The NFL celebrated “National Tight Ends Day” on Sunday with highlight-worthy plays around the league from players at the position.

Across the NFL, 12 touchdowns were scored by tight ends on Sunday. Last season, there were 16 touchdowns scored by tight ends on “National Tight Ends Day,” which was the most for any Sunday in the 2024 season and the most since the holiday began in 2018. It’s the fifth time in the eight years of the holiday in which tight ends have combined for at least 10 touchdowns.

Two players — the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert and the Green Bay Packers’ Tucker Kraft — scored a pair of touchdowns, making them the eighth and ninth players to notch multi-touchdown games on the unofficial holiday. Last season, the Atlanta Falcons’ Kyle Pitts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cade Otton both recorded two scores.

For Goedert, it was his second multiple-touchdown game of the season and came during a 38-10 win against the New York Giants. Goedert caught a 6-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and connected with quarterback Jalen Hurts for a 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. His seven touchdowns this season leads all NFL tight ends.

Goedert has now caught five career touchdowns on “National Tight Ends Day,” the most of any player. Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce is next with four, but he can’t match Goedert this year with the Chiefs playing on “Monday Night Football” against the Washington Commanders.

Kraft helped cap the night on “Sunday Night Football” when he finished off the team’s first possession with a 16-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jordan Love. He added a 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ 35-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was his sixth touchdown of the season, tying him with the Dallas Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson for second among tight ends behind Goedert, and was part of a seven-catch, 143-yard performance.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle made one of the first — and most impressive — scores of the day. Kittle returned last week after missing five games with a hamstring injury. But his impact, at least statistically, was limited. He didn’t record a catch for the first time in his eight-season NFL career, breaking a 114-game streak of catches.

So, it was fitting to see Kittle haul in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones in traffic to put the 49ers on the board against the Houston Texans.

Kittle’s teammate, Jake Tonges, scored his fourth touchdown of the season when he reached up to bring in a 2-yard score in the third quarter. San Francisco lost to Houston 26-15.

Like the 49ers, both touchdowns scored by the Cleveland Browns in their 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots were made by tight ends. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel connected with fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. for an 18-yard score in the first quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, Gabriel found David Njoku for an 11-yard score.

Njoku’s touchdown was his third career “National Tight Ends Day” score, making him one of eight players with three or more. Along with Goedert (5) and Kelce (4), Njoku, Kittle, Kraft, Evan Engram, Mark Andrews and Darren Waller all have three.

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry also got on the board with a 7-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

In a must-win game for the Baltimore Ravens against the Chicago Bears, Charlie Kolar scored his first touchdown of the season.

The most dramatic tight end touchdown came as the New York Jets sealed their first win of the season. With less than two minutes left and the Jets trailing the Cincinnati Bengals 38-32, rookie tight end Mason Taylor snagged a 4-yard catch on a halfback pass from Breece Hall in the back of the end zone. A second-round pick of the Jets this year, the touchdown marked Taylor’s first score of his NFL career.

Tennessee Titans rookie Gunnar Helm also hauled in his first career touchdown on a 1-yard pass from fellow rookie Cam Ward for the lone tight end touchdown of the late-afternoon window.

The tight end position has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its players and how the position is utilized by NFL teams. Kittle, Kelce, and former tight end Greg Olsen founded a yearly summit for tight ends in 2021 called “Tight Ends University,” which allows players at the position to meet and exchange strategies. This year, the summit included a surprise performance from Kelce’s fiancée and megastar, Taylor Swift.

“National Tight Ends Day” began in 2018 due to the suggestion of then-49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. After Garrett Celek and Kittle fueled a Week 2 win against the Detroit Lions, Garoppolo asked Kittle, “What is it, like National Tight Ends Day?” Hence, the tradition was born.