The 1,000-yard club: Tyreek Hill makes his milestone reception count

Barring some unforeseen circumstance, the Chiefs are headed to a rare milestone.

The Chiefs have never had a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.

They’re two-thirds of the way there after Saturday’s 30-13 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs entered the game with running back Kareem Hunt having surpassed the milestone in last week’s victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Tyreek Hill then joined the club in the most productive way.

In the second quarter, Hill streaked past Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward and ran under Alex Smith’s pass to complete a 64-yard touchdown.

“Alex stayed in the pocket, the O-line did its job and he delivered,” Hill said.

Hill entered the game needing 14 yards to gain 1,000 in his second NFL season, making the achievement only a matter of time. The scoring reception was his first catch of the game. Hill finished the night with five catches for 88 yards and the one touchdown. He now has 1,074 yards for the season.

It also was a typical Hill touchdown … from distance.

The score was Hill’s 11th career touchdown that covered at least 50 yards. He’s the third player in NFL history to have that many 50-yard scores, along with return specialist Devin Hester (13) and running back Gale Sayers (11).

The milestone will become complete when tight end Travis Kelce reaches 1,000. He entered the game needing 55 yards for that milestone. He had six catches for 46 yards against the Chargers, leaving him just 9 yards shy.

Kelce had 1,125 receiving yards last season, which concluded with his second Pro Bowl appearance.

According to the Chiefs, only four other teams in NFL history have turned the triple-threat milestone, and with one of the 1,000-yard seasons belonging to a tight end.

Hunt also added another distinction to his rookie season. In the third quarter, he surpassed Joe Delaney’s Chiefs rookie record for rushing yards in a season. Delaney amassed 1,121 yards with the Chiefs in 1981.

Delaney, named AFC rookie of the year in 1981 by United Press International, died tragically in 1983 while trying to rescue three children from drowning in a pond in Monroe, La.

Hunt also caught his third touchdown pass of the season in the third quarter, from 3 yards out after Alex Smith scrambled free. He just missed a second scoring reception moments later when officials ruled he didn’t have control of the ball after he twisted his body to make an attempt on Smith’s short throw into the end zone.

Hunt was a workhorse as the Chiefs extended their lead in the second half, surpassing 100 yards rushing for the second straight game. He added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter and finished with 155 yards on the ground. He also had 51 yards receiving.

“He’s a big body running downhill right now,” Kelce said. “That’s going to be hard to stop for any defense we face.”

The three-pronged offense was a major threat through the team’s 5-0 start. They cooled off when the Chiefs lost six of seven, but over the past three games the trio has returned to its early production.

“During that (tough) stretch it felt like it was just one thing off,” Kelce said. “Sure enough, we’ve all just manned up and taken it upon ourselves to be accountable for each other.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 10:49 PM with the headline "The 1,000-yard club: Tyreek Hill makes his milestone reception count."