroit in 2014. Including the playoffs, Tate now has 10 career 100-yard games.
- Opposing offenses are converting on third down at a 49.3 percent clip on the Lions defense, the highest percentage in the NFL.
- Rookie DT A'Shawn Robinson knocked down his third pass of the season to become the first Lions defensive tackle with 3-plus pass defenses through the first six games of the season since DT Corey Williams (3) in 2010.
- Teams are averaging just 4.8 yards per punt return against the Lions. Only Buffalo (3.1) is allowing a lower average. That statistic speaks to how good Lions punter Sam Martin is, along with gunners Don Carey and Johnson Bademosi.
