In what should be one of the top games of the NFL Wild Card weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins in a battle between the AFC’s third and sixth seeds. The contest itself promises to be entertaining and there are accompanying stories that will add to the intrigue.
NFL: Tyreek Hill speaks before wild card game against Chiefs
Tyreek Hill says he hasn’t texted Patrick Mahomes since the Chiefs beat the Dolphins the first week of November and Travis Kelce hasn’t responded. Hill joked, “I guess those two are too famous for me now.” #ChiefsKingdom #FinsUp #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/TjiLrBuQJo
– Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) January 11, 2024
One of the most discussed plots will be Tyreek Hill’s return to Kansas City. The now Dolphins wide receiver spent the first six years of his career as a member of the Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl with the team and establishing himself as one of the most explosive players in the league.
His departure from the team was unceremonious and marked by money issues, and there has been some bad blood among Chiefs fans over how the situation was handled. Hill has had the best two seasons of his career in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa as his quarterback, while Kansas City has struggled with wide receiver issues all year.
Saturday will be Hill’s first game at Arrowhead
Travis Kelce says he hopes #ChiefsKingdom gives Tyreek Hill “nothing but love” in his first game at Arrowhead Stadium. Hill joked that Kelce hasn’t texted him back and that he’s “too big” now that he’s dating Taylor Swift. 😂 #finsup #NFL #nflplayoffs #MIAvsKC pic.twitter.com/ktcLHR4Mbf
– Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) January 11, 2024
Hill’s return to Arrowhead Stadium delayed. The Chiefs were scheduled to have a “home” game against the Dolphins earlier this year, but the game was held in Germany as part of the NFL International Series. Kansas City ended up winning that game by a touchdown, and Hill says he hasn’t heard from his former teammates since, despite texting them:
I haven’t texted Mahomes since we got our asses beat. And I text Kelce, but he still hasn’t responded. He’s probably still at the Taylor Swift thing. But yeah, man. Those guys are too famous for me now, I guess… There hasn’t been any trash talk. But obviously, when we get face to face, I’ll be talking about my nonsense. So I’m really looking forward to it.
Tyreek Hill would have to have an outstanding performance to back up any trash talk. The Dolphins are limping into the NFL playoffs, and Hill himself has been limping for the last few games. Miami is a 4-point underdog and weather forecasts are calling for temperatures that could make this one of the coldest games in NFL history.
During the 2023 season, Hill racked up a career-high 1,799 receiving yards to lead the league. It was his second consecutive 1,700-yard season, a mark he never came close to during his days with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The game will be broadcast on Peacock and will be played on Saturday night with kickoff scheduled for 8 pm ET.
