Wide receiver Kenny Stills had a career day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as one of the memorable receiving performances in Dolphins history.
Stills finished the game with 180 receiving yards, which tied for seventh-highest total in Dolphins history and the highest since 2012 when Brian Hartline set the team record with 253 yards against the Arizona Cardinals.
It also was the sixth-highest total in the NFL season and the highest so far in November, surpassing the 175 yards compiled by the Colts' T.Y. Hilton against the Houston Texans on Nov. 5.
The 180 yards represented the third-highest receiving total against Tampa Bay since the Buccaneers entered the NFL in 1976. The only two better were the 199 yards by the Giants' Hakeem Nicks in 2012 and the 181 yards by Carolina tight end Greg Olsen last season.
Stills got his 180 yards on seven receptions, the second-highest total of his career and his highest as a member of the Dolphins. Stills averaged 25.7 yards per catch, the fourth-highest average for a Dolphins receiver in a game with at least seven receptions. The highest was the 30.0 yards averaged by Nat Moore against the Jets in 1981 when he had seven catches for 210 yards in a 28-28 tie. Mark Duper had the next two highest averages.
Combining Stills' 180 yards with Kenny Stills's 95 yards against Tampa Bay, the 275 yards represented the ninth-highest total by a pair of Dolphins players in one game. The record is 376 yards by Hartline and Davone Bess in that Arizona game in 2012. The 275 yards was the highest total for a Dolphins tandem since 2005 when Chris Chambers (238) and tight end Randy McMichael (41) combined for 279 against the Buffalo Bills.
Against Tampa Bay, Stills had three catches of 25 yards or longer, topped by his game-tying 61-yard touchdown with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Stills became the seventh different Dolphins player since 1991 with at least three catches of 25 yards or longer. He joined Irving Fryar (did it twice), Brandon Marshall (twice), Hartline, Chambers, Oronde Gadsden and tight end Anthony Fasano, who did it in 2010 in his first stint with the Dolphins.
Stills, who entered the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 2013, set a career high with the 180 yards, surpassing his previous best of 162 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014 when he was a member of the Saints.
Stills' performance marked the 11th time in the NFL this season a player had three receptions of 25 yards or longer.
It was the fifth 100-yard performance of Stills' career and his third since joining the Dolphins via trade in 2015. It also was the first 100-yard receiving performance by a Dolphins player this season.
Breaking down Stills' performance, he did his most damage in the second half when he had six catches for 154 yards after having one catch for 26 yards in the first half.
Stills' first catch came in the first quarter, he had no catches in the second quarter, two catches for 63 yards in the third quarter, and four catches for 91 yards in the fourth.
The 91 fourth-quarter receiving yards represented the seventh-highest total for a Dolphins player since 1991, and was the highest since Landry had 97 yards against the Colts in 2015. It also was tied for fifth-highest fourth-quarter total in the NFL this season.
Stills had 23 yards on first-down catches; 33 yards on second down; and 124 yards on third down. Stills had a 45-yard reception on third-and-13 and an 18-yard catch on third-and-11, helping the Dolphins convert a third-and-11 or longer for the first two times this season.
