National TE Day winners and losers: Davis Allen, Mason Taylor shine; Isaiah Likely, Sam LaPorta have holiday duds originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Tight ends around the NFL celebrated National Tight End Day on Sunday, but some enjoyed the occasion more than others.
While a few of the league's most prominent tight ends put up big performances in Week 7, others poured cold water on the idea that the football holiday is a haven for elite play at the position.
Only two tight ends scored multiple touchdowns on Sunday, and neither is a name you would expect to hear.
Here's a look at who stood out and who disappointed on National Tight End Day.
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Sunday was a disastrous day for the Jets in terms of the on-field result, but Taylor was a major reason why the offense was able to move the ball fairly well. Once unsure about his role with Kenyon Sadiq in the fold, Taylor proved he was worth the playing time on Sunday with five catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns after scoring only one touchdown in his rookie season.
The Cardinals couldn't keep up with the Broncos in Sunday, but McBride did his thing with 10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown to lead all tight ends in yards in Week 7.
Allen only had four catches for 20 yards on Sunday against the Raiders , but two touchdowns is two touchdowns. The former fifth-round pick entered the day with only six catches on the year but found the end zone twice in a critical bounce-back win for a desperate Rams team.
The 49ers needed a pass-catcher to step up with Mike Evans out, and Kittle answered the call with eight catches for 88 yards for his highest-receiving game since Dec. 22, 2025.
How did the Dolphins get their first win? Well, Greg Dulcich was a major reason. The former Broncos tight end had five catches for 86 yards against the Jets, coming with one yard of his career-high on a National Tight End Day to be proud of.
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Fresh off a pretty clear message to the Lions that he's prepared to leave unless the team ups its contract offer, LaPorta put up just one catch for 18 yards against the Packers . With big days from Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, however, Detroit picked up a win over the Packers.
Sunday's game in Paris certainly wasn't what Juwan Johnson envisioned, as the Saints tight end had just one catch for seven yards and had one fewer reception than tight end teammate Noah Fant in a loss to the Steelers .
Likely has been a terrific addition for the Giants after reuniting with John Harbaugh, but he wasn't much of a factor in the team's win over the Texans on Sunday. While Malik Nabers, Malachi Fields and Cam Skattebo all had big days, Likely had just two catches for 12 yards in his least productive game of the season.
On the other side of Taylor's big day was a letdown for anyone expecting Kenyon Sadiq to break out for the Jets. With a prime opportunity to move the ball against the Dolphins, Geno Smith only looked Sadiq's way once for a six-yard completion.
The Bengals came to life in the second half on Sunday, scoring 35 points in two quarters to turn a 13-0 deficit into a 35-13 win over the Ravens. Gesicki was part of it, as he scored one of five Cincinnati touchdowns, but that was surprisingly his only catch of the day.
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