Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill became the first player in the NFL’s Super Bowl era to reach 1,100 receiving yards nine games into a season.
During the Dolphins’ 35-32 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the former West Alabama standout caught seven passes for 143 yards and one touchdown.
Hill became the first player in the NFL with 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 as he pushed his total to 1,104 yards on 76 receptions.
The previous Super Bowl era high for receiving yards in the first nine games of the season had been 1,073 by St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce in 1995.
Three players had more receiving yards nine games into a season than Hill in the pre-Super Bowl era. Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch had 1,162 for the Los Angeles Rams in 1951, Raymond Berry had 1,147 for the Baltimore Colts in 1960 and Charley Hennigan had 1,122 for the Houston Oilers in 1961.
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Hill recorded his fifth game of 2022 with at least 140 receiving yards – the 15th time a player has had at least five such games in a season. Seven players have recorded four games with at least 140 receiving yards in the first nine games of a season, but Hill is the first with five such games at that point in a campaign.
Hill scored his third touchdown of the season on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as Miami took a 14-10 lead with 10:39 left in the first half.
Hill passed 1,000 yards for the 2022 season on a 39-yard reception in the second quarter. After the game, Miami coach Mike McDaniel explained the play.
“There are certain times where you can utilize his unparalleled zero-to-60 burst,” McDaniel said. “In that particular play, he was an option for the quarterback that if they gave us a certain coverage and they were attacking internally with man coverage, attacking internally on the inside part of the field, that he’d be able to find his way through traffic and we could layer something out there. It’s something that you’re not really afforded that option to do a play like that that comes up a ton. With our players, we’re able to do some pretty cool stuff that is just kind of like abstract creative thought with a lot of guys. But with him in particular, he can find his way through traffic, and then the key is that him and Tua are on the same page, which they were, and it was a very big play in the second quarter.”
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Hill was among the 31 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the ninth Sunday of the NFL’s 103rd season.
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Six other former state players were involved in the Miami-Chicago game:
· Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) started at fullback for the Bears.
· Dolphins outside linebacker Trey Flowers (Columbia) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Bears. Mooney caught seven passes for 43 yards and one touchdown. Mooney’s first 2022 touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from quarterback Justin Fields with 1:53 left in the first half as Chicago cut Miami’s lead to 21-17.
· Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville) started at linebacker for the Bears. Morrow made four tackles and broke up a pass.
· Dolphins running back LaMical Perine (Theodore) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
In the other Sunday games:
Los Angeles Chargers 20, Atlanta Falcons 17
· Chargers tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) caught five passes for 36 yards.
Cincinnati Bengals 42, Carolina Panthers 21
· Panthers running back Spencer Brown (Mortimer Jordan, UAB) ran for 16 yards on three carries and caught two passes for 10 yards. The receptions were the first of Brown’s NFL career. Carolina elevated Brown from its practice squad to make him eligible to play on Sunday.
· Bengals cornerback Allan George (Andalusia) played but did not record any stats in his NFL debut. Cincinnati elevated George from its practice squad to make him eligible to play on Sunday.
· Panthers cornerback Tae Hayes (Decatur) made two tackles.
· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made six extra points and missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt.
· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made two tackles.
Detroit Lions 15, Green Bay Packers 9
· Lions guard Logan Stenberg (James Clemens) played but did not record any stats.
Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Las Vegas Raiders 20
· Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) caught an 8-yard pass and returned two kickoffs for 21 yards.
· Josh Allen (Abbeville) started at weakside linebacker for the Jaguars. Allen made three tackles.
· Raiders defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) made three tackles and registered a tackle for loss.
· Jaguars tight end Gerrit Prince (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Jaguars defensive end/outside linebacker Jordan Smith (UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Darious Williams (UAB) started at cornerback for the Jaguars. Williams made four tackles and broke up a pass.
· Jaguars center Darryl Williams (Bessemer City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
New England Patriots 26, Indianapolis Colts 3
· Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) made one tackle and returned three punts for 34 yards and one kickoff for 32 yards.
New York Jets 20, Buffalo Bills 17
· Kwon Alexander (Oxford) started at linebacker for the Jets. Alexander made three tackles and shared a sack.
· Jets defensive end Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) sacked quarterback Josh Allen on Buffalo’s final possession of the game and caused him to fumble. Although the Bills recovered the loose football at their 14-yard line, the play resulted in a 19-yard loss and ran more than one-half minute off the clock. After two Buffalo incompletions, New York kneeled out the final 24 seconds of the game.
· Bills cornerback Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) made a tackle on special teams.
· Quincy Williams (Wenonah) started at linebacker for the Jets. Williams made four tackles and registered a tackle for loss.
Minnesota Vikings 20, Washington Commanders 17
· Bobby McCain (Oxford) started at free safety for the Commanders. McCain made eight tackles, registered a tackle for loss and broke up a pass.
· Commanders running back J.D. McKissic (Central-Phenix City) was designated as a game-day inactive. McKissic did not practice last week because of a neck injury.
· Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) took his first snap of the season when starter Kirk Cousins left with an injury in the fourth quarter. Mullens had a completion that lost 3 yards before Cousins returned after missing only one play.
· Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) made a tackle on special teams.
· Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at outside linebacker for the Vikings. Smith made five tackles, registered three quarterback hits and broke up two passes.
Seattle Seahawks 31, Arizona Cardinals 21
· Cardinals center Rodney Hudson (B.C. Rain) was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury sidelined Hudson for the fifth game in a row
· Mike Jackson (Spain Park) started at left cornerback for the Seahawks. Jackson made six tackles and registered a tackle for loss.
· Christian Matthew (Samford) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Cardinals offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons (Selma) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16, Los Angeles Rams 13
· Chandler Brewer (Florence) started at right guard for the Rams. Brewer made his first NFL start and played his first offensive snaps since the 2019 season after being signed off the Los Angeles’ practice squad on Saturday.
· Buccaneers defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) made two tackles and recorded his first sack since the 2017 season.
· Buccaneers safety Nolan Turner (Vestavia Hills) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Kansas City Chiefs 20, Tennessee Titans 17 (OT)
· Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) started at inside linebacker for the Titans. Cunningham made four tackles.
· Ben Jones (Bibb County) started at center for the Titans.
· Titans linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) made one tackle on special teams.
· Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Chiefs defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth (Murphy) made two tackles.
· Kadarius Toney (Blount) started at wide receiver for the Chiefs. Toney caught two passes for 12 yards in his first opportunity to play since being traded to Kansas City by the New York Giants. Toney had not played since Sept. 18.
Week 9 started on Thursday night, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Houston Texans 29-17. Cornerback James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) intercepted a pass as the Eagles improved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Week 9 concludes on Monday, when the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints square off at 7:15 p.m. CST at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
