Tyreek Hill is dominating the NFL in 2023. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver is the league leader in receiving yards through eight weeks and has become the first player since 1967 to reach the 1,000-yard mark this quickly in a season. He is arguably the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year honors — and on Sunday, he’ll be even more motivated than usual.
That’s because the Dolphins on Sunday will be playing the Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany. Kansas City last year dealt Hill to Miami in a surprise trade, and he is ready to light up his former teammates in this highly-anticipated matchup.
Tyreek Hill doesn’t care where he faces his former team 👀 pic.twitter.com/YrMsfs0zzO
— ESPN (@espn) November 2, 2023
Hill won’t look too far back despite “fun times”
Speaking to reporters in Germany on Thursday, Hill insisted on looking toward the future despite “fun times” with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in Kansas City. Hill was a three-time All-Pro selection with the team that drafted him, and he helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in 2019.
Tyreek Hill on how he feels facing the Chiefs VIDEO pic.twitter.com/jIuGfQJxrd
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) November 2, 2023
But Hill had arguably the best season of his career in 2022, setting new personal bests in receptions and yards. The “Cheetah” has enjoyed a partnership with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that could break offensive records this season. Hill is on pace to become the NFL’s first-ever 2,000-yard receiver, and he was just named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
So after going 30 years without an AFC Offensive Player of the Month the Dolphins have now done it twice in 2023.
September: Tua Tagovailoa
October: Tyreek Hill https://t.co/VgY6h90AD9— Mike Cugno (@MikeCugnoCBS4) November 2, 2023
“Obviously it would’ve been great to play in KC, but it really doesn’t matter where we play at,” Hill said about Sunday’s contest at Deutsche Bank Park. “They are going to get this work wherever though. Y’all can use that. Bulletin board material.”
Here’s how the Chiefs and Dolphins are gearing up for an unusual game on Sunday
A “win-win” trade
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has few, if any, regrets over rubber-stamping the Hill trade in 2022. In an interview this week with KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Hunt called it a “win-win” — seeing as Hill received the lucrative contract extension he wanted, and the Chiefs won a Super Bowl last season without him.
“Obviously, Tyreek’s an incredible player and has done very well in his time with the Dolphins but I also think it benefited the Chiefs,” Hunt explained. “The draft compensation that we received, a lot of that draft capital was used to improve our defense, and I think this year we are seeing that it did indeed work out well.”
The Kansas City defense has improved markedly in 2023 and currently ranks fourth in yards allowed — and second against the pass. The Chiefs have also allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL, so Hill and Tagovailoa will need to be at their best in this potential AFC Championship Game preview.
