Broncos preparing to face most unexpected threat of the season

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It wasn’t the front runners for the MVP race—Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr or Patriots quarterback Tom Brady—or even Andrew Luck or Cam Newton that gave the Denver Broncos their biggest fit this season.

It was 5-foot-10, 185-pound Kansas City Chiefs speedster Tyreek Hill.

In the Chiefs 30-27 victory over the Broncos in Week 12, not only did Hill nearly single-handedly beat the Broncos, he did it in a myriad of ways. Officially listed as a wide receiver, Hill’s 169 all-purpose yards were the most of any player in the game.

The rookie fifth-round pick out of West Alabama decorated the stat sheet while accounting for three touchdowns. He did it in the passing game—nine receptions for 52 yards and a receiving touchdown—the running game—1 carry for 3 yards and a touchdown—and in the return game—an 86-yard free kick return for a touchdown as well as two punt returns for 28 yards.

“It’s all his speed. His speed is dangerous,” safety Darian Stewart said. “That’s the biggest factor when dealing with him. He might be the fastest guy in the league.”

Hill has a very convincing argument to be one of the fastest players in the NFL, if not the fastest, posting an official sub 4.3 40-yard dash at his pro day. His one-of-a-kind speed is very difficult to replicate, so according to Stewart, the Broncos will do their best to replicate it in practice.

“You just find the fastest guy on our scout team, and he acts as Tyreek Hill for the week,” he said. “That’s the best we can get it done and get the best look that we can.”

Denver isn’t the only team that Hill has had success against either. Outside of quarterback Alex Smith, Hill leads the Chiefs in offensive touchdowns (8) and total touchdowns (10) on the season. Despite playing in just 39 percent of the Chiefs offensive snaps, he has the third-most yards from scrimmage on the team (704) only trailing starting running back Spencer Ware (1,287) and leading pass catcher Travis Kelce (952).

“He’s a playmaker. Anytime he’s in the game they like to get him the ball,” Stewart said. “We just have to be aware of wherever he is aligned we have to know it and be ready to play.”

Since the start of Week 8 Hill is averaging five receptions a game for 53 yards to go along with 14 yards per rush. In that eight-game stretch, he has seven touchdowns, nearly one a game, including two multi-touchdown games: Week 12 against Denver (three touchdowns) and Week 14 against Oakland (two touchdowns).

Now, as the Broncos prepare for their second and final game against the Chiefs this Sunday, the focus at the UCHealth Training Center is on how to not let Hill beat them again.

“Just have to know where he is aligned and when he gets the ball we need everybody shooting and everybody rallying,” Stewart said. “When he’s in there we have to be on alert and know where he can hurt us.”

In a game that’s as big as it gets in the regular season for the Broncos, the deciding factor may be whether Denver can contain the smallest player on the field.