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Marquez Valdes-Scantling made the play of the NFL season on Monday night during the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Or, rather, he didn’t make it.
In what has already become one of the most viral and crucial moments of the NFL season, the 29-year-old Valdes-Scantling, who is in his second season with the Chiefs, dropped what could’ve been a game-winning touchdown with 1:45 to play in the 4th quarter.
Had Valdes-Scantling made the catch, the Chiefs would’ve taken a 24-21 lead. Instead, they ultimately lost 21-17, dropping their record to 7-3 and putting them in the thick of the race for the #1 seed in the AFC.
The Chiefs, of course, used to not only have a #1 wide receiver to pair with Travis Kelce, but he was also perhaps the most dangerous weapon in the league: Tyreek Hill, who is now with the Miami Dolphins.
While Hill is currently crushing it in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa, the former KC speedster couldn’t help but share his thoughts about MVS’ drop in a pair of tweets. Perhaps surprisingly, one of those tweets actually cut Valdes-Scantling some slack, implying that the catch was difficult because he was looking up into the stadium lights.
🙀
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) November 21, 2023
Everybody thinking that catch easy at night in them lights
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) November 21, 2023
To be fair to the Chiefs, they were able to win a Super Bowl without the services of Hill last year. And while they certainly could still do so this season, Monday night’s loss certainly highlighted what’s likely the team’s one significant flaw at this stage.
The Chiefs’ leading wide receiver (in terms of yardage) is currently Rashee Rice, who is in his rookie season, has started in just one game, and has 26 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns.
For comparison, Hill is currently on a record-setting pace this season as the 29-year-old pass catcher has 79 catches for 1,222 yards and nine touchdowns through 10 games.