Kansas
How The Kansas City Chiefs Limited Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins is tackled by Trent McDuffie of the Kansas City Chiefs in the … [+]
Tyreek Hill entered the game against his former team, leading the NFL in total yards and receiving touchdowns while on pace to become the first NFL receiver to record 2,000 receiving yards.
“Tyreek’s breaking records right now across the board,” said Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who was Hill’s offensive coordinator for his first two years in the league.
But the Chiefs held the speedy Miami Dolphins receiver to eight catches for 62 yards and no touchdowns.
The Dolphins moved Hill around, lining him up all over the field, including in the slot, on both sides of the line and in motion.
Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was the player most responsible for limiting Hill. He shadowed him — except when he was in the slot and even then he was shaded to that side to help slot corner Trent McDuffie.
“I followed him the whole game,” Sneed exclusively shared. “I was ready for it.”
Sneed said how excited he was for the key matchup.
And of the young defensive backs room, Sneed was the only who had played with and practiced against Hill. He used that experience not only in his matchup, but also to advise his defensive back mates on how to combat Hill’s speed.
“He’s like one of the most talented receivers in the league and probably the fastest. So the only way to negate that was to try to be physical with him and try to get some hands on him,” Chiefs cornerback Josh Williams said. “LJ did a great job doing that.”
Any struggles Hill had — and he did drop two passes that were catchable — were not due to any lack of creativity by the Dolphins’ offensive coaches.
In addition to moving Hill around and often putting him in motion, the Dolphins had him hand off to Jaylen Waddle on a reverse on their second possession and pitched it to him on an end-around on the first play of the second quarter. Hill also had a three-yard rushing carry on the first drive of the fourth quarter.
In part due to those creative packages, Hill did inflict damage. His best play was a 19-yard catch that put the Dolphins in scoring position at the Chiefs’ 33-yard-line.
Two plays later, though, he was responsible for the game’s turning point.
He caught basically a lateral pass, but the Chiefs were in two-man coverage, and McDuffie forced a fumble, Mike Edwards recovered it and pitched it to Bryan Cook, who ran 59 yards for the touchdown.
“(McDuffie) was unblocked, and he came free as soon as I caught it,” Hill said. “I didn’t even get a chance to make a move.”
Hill moved on to Miami prior to the 2022 NFL season.
The Chiefs dealt him to the Dolphins for their 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick.
The major reason for the trade was that the Chiefs were not willing to meet Hill’s asking price, and he ended up signing a four-year, $120 million contract with Miami. That average annual salary of $30 million still ranks as an NFL high among NFL wide receivers.
“That was a trade that worked out well for both parties,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “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. The draft compensation that we received, a lot of that draft capital was used to improve our defense.”
As a result, the Chiefs defense has become younger and faster. And it once again proved its merit, limiting the No. 1 ranked offense in the NFL to 14 points and containing Hill.
But Kelce did have one beef with how Hill was handled.
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman — instead of Kelce — was the beneficiary of the postgame jersey swap with their former teammate.
Hardman, who keeps in regular contact with Hill, said the jersey swap with Hill already had been planned.
“This has been in the works for a minute,” Hardman exclusively shared. “I just needed to get that thing.”
Kelce and Hardman both, though, got the chance to visit with Hill after the game. Kelce told him he loved and missed him, and Hardman alluded to the fact that Sunday’s 21-14 Chiefs victory against the Dolphins could have a sequel.
“Stay healthy, man. Have a good season,” Hardman told him. “Hopefully, we see y’all again.”
Kansas State is reeling after losing its top two receivers to the transfer portal.
Thankfully, help is on the way. The Wildcats signed former Purdue wide receiver Jaron Tibbs Wednesday. Tibbs had 25 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns last season. His best performance was against Michigan State, where racked up four receptions for 73 yards in the seven-point loss.
Hopefully, he gets more of an opportunity to shine with a team revamping its wide receiving core.
KANSAS STATE FORWARD COLEMAN HAWKINS TAKES ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MISTAKES IN LOSS TO DRAKE
There could be many fingers pointed for Kansas State falling to Drake Tuesday night.
However, Coleman Hawkins instead took accountability for his performance. Hawkins scored 16 points but went 3 of 8 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over twice.
“I take accountability,” Hawkins said. “I missed free throws, you gotta make free throws. I shot pretty well from the line last year, I don’t know what the difference is this year. I take accountability when CJ made an elite play on the ball when we did turn the ball over. I was expecting him to foul or the guy to make a layup, so I didn’t sprint back. So that’s 100 percent on me. Just plays like that.”
