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Breathe easy, Chiefs Kingdom. Tyreek Hill is going to be fine.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro receiver, who pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury late in Sundays’ 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins, merely suffered a leg cramp and is not expected to miss any time.
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Chiefs Stars Leading NFL in Receiving
The Kansas City speedster continued his dominant scoring pace in Week 14, posting 111 scrimmage yards and another pair of touchdowns, including a 32-yard scamper on the ground in the second quarter. It was Hill’s fourth multi-score performance in the last six games, bringing his season total to a league-leading 16 touchdowns (two rushing).
That’s not the only scoring category the fifth-year wideout finds himself on top of either. With his 44-yard touchdown connection from Patrick Mahomes to open the second half, Hill recorded his fifth 40-plus-yard touchdown catch this season, the most of any receiver in the league.
Tyreek Hill’s 40+ yard TD catches over the past four seasons:
2017: 6, most in the NFL
2018: 4, tied-most in the NFL
2019: 4, tied-most in the NFL
2020: 5, most in the NFL
The best vertical wide receiver in the NFL and it isn’t close right now.
Through 13 games, “The Cheetah” has far and away surpassed the totals he set in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign. With three games left to play in the 2020 regular season, Hill has already posted 77 receptions and 1,158 yards on 119 targets, plus an additional 122 yards on 12 carries.
As if Hill wasn’t enough for opposing defensive coordinators to worry about, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is also having a historic season. Like, all-time great.
After recording at least 8 receptions and 100 yards for the fifth time in the last six weeks on Sunday, the 31-year-old All-Pro currently leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,250). No tight end has ever led the category at season’s end, setting up Kelce to leave his mark in the record books.
Kansas City’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee is also now just 128 yards shy of overtaking George Kittle’s single-season receiving record (1,377 yards) for tight ends, which the San Francisco 49ers star set back in 2018. Considering Kelce’s ongoing pace, there is a very real possibility he surpasses the mark next week in a potential Super Bowl preview in New Orleans.
So, just how good is Kelce right now? Just ask the Dolphins secondary.
Kelce: Hill is ‘Deadliest Weapon’ in the NFL
Even with Kelce 70 yards ahead of the next closest receiver in total yards, Hill, currently in fourth place among eligible pass catchers, lurks close behind. Last week, the Chiefs’ superstar tight end was asked about his thoughts on the receiving race between the dynamic duo — and Kelce made sure to choose his words carefully.
Kelce on Tyreek Hill: “That’s the last guy I want to talk trash too.” #Chiefs
Jokes aside, Kelce’s full commentary truly reflects the amount of respect he has for his teammate.
“I say it all the time – he’s the deadliest weapon in the National Football League and then I say that for a reason, man,” Kelce told reporters on December 11. “He can strike up the band at any point in the game no matter if you’re handing the ball off to him or you’re throwing it to him and Tyreek is an unbelievable player on the field, even better dude off the field.
“He’s my brother and it’s a lot of honor and a lot of pride going into the end of this season like this being top of the charts with him knowing how much he works in and how good he is. So just having fun. I know not to poke the bear, man, because he’ll take off in a hurry on me.”
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, CO. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join our Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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Chiefs Get Status Update on Tyreek Hill’s Apparent Leg Injury