Chris Johnson, Devin Hester to Race Against Cheetah in 'Face-Off Like No Other' On National Geographic

Chris Johnson and Devin Hester are arguably the two fastest players in the NFL. But are they faster than a cheetah?

Well, we will soon find out.

The Titans running back and Bears wide receiver apparently have raced against a cheetah for a program that will air on National Geographic in November as part of the network’s Big Cat Week kickoff special called Man vs. Cheetah.

“This is most incredible challenge I’ve ever faced,” Johnson said. “I wanted to go up against the fastest in the world and test myself, and this was it!”

It’s no surprise that Johnson and Hester were selected for this kind of event. Johnson tied the fastest 40-yard dash time in the history of the NFL Combine in 2008 with a sprint of 4.24 seconds, while Hester holds the all-time NFL record for punts and kickoffs returned for touchdowns. Both are pretty fast, to say the least.

“We loved the idea of a face-off like no other between supreme athletes and an alpha predator,” said Geoff Daniels, the executive vice president and general manager of Nat Geo Wild. “This isn’t sports, it’s amazing science. … And we are thrilled that Johnson and Hester — two record-setting NFL pros — are helping to kick off this unprecedented experiment during our network’s biggest week of the year.”

During the program, Hester will demonstrate his ability to stop and maneuver by undergoing a test in which he runs lengths four times down and back in an effort to show the physiologic weaknesses of cheetahs.

“The whole idea of racing next to a cheetah for Nat Geo Wild was a very unusual proposition,” Hester said. “But it was something I was ready to take on to see if I could get an edge on.”

Devin Hester photo via Facebook/Football Never Stops