Tyreek Hill comes to the defense of Marquez Valdes-Scantling after WR faced flak for dropping the game-winning TD pass against the Eagles

Tyreek Hill gives his two cents on Marquez Valdes-Scantling's game-winning incomplete catch against the Eagles.


Tyreek Hill comes to the defense of Marquez Valdes-Scantling after WR faced flak for dropping the game-winning TD pass against the Eagles

Tyreek Hill and Marquez Valdez-Scantling (via NY Post/ DraftKings)

The matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles lived up to the hype. The game was anticipated to be a Super Bowl preview as the teams are two of the best in the NFL and have generational talents at the quarterback position. While the Eagles ended up winning the game by 4 points, the Chiefs had a last chance to win the game when late in the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes threw a beautifully-timed pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the endzone.

The wideout caught the ball, but it slipped right out of his hands and he lost balance thereby dropping the ball and losing the game for his team. Valdes-Scantling has been subjected to mockery and criticism from fans for his dropped pass, however, his former teammate and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill came to his defense.

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Hill broke it down for fans and explained how difficult making those catches is. NFL receivers make plays like this on a nightly basis and it becomes easy to overlook the level of difficulty involved.

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Think about it... you're moving that fast , you got to look up in them lights," it's a hard catch.
Tyreek Hill on the Cheetah Podcast

He added that executing the play that Valdez-Scantling dropped was “one of the hardest catches.”

Tyreek Hill described how hard it is for wide receivers to make catches in the NFL

It is hard enough to make a catch like that when you are running that fast and have to make an abrupt stop, it does not help that the bright lights of the stadium reflect right into the eyes of the wideouts causing them to get distracted, and finally, when a player is a do-or-die situation such as that, the pressure of the game gets to them and could lead to blunders such as this.

Tyreek Hill and Marquez Valdez-Scantling
Tyreek Hill and Marquez Valdez-Scantling (via SI/ DraftKings)

Hill had tweeted “Everybody thinking that catch easy at night in them lights” after the wideout was unable to finish the play.

While it would have been pivotal for the Chiefs to have converted on that play, it did not go down that way. Patrick Mahomes, who threw the ball perfectly could not believe his eyes after this play and just dropped his arms behind his head and stood there in disbelief. It is all a part of football, Valdes-Scantling does not deserve to be mocked over this play as it does not define his career or him as a player.

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