Getty Tyreek Hill walks onto the field before a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has a message for his teammates after their resounding playoff loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, telling them to turn their pain into motivation.
The Chiefs held the once formidable Dolphins offense largely in check en route to a 26-7 victory on January 13, sending the Dolphins home for the offseason. Hill spoke to reporters after the game, saying his teammates would need to keep the crushing loss close as they worked toward next season.
“The message (this offseason) is simple. Whenever you’re working out, take this loss with you,” Hill said, via Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques on X.
The All-Pro receiver concluded with a stern three-word message to his teammates.
“Remember this feeling.”
Tyreek Hill Still Optimistic for 2024
Saturday’s loss capped off a sharp decline for the Dolphins, who held a three-game division lead over the Buffalo Bills with five weeks remaining in the season but went 2-3 and fell to the Bills in the season finale.
The Dolphins went into Arrowhead Stadium as the No. 6 seed and looked outmatched against the battle-tested Chiefs. The Dolphins managed just 264 total yards of offense and went 1-for-12 on third-down conversions. Hill’s 53-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter was the only score.
TUA TO TYREEK HILL TOUCHDOWN
MIAMI NEEDED THAT BADLY.
Despite the resounding loss, Hill remained optimistic after the game and said he believes this team can win a Super Bowl — as long as they straighten out their issues on offense.
“This is the right group of people to win a chip,” he told reporters after the game, via reporter Joe Schad. “We have to put together drives to help the defense out. We can’t just be a bunch of front runners.”
It was an emotional game for Hill, who returned to Kansas City for the first time since the trade that shipped him to Miami. He said after the game that it was fun to get back to the city where his career started.
“It felt amazing. It’s where it all started for me, so obviously I felt some type of way,” Hill said, via The Associated Press. “It was definitely fun being part of this game. The cold wasn’t fun, but stepping back on this field, being on the other side, seeing how things were — I had fun.”
Tua Tagovailoa Shares Similar Message
Tagovailoa appeared to be on the same page as his All-Pro receiver after the game, sharing a similar message on how the loss will stick with them.
“Losing is never fun, and when the stakes are higher — when it’s playoff time — you feel that maybe 10 times more,” said Tagovailoa. “We’ve got to live with that loss.”
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel credited the Chiefs for putting together a game plan aimed at stopping their potent passing attack. Outside of his 53-yard touchdown catch, Hill had just four catches for nine total yards and teammate Jaylen Waddle had two receptions for 31 yards.
“We knew they were going to put a lot of attention toward our receivers,” McDaniel said. “We thought we had the right plan and obviously it wasn’t, and hats off to them for executing their plan in the most important time.”