National Football League

This Chiefs touchdown celebration is the greatest the NFL has seen in years

Published Dec. 9, 2016 1:03 p.m. ET

Chris Chase

You can take your LeBron imitations. You can take your dumb Ezekiel Elliott frenetic oatmeal eating. You can take your Ezekiel Elliott frenetic oatmeal-eating mocking. Same thing with your jump shots, Thriller dances, twerking, triple jumps, fake naps, dabbing, cheerleader dancing and your pointed non-celebration celebrations. Give me Tyreek Hill's reaction to his punt-return touchdown against the Denver Broncos any day of the week and especially Sunday because, you know, that's when they play NFL games:

1. Hill, who had gone 80 of his 86 yards for his touchdown, saw teammate De'Anthony Thomas approaching on his left as they ran toward the right corner of the end zone. When he noticed, Hill looked left and raised his arm to high-five his teammate. They executed it flawlessly, like one of those three perfect passes Alex Smith throws a game. It was a sight to behold.

2. Any time somebody's trying to bring back the high-five, it's a noble endeavor. Brave even. Handshakes, man hugs, chest bumps, running chest bumps, watching Odell Beckham Jr. preen and big group celebrations where players just shout at one another are played out like Drake. The high-five is a classic, just ahead of an old-fashioned Haywood Jeffries spike and the classy Art Monk handoff to the ref. It needs to be brought back, if only to teach the selfish millennial generation that it takes two, or more, to touchdown. Did it hurt that it wasn't the quick-snap high-five popularized in the 1970s NBA, Run DMC videos and shirtless volleyball games at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar? Yes. But you try sprinting 86 yards and connecting cleanly with a teammate at top speed. Golfers can't even do that with their caddies when both are stationary targets. These guys were like Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin dapping at the 105-meter mark. This is some Hall-level stuff.

3. It's a brilliant work-around of the ultra-lame NFL rule that says players can't collaborate on a celebration. This is okay when it bars things like a group Dirty Bird, but when it's keeping teams from doing the Fun Bunch or the underrated Rams' bob and weave, it's criminal. CRIMINAL. (During the height of the Greatest Show on Turf, right before it all imploded, teammates Az-Zahir Hakim and Torry Holt ran down the sideline together awesomely barking at one another. This reminded me of that, except there was no crisp high-five to execute in St. Louis.) So how do you thumb your nose at the suits in the league office then? Celebrate before the touchdown in such a manner that an official can't in good conscience throw a flag. For all the field judge knew, Hill was about to lateral the ball to Thomas or they were worried about the trailing Broncos defenders six yards behind would make up that distance or Hill has an end-zone phobia cured only by hand holding.

3. Hill reached 22.77 mph on his return, making him the fastest ball carrier in the NFL this season. Speed, accuracy and a commitment to high-fiving. That man's an American hero.