The call is coming from within the house...
Every week leading up to Sunday's game, the question of which Dolphins player is fastest has been debated, with a handful of players laying claim to the title. This week, De'Von Achane and Tyreek Hill evidently decided there had been enough talk and that it was time for them to put on a live trial. And that they did, in a 31-16 win against the New York Giants.
Achane was first out of the gate, showing off his Olympic-worthy track speed on the way to scoring a 76-yard touchdown in the second quarter. According to NextGen stats, it was one of the fastest runs in the NFL all season at the time, as Achane reached a running speed of 21.76 mph — second only to the 21.93 mph clocked by Achane himself in the Dolphins' historic Week 3 rout of the Denver Broncos.
Nice run, challenger. But to be the champ, you have to beat the champion. And the fastest man in the NFL isn't showing any signs of giving up his reign.De'Von Achane hit 21.76 mph on this 76-yard TD run, per @NextGenStats -- his second-fastest registered speed this season. He now owns 3 of the top-six ball-carrier speeds in the NFL this season
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) October 8, 2023
Dolphins players occupy all six of those spots pic.twitter.com/RIFOXAObRF
Tyreek Hill, a veteran dubbed the fastest in the NFL since coming into the league in 2016, had none of the rookie's impudence. Hill snatched away the league's fastest-man title less than six minutes later on a 64-yard catch and run, during which he was clocked at more than 22 mph, according to NextGen stats.
While it may seem Hill was caught from behind on the play by a defender, he was clearly stopped from scoring by the sidelines and basic geometry.
Dolphins players are approaching speeds that would get them pulled over in a school zone and issued a speeding ticket. At this point, placing speed limit signs in their home stadiums might be their opponents' best chance at slowing them down because nothing else is working.
Just for good measure, Hill put up the 20th-fastest time in the 2023 season moments later, scoring on a leisurely 69-yard touchdown early in the 3rd quarter, where he only topped out at 20.95 mph; slow by his standards, yet twice as fast as a normal human would do it.Tyreek Hill reclaims fastest man title with 22.01 MPH @NextGenStats top speed on 68-yard catch. He was hawked on the angle.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 8, 2023
Dolphins have all 7 of NFL’s fastest top speeds. Hill has 1st, 4th, 6th. De’Von Achane has 2nd, 3rd, 7th. Raheem Mostert has 5th: pic.twitter.com/OajoVnef8Q
We fully expect the debate on ESPN this morning to be if Tyreek Hill has lost a step.
Tyreek Hill is having an incredible day. 69-yard TD here didn’t even have to put his best jets on. 20.95 MPH top speed, tied for 17th fastest, 3rd fastest today.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 8, 2023
Why Giants left poor rookie Tre Hawkins on 1-on-1 with Hill is another question. pic.twitter.com/h1xQ9tbwKA
Who's Next
Who's next depends on your question: Who's on deck for the Week 6 schedule or for America's favorite gameshow, The Fastest Dolphin? (It's a good show, and there are some solid contestants: Hill, Achane, and Raheem Mostert, chief among them.)The Carolina Panthers are next up to get a front-row seat to the Dolphins' speed trials on Sunday, October 15, as they travel to Miami for their Week 6 matchup. Thanks to losses from the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, the Dolphins enter that game back atop the AFC East.
