Tyreek Hill knows a thing or two about catching a ball in the end zone. The Dolphins WR has been very competitive when talking about his former team, the Chiefs, but he still voiced his support for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who dropped the game-winning pass from Patrick Mahomes against the Eagles.
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Marquez was brought in as a replacement for Hill after his transfer to the Dolphins last year. He has had a moderate season this year and was on the receiving end of the Mahomes pass in the final quarter of the matchup. With 1:50 left on the clock and the Chiefs trailing by a score of 17-21, the defending champs had a chance to clinch the game against the visiting Eagles. Mahomes threw the deep ball toward the former Packers man, who, despite beating his opponent in 1-on-1 coverage and having plenty of room to catch the game-winning drive, dropped the ball in the end zone.
This was the only game that Andy Reid lost against his former team. Moreover, this drop left the 75,000 fans sitting inside Arrowhead Stadium sour and frustrated. The Chiefs WR felt the wrath of Kansas fans on social media, who didn’t hesitate before calling him out. Some fans demanded he be sacked from the team, while others questioned his ability to play as a pro receiver.
One fan wrote, “He won’t make it out of the stadium.”
Another chimed in, writing, “Lmao one of the worst drops ever”
A frustrated fan wrote, “And these guys are pro receivers!?”
However, Tyreek Hill had nothing but words of sympathy for his fellow successor. Hill, who fumbled the ball himself a few weeks ago against the Chiefs, was quick to defend Marquez. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote,
“Everybody thinking that catch easily at night in the lights.”
While Cheetah didn’t have any ill intentions, it didn’t take long for football fans to bash him for defending Marquez.
Fans Call out Tyreek Hill for defending Marquez
Tyreek Hill defended Marquez Valdes-Scantling on social media. However, fans weren’t in the mood for explanations and excuses and called out both Scantling and Hill in the comments.
A fan wrote, “When getting paid $11 mill this year, shouldn’t he be expected to? I mean, would you ever drop that type of pass? “
Another fan pointed out that the Eagles were playing under the same lights and said,” If the Eagles did, Chiefs could do it too. Just saying they were playing the same conditions.”
A frustrated fan wrote, “He’s a professional athlete making $10 million. You catch that pass because there’s a large number of high school athletes that could catch that.”
This fan wrote, “He had 3 different chances to catch one ball tonight. What’s the excuse for the other 2 drops.”
Another one took a shot at Scantling’s career and said, “That hit both his hands, shush. Light too bright for him, been like that his whole career.”
Following the matchup, Marquez was visibly frustrated. He slammed his helmet on the side wall while heading back into the locker room.
This isn’t the first time Marquez has made a crucial error. Back in 2020, during his time with the Packers, he fumbled the ball against the Colts. A crucial fumble forced the game to overtime, where Marquez’s blunder with a fumble gave the Colts ample room for a game-winning field goal.
The Chiefs are now 7-3 but remain in contention for the playoffs. The Eagles, with a crucial victory on the road, are now 9-1 and march on toward the playoffs as the top seed in the NFC division. They look like a team on a mission, with their sights set on making another Super Bowl. Both teams play on Sunday, with the Eagles taking on the Bills and the Chiefs heading to Vegas to face the Raiders.
