The Kansas City Chiefs scored a back-breaking touchdown late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins to take a 21-0 lead into halftime.
Kansas City took the commanding lead into the break thanks to a wild fumble returned for a touchdown.
Lateral Sparks Fumble Return for TD
The Dolphins trailed 14-0 with less than a minute left in the second quarter but had driven down into Chiefs territory and looked poised to score some key points before the break.
Then Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill on a short pass play, and Hill was driven backward by Trent McDuffie before having the ball stripped out of his hands. Mike Edwards then recovered the football and was quickly grabbed by a defender, but smartly lateraled the ball to Bryan Cook, who took off running for the end zone and scored a touchdown.
🤯🤯🤯
Defensive play of the year candidate for #ChiefsKingdom !!!
pic.twitter.com/GaOPDCMhse— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 5, 2023
Instead of going into halftime trailing just 14-3 or even 14-7, alongside getting the ball to start the second half, Miami is now instead tasked with overcoming a three-score deficit in the final 30 minutes.
The fumble by Hill against his former team led one commenter to joke that Hill remains a Chief.
Tyreek Hill is still a Chief deep down inside.
— BURN & RAVE PODCAST (@burnandravepod) November 5, 2023
The play was also reminiscent of the laterals that are a staple of rugby matches across the globe. With the game being played in Frankfurt, Germany, which is home to the No. 21-ranked men’s rugby team in the world, the moment felt fitting to another Twitter commenter.
Wow. Chiefs brought their rugby playbook to Germany. https://t.co/fbcgNsOunO
— Sean Callahan (@Sean_Callahan) November 5, 2023
The miscue was just the latest brutal moment for Miami in a first half full of them. The Dolphins posted their first scoreless first half since Week 2 of the 2021 season, according to the NFL on ESPN Twitter account.
MORE: Why Mike McDaniel Had Rich Eisen Nearly “In Tears” Over Tua Tagovailoa
Miami will look to turn things around in the second half, while Kansas City aims to finish off an important victory in the AFC standings, with both teams currently tied for the conference lead.
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