Tyreek Hill on Record Pace Heading Into Sunday Night Football vs. Eagles

Miami Dolphins speedster Tyreek Hill is off to an appropriately fast start to the 2023 National Football League (NFL) season.

The wideout’s 814 receiving yards are the most of any NFL player through six games in the Super Bowl era. Hill leads the league in receiving yards, yards per game (135.7), and touchdowns receptions (six), all while averaging an NFL-best 19.4 yards per catch. The seven-time Pro Bowler accounted for 163 yards and a 41-yard touchdown in Miami’s most recent win and celebrated with a flip in the end zone afterward.

“Being able to create memories that I can look back on when I’m done playing is always something I think of each and every time I play this game,” Hill said of the play. “Every time I step on the field, I’m going to try to make it memorable.”

Another memorable performance in a potentially record-setting season could be in store for Hill in Week 7. The Dolphins (5-1) travel to Philadelphia for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Eagles (5-1). Before kickoff, here’s a closer look at the record pace Hill is on this season.

NFL’s Single-Season Receiving Record Could Be Hill’s

Hill set career highs in receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,710) in 2022, his first season with the Dolphins after being traded from the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the 29-year-old had his sights on an ever better season this year. More specifically, Hill has been open about his desire to become the first wide receiver in league history to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

“The quarterback play that we have is amazing, as you can see [Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa] has been delivering, I feel like, all training camp, and the way that our head coach and our OC design plays for us is ridiculous,” Hill said on NFL Network in August. “My job is really easy. I just got to stay healthy, I just got to keep my attention to detail and just know where to be on the field at all times for my quarterback. Then I’ll be able to make those plays to get where I want to be at, which is 2K.”

All of a sudden, that doesn’t seem out of the question.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson Jr. set the NFL record for single-season receiving yards with 1,964 in 2012. Hill is on pace for 2,306 yards entering Week 7. Sure, the Miami wide receiver’s production may slow down at some point this season. But the NFL’s recent change to a 17-game schedule gives Hill an extra opportunity to surpass “Megatron.”

For comparison, Johnson had 592 yards through six games in 2012. The Hall of Famer tallied over 100 receiving yards in eight straight games from Weeks 9-16 that season, including two performances surpassing 200 yards.

“It’s a huge accomplishment to take one of those records from the great [Jerry Rice],” Johnson said after breaking the record. “All the work that we put in this year, I guess you can say it’s well deserved.”

Hill’s Stats Have Him Set Up for More Milestones

The former fifth-round pick out of West Alabama has caught 640 passes for over 9,000 yards and 69 touchdowns over his eight-year NFL career.

A few more catches on Sunday night could have Hill in some elite company.

Entering a matchup with the Eagles, Hill needs just 86 receiving yards to become the first player in 62 years to reach 900 receiving yards through his team’s first seven games, according to The Palm Beach Post. Hill would be the fourth player overall to accomplish that feat, joining Charlie Hennigan and Hall of Famers Elroy Hirsch and Don Hutson.

The four-time All-Pro has 15 games with 150 or more receiving yards in his career. By hitting that mark again, Hill would tie Julio Jones—who just signed with the Eagles—for the fourth-most such games in league history, per the NFL. The only other players with more? Jerry Rice (30 games), Lance Alworth (17), and Terrell Owens (17). Not bad.

The top-ranked Dolphins offense is sure to get Hill there eventually.

Miami leads the league in seemingly every offensive statistic this season, including points (37.2) and yards (498.7) per game. The Dolphins are averaging 8.0 yards per play this season. Miami leads the league so severely in that category that there is a bigger gap between the Dolphins and the second-place teams—the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers are tied at 5.98—than there is between second and last place, according to NBC Sports.

Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards and is tied for the top mark in touchdowns this season, and the signal-caller knows to get Hill the ball.

“Having someone like him that anytime you get press, there’s a possible signal you can give him or there’s a possible eye contact deal that you can give him, working through those things in practice and having those conversations, that’s what this past two years has done for quarterback to receiver, that sort of relationship,” Tagovailoa said last week.