Who Won The NFL Weekend? Tyreek Hill, The New Most Exciting Man In Football

Back in 2002 and 2003, Dante Hall might have been the most exciting player in football. Dubbed “The Human Joystick,” he scored multiple kick and punt returns in consecutive seasons, and he did it in audacious fashion (watch that one on mute), with jukes and cutbacks that would be considered suicide for anybody a millisecond slower than him.

Fast forward to 2016, and the Chiefs again have the most dangerous return man in the league — rookie Tyreek Hill.

Hill was a fifth-round pick due to a combination of his anonymous college (West Alabama), his diminutive size (5’10, 185) and possibly, his conviction for beating and choking his pregnant girlfriend that got him kicked out of Oklahoma State University and put on probation until 2018. But his speed was no mystery. He ran a blazing 4.24 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and now he’s out here putting that speed to work.

Hill scored all three touchdowns for the Chiefs in their 30-27 win at the last gasp of overtime, and the Chiefs utilized his speed in various ways. Hill isn’t just a kick return specialist; he proved that by breaking a tackle from Von Miller on this Wildcat sweep play for the first rushing touchdown of his career:

Hill has also shown the ability to be a traditional slot receiver, as his grab on an in-breaking route — in traffic — was what helped tie the game in the last seconds of regulation for the Chiefs.

Even all three touchdowns don’t paint the full picture of what Hill did for the Chiefs on Sunday night. In order for the Chiefs to get in that position, they needed to convert a fourth-and-10 on that final drive, and it was an 11-yard reception from Hill that got the job done. After his rushing touchdown, Hill was also the decoy on a number of fake jet sweeps that gave Kansas City running backs breathing room with the Broncos’ fierce defensive line.

The Chiefs wouldn’t have won without the return of Justin Houston to their pass rush, as he sacked Trevor Siemian three times and got in the backfield more than that with five total tackles for a loss and three additional QB pressures. With Dee Ford and Tamba Hali also playing at high levels, plus the aforementioned gifts of Hill, all of a sudden Kansas City doesn’t look so held back by having Alex Smith at quarterback. At 8-3 and with a win over their division rivals, they’re in excellent playoff position, and with Tyreek, they might be must-watch football.

Other Week 12 Winners

Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosberg: Up less than a touchdown and forced to punt on fourth down with seconds remaining (but too many to take a knee), the Ravens didn’t want to give the Bengals a chance to come up with any kooky final plays to win the game. So, rather than risk botching a directed punt or giving up an unlikely return, they had every single blocker commit holding as punter Sam Koch ran out the clock in the backfield. It was dastardly, it was original, and it was effective, since the Ravens were still technically on offense at the time and thus could legally end the game on a penalty. Expect this idea to be given the highest form of respect this offseason when it’s made illegal.

Taylor Gabriel: The Atlanta Falcons have taken some bad losses this year and the Cardinals are no longer one of the best teams in the NFL, but they’re still a talented defense, as they showed by limiting Julio Jones to four catches and 35 yards on seven targets. Needing a solution besides their do-everything receiver to make something happen on offense, the Falcons turned to a Browns castoff, gave him a couple of short passes, and let him go to work:

The Falcons didn’t forget where Gabriel came from, either. They let the Browns know what their old player was getting up to down in Atlanta:

https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/802974210276675584

As long as the Falcons’ defense remains middling, they’ll need more than Julio Jones to keep pace on offense. A versatile weapon like Taylor Gabriel will keep defenses honest, which means more crazy performances from Julio are probably in store.

Joey Bosa: His first offseason was defined by his contract holdout which was so bizarrely handled by the Chargers, but since Bosa actually started playing for the Chargers in Week 5, he’s been one of the best defensive ends in football. He only recorded half a sack in San Diego’s win over the Houston Texans, but he recorded more pressures and tackles for loss, and Pro Football Focus graded him behind only the aforementioned Houston, Von Miller and Khalil Mack at his position for Week 12. That’s rarefied air for a rookie, and a sign that we may be witnessing the birth of the next defensive superstar. Good thing the Chargers went 1-3 before he showed up because they were worried about paying him for his full contract if they needed to cut him before the end of his rookie deal, huh?