The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 victory over the Miami Dolphins included one of the most exciting plays of the club’s 2023 season, involving former star wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Late in the second, the Chiefs were on defense at their 30-yard line, trying to protect a 14-0 lead. On 2nd and six, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connected with Hill on a WR screen. However, the former Chief was immediately met with cornerback Trent McDuffie, who swiped the ball out of Hill’s hands, causing a fumble. The ball was picked up by safety Mike Edwards, who attempted to move upfield but was wrapped up by Hill, trying to bring him down. But just before Edwards was tackled, he lateralled the ball to teammate Bryan Cook, who found a lain up the Miami sideline for a clear road to the end zone and scored a 59-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs out in front 21-0 before halftime.
Thanks to a brilliant defensive performance in the second half, Kansas City secured a 21-14 win in front of a German crowd. After the game, Edwards broke down what led to his decision to pitch the ball to Cook instead of letting the offense come back onto the field.
“So once I got it, I felt Tyreek (Hill) on my ankle,” He explained. “So I was about to get tackled. And I was like, Nah, we have to get this home, we got to do something else. So I looked back and saw my boy BC (Bryan Cook). And I was like, I trust him. You gotta have trust to do some stuff like that, but I trusted him. I just pushed it back, and he did the rest.”
Tyreek Hill began his career as a household name and a star playmaker who helped Kansas City win its first Super Bowl under head coach Andy Reid. After he was traded to the Miami Dolphins two offseasons ago, Hill rubbed many fans in KC the wrong way by trash-talking and speaking negatively about the franchise he began his pro career with on his personal podcast. In the week leading up to the game, Hill boasted that he would be the Chiefs’ “worst enemy” on Sunday.
Instead, poetic justice ensued as Hill became his own worst enemy, finishing with eight catches for 62 receiving yards. Even more fitting, the picks used to draft McDuffie and Cook were acquired by the Chiefs from the trade that sent the Cheetah to the Dolphins in the first place.
So, while it’s great to see Kansas City put another game in the win column, the lateral score off of a Tyreek Hill fumble makes the Chiefs’ latest victory a little sweeter.
