The NFL came back with a bang on Thursday night as the New England Patriots hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in what became the type of shootout to get you bursting with excitement for the new season if you weren't already.
The Patriots started strong but Kansas City held in before taking the lead in the 3rd quarter thanks to a big play from second-year wide-receiver Tyreek Hill, and then running away with it in the 4th ending up 42-27 winners. Last season Hill emerged as one of the most promising young players in the league largely due to his ridiculous pace which comes from his background in athletics and it soon showed.
When Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith connected with Hill on a 75-yard touchdown bomb in the third quarter, the commentators were given sufficient time to roll a clip that demonstrates just how fast he is.
When Hill was in high school he set a 200m personal best of 20.14 seconds. That is so fast that if he ran it in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics he would have placed in 5th. This incredible stat was put into perspective by a clip of that final with Hill's time for comparison.
With that type of speed, Tyreek Hill probably should be an Olympic sprinter, but he just happens to be able to catch exceptionally well in addition to that, making him a pretty lethal weapon in the NFL. In fact, that score set a record at five consecutive regular season games with a 60+ yard touchdown reception.
Impressive stuff, although the best American football parody account on Twitter sums it up best.
I'll tell ya what, Tyreek Hill is so quick it's almost like he's running down a hill. Think about that one for a second, man. I love it
— Jon Gruden (@Faux_Gruden) September 8, 2017
This would have been very good news for those of you who drafted Tyreek Hill in fantasy, as the Patriots defence did a decent job of holding Hill and tight-end Travis Kelce in the first half, but he still managed to put up big numbers... However, he did limp out of the game in the 4th quarter. Hopefully it's not too serious.
The reigning Superbowl champs upset in the season opener.