He says his selflessness was the catalyst to the team’s comeback.
“I felt like when I touched the ball and was able to drive gaps and pitch it, we were able to make shots,” Hawkins said. “So selfishly, I say I feel like good things were happening when I was touching the ball, but that’s because other people were making plays off of that.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Kansas
‘You could feel World Cup was there’: KC2026 CEO provides update on Kansas City’s World Cup efforts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirty years ago, Pam Kramer was a rising star executive leading high-profile campaigns for Kansas City-based Sprint — and not all that familiar with soccer.
“I didn’t know much about the World Cup — and it was Sprint’s really big, first global sponsorship — so I had the opportunity to travel to all nine U.S. host cities (and) saw every U.S. team match” Kramer said Wednesday during an interview at Visit KC’s downtown office. “It was extraordinary — the celebration, the excitement, the enthusiasm. Even in cities like LA and New York, you could feel that the World Cup was there.”
Now, Kramer serves as CEO of KC2026 — the nonprofit tasked with preparing Kansas City to step into the World Cup spotlight in 18 months as the host of six World Cup games, including a quarterfinal, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
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“We have really strong momentum, and it’s built on the team, right?” said Kramer, who took the KC2026 reins in mid-July. “We’ve gone from a staff of two to a staff of 11 — and a few more starting after the first of the year — and they’re really high-achieving, high-performing people in transportation and marketing and safety and security.”
Chris Morrison/KSHB
Of course, Kramer and the KC2026 team is tasked with more than organizing a month-long series of events, including the Fan Fest that was announced in August, and moving people around the region.
City and soccer officials have promised a transformational experience for the region.
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Welcoming the Word: How Kansas City became a World Cup host city
“When you hear legacy, you think sticks and bricks — Centennial Park, something like that in Atlanta,” Kramer said. “For us, legacy is more about sustained and long-term impact. … That could end up being some sort of physical project or idea. But for us, legacy is more about creating capacity, building workforce, teaching people how to operate or showing that we can operate regionally, and creating a blueprint for how to do that.”
Kramer said she’s well aware that any decisions KC2026 make also have to work for Kansas City’s residents.
“The transportation plan starts with the people who are already here,” she said. “We want people not only to be able to get to work and do the things that they typically do, but also to engage with the World Cup.”
Kramer said Kansas City will be the first host city to announce its bus procurement next month, a huge step with FIFA and the other host cities also likely to be searching for buses ahead of the World Cup.
“We’ll more than double the capacity that we currently have in the city,” she said. “We’re going to be the first host city to go to market with our bus procurement, so certainly leading in that way.”
RELATED | Fan parking at Arrowhead may be nixed for World Cup
KC2026 also announced a plan for FIFA Fan Fest four months ago, so the organization has hit some major milestones thanks to “universal support” from local and state officials across Missouri and Kansas.
But Kramer said now is not the time to take her foot off the gas.
“We are far better prepared because of that universal support, both from a funding standpoint and preparation standpoint, but we still have a lot to do,” she said. “I mean — 539 days — I feel like we’re leading the host cities in many areas, but I would never say there’s not more work to do.”
With a chance to welcome the world, Kramer is also confident Kansas City will rise to meet and embrace the moment.
“It’s hard to watch the World Cup and not become a soccer fan and not get swept up in the enthusiasm,” she said. “I saw Brazil play and their fans were so joyful.”
World Cup qualifying will continue until March 2026
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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks are back at Allen Fieldhouse this Sunday afternoon to take on the Brown Bears in what promises to be an exciting matchup.
Kansas (8-2) is looking to build momentum after a commanding bounce-back victory over NC State, while Brown enters the contest riding high on a six-game win streak.
The Bears, representing the Ivy League, hold a 7-3 record and are currently third in their conference standings. Their recent stretch of success will be tested as they take on a Kansas team with a rich a roaring home-court advantage.
This will be the third meeting between the Jayhawks and the Bears. The teams last faced off in 1997, with Kansas securing a dominant 107-49 victory. The only other encounter dates back to 1989, when the Jayhawks claimed another lopsided win, 115-45.
Where: Allen Fieldhouse
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FUBO TV, YouTube TV
The Jayhawks will look to maintain their strong start to the season and add another win to their record, while the Bears aim to extend their streak against a tough Big 12 opponent.
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