Tyreek Hill’s speed, and gravity, pose problems for NFL defenses

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season saw the return of something football fans have been seeing for over eight years.

Tyreek Hill creating an explosive play for a touchdown.

The Miami Dolphins receiver created headlines in the hours leading up to the team’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he was detained and then — as seen on video — physically restrained and violently taken to the ground by police officers as the traffic stop quickly escalated.

Hours later, Hill was in the end zone.

The Dolphins run a crossing concept on this play, with Hill running the deep post route and Jaylen Waddle running the crossing route underneath. The Jaguars run single-high coverage here, dropping one safety down to try and rob underneath crossing routes. While that safety initially is shaded towards Hill, they turn and jump Waddle’s route as Hill stays deep, his route taking him towards the free safety.

Still, Hill’s pure speed sees him get the angle on both the cornerback trailing him in man coverage, as well as the safety, and the play is an 80-yard touchdown on a great throw from Tua Tagovailoa.

But a completion from earlier in the game demonstrates just how dangerous Hill — and his “gravity” — is to opposing defenses.

On this play from earlier in the third quarter Hill and Waddle are again aligned on opposite sides of the field. Hill runs a curl route, while Waddle runs the deep crossing route over the top.

Jacksonville drops into Cover 2 and with a pair of safeties deep they should have Waddle’s deeper route covered. But watch how the threat of Hill puts the safety on that side of the field in a bind, and how Tagovailoa plays to that threat:

As Hill starts his route, the safety to his side of the field gets depth and — if he stayed on his drop — he would be in position to help on Waddle’s deep route. But that’s when Tagovailoa, after a run fake, flashes his eyes towards Hill, adding a little “shoulder pump” to sell the defender on a throw to Hill.

The safety drives downhill, and as they do so, Tagovailoa resets and throws a strike over his head, into the waiting arms of Waddle streaking across the field. The opposite safety, expecting help, can do nothing but try and chase him down.

This is what the “gravity” of Hill can do to defenses, and this is what the Buffalo Bills will have to contend with tonight.