Fins’ Hill over halfway to 2K-yard goal in 8 games

MIAMI — Tyreek Hill wants 2,000 yards this season. After this week, he’s halfway there.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards during Sunday’s 31-17 victory over the New England Patriots, becoming the first player to do so this season. Hill is the fourth player in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards through his team’s first eight games.

The All-Pro got the Dolphins on the board late in the first quarter with a 42-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, his league-leading eighth receiving touchdown of the season. Hill finished the day with 112 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, giving him 1,014 yards on the season.

At a rate of 125.6 yards per game, Hill is on pace for 2,135 receiving yards this season — which would set an NFL record and make him the first 2,000-yard receiver in league history.

Hill’s performance exhilarated the home crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, the applause for him outdone only by the ovation for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who made his season debut Sunday.

Ramsey was traded to the Dolphins in March but missed the team’s first seven games after injuring his left meniscus on the second day of training camp in July. He returned to practice last week and was added to the active roster before Sunday’s game. He made his presence known in the first half, forcing a fumble that bounced out bounds and intercepting Mac Jones late in the second quarter. According to NextGen Stats, Ramsey allowed one catch for 24 yards as the nearest defender and was targeted only three times.

The win put Miami at 6-2 and a half-game back of the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC lead. Fittingly, the Dolphins and Chiefs face off in Week 9 in Frankfurt, Germany, as part of the NFL’s International Series.