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How The Kansas City Chiefs Limited Tyreek Hill

Published

1 year ago

November 5, 2023

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 … [+] fourth quarter at Deutsche Bank Park on Nov. 5, 2023 in Frankfurt Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

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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.”

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Road to Super Bowl will run through Kansas City after Chiefs victory

Published

6 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Road to Super Bowl will run through Kansas City after Chiefs victory

The Kansas City Chiefs won on Saturday, meaning the AFC Championship Game will be in Missouri next Sunday. It’s the seventh straight AFC Championship Games with the Chiefs in the game, and they have hosted six of them.

In 2024, the Chiefs beat the Ravens in Baltimore (the only away game)
In 2023, Kansas City beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home
In 2022, KC hosted the Bengals but lost in overtime
In 2021, the Bills went to Arrowhead and lost
In 2020, the Tennessee Titans came to Kansas City to lose.
In 2019, the New England Patriots beat the Chiefs in overtime in Arrowhead

The Chiefs beat the Ravens in Kansas City in Week 1 to open the 2024 season. The Bills were able to knock off the Chiefs, but it was in Buffalo in November.

Kansas City will have an extra day of rest with the Bills and Ravens playing Sunday night — and the winner has to travel.

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Caitlin Clark sits with Taylor Swift at Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans NFL playoff

Published

14 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Caitlin Clark sits with Taylor Swift at Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans NFL playoff

Caitlin Clark has never been shy about her Kansas City Chiefs fandom, and her superstardom allowed her to enjoy Saturday’s game with coveted company.

The Iowa women’s basketball legend and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was spotted in the same box as Taylor Swift during the team’s NFL Divisional round playoff game against the Houston Texans.

According to Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star, Swift invited Clark to the game when Clark attended one of the pop star’s Eras Tour concerts.

Clark and Swift were even caught on camera chatting during the game.

Swift is famously dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is trying to help his team become the first team in NFL history to three-peat as Super Bowl champions.

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Chiefs vs. Texans: Divisional Round Preview, Score Predictions

Published

22 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Chiefs vs. Texans: Divisional Round Preview, Score Predictions

After a long wait thanks to a first-round bye, Kansas City Chiefs playoff football is officially back. Saturday will see the reigning Super Bowl champions host the Houston Texans, a team they recently faced off against less than a month ago. This time around, the stakes are even higher and both sides will duke it out with a spot in the conference title game on the line.

How will the game unfold? The Kansas City Chiefs On SI crew makes its predictions for the divisional round of the postseason.

Joshua Brisco: Against all recent history, I’m picking the Chiefs to do something they never did in the 2024 regular season: score more than 30 points in a game. This isn’t all about the Chiefs’ playoff experience and pursuit of history, either. The offense — with a healthy Hollywood Brown and a well-rested suite of weapons — finally has enough firepower to make fans forget the slow-and-steady offensive slogs of KC’s midseason survival. I find myself becoming more worried aboutJoe Thuney and Mike Caliendo at left tackle and left guard than most, but Thuney should be stable enough to prevent any disasters. With the return of cornerback Jaylen Watson, the Chiefs may also have the league’s best remaining defense.

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Texans 13

Jordan Foote: With all due respect to DeMeco Ryans and the Texans, we’ve seen this type of game unfold before. Despite Houston boasting a tremendous defense, Kansas City has the benefit when it comes to quarterback play, coaching, rest and playing environment. Add in a fired-up Travis Kelce and the returns of Watson and Chris Jones, and you’ve got a recipe for a win. I’m rolling with another eight-point Chiefs-Texans margin, albeit with the visitors doing some window-dressing late to make things look closer than they actually were.

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Texans 23

Zack Eisen: Between sitting players in the season’s final week and having the bye, it seems like the Chiefs haven’t played in forever. The good news is the extra time allowed them to get a key piece back in Jaylen Watson. The defense was easily one of the best in the league when he was in the lineup, and it would be great to see that version return for the playoffs. On the other side of the ball, it’s playoff Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid. This may be the first time the Chiefs score more than 30 points all season. I expect a dominant performance from this team, as they have been waiting all year to get to the postseason.

Prediction: Chiefs 35, Texans 16

Mark Van Sickle: The Chiefs tend to dominate the divisional round under Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They are playing an opponent they just beat a few weeks ago and coming off plenty of rest to get ready for this playoff push. The Texans are a solid team and worthy opponent, but there is too much on the line for the Chiefs to lose at home in this spot. The defense will have everyone available to them for the first time all season (Charles Omenihu started the season on injured reserve, then Watson was on it when he came back), and that’s not good for the Texans who have had injury issues all season on offense. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ offense will be about as healthy as it’s been all season as well. Look for Mahomes to be Mahomes and the Chiefs to win and actually cover the spread!