Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty intercepted a pass and ran it back for an 84-yard touchdown on Monday night, and in the process he became the fastest ball carrier in the NFL this season.
McCourty reached a top speed of 22.05 miles per hour, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, which was the fastest any player has run with the ball in his hands all year.
Unsurprisingly, the previous top speed was recorded by Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, who reached a top speed of 21.95 mph on a 58-yard touchdown catch in Week One, and reached a top speed of 21.78 mph on a 91-yard punt return touchdown in the same game. Until McCourty on Thursday, those were the two fastest runs in the NFL this season.
Hill still has the fastest speed the NFL’s Next Gen Stats have recorded since the league started making player speed publicly available in 2016. Hill’s fastest run came in 2016, when he reached an NFL-best speed of 23.24 mph.