Hester Breaks NFL Record For TD Returns
ATLANTA (AP) — Devin Hester has set an NFL record with his 20th return for a touchdown, breaking the mark he shared with Deion Sanders.
Hester returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to give the Atlanta Falcons a stunning 35-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
He took the punt at his own 44, found a seam up the middle, and zipped around the last man who had a shot at him, punter Michael Koenen. Hester high-stepped the last 20 yards or so, a hand behind his ear — the move that Sanders made famous during his Hall of Fame career.
Sanders, now a television analyst, was covering the game and watched his record fall at the Georgia Dome, which he once proclaimed "is my house."
The Falcons ended up routing the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers 56-14 on Thursday night. The Bucs' coach is Lovie Smith, Hester's former coach when they both were with the Bears.
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