Game Preview
from The Associated Press

Tyreek Hill returns to KC as Dolphins visit Chiefs for frigid AFC wild-card game Saturday night

By DAVE SKRETTA
Thu, January 11, 2024 at 2:13 PM CST

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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins missed out on the opportunity to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium back in November, when the NFL had moved their high-profile matchup to Frankfurt, Germany.

Hill and Co. will finally get their chance on Saturday night.

With a whole lot more at stake, too.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) ASSOCIATED PRESS

The wide receiver will be playing in Kansas City for the first time since the Chiefs sent him to the Dolphins when the teams meet in a wild-card playoff game. And along with what figures to be plenty of boos — Hill has actively needled the Chiefs on social media since the trade — he will be greeted by wind chills expected to be well below zero at kickoff.

“We’re competitors. You’ve seen me — I have that fire — and he’s the same way,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who helped turn Hill into a star during his first six seasons in the league. “That’s what makes him so great. And we’re still friends in the offseason and all that, but when you’re on the field, you’re competing to win. That’s just how it is.”

Make no mistake: The Chiefs know how to win this time of year.

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Los Angeles Chargers interim head coach Giff Smith, right, walks the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) ASSOCIATED PRESS

While the Dolphins are in the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 2001, the Chiefs will be playing their 15th straight home playoff game, not counting three Super Bowl appearances. It’s a streak that dates to Jan. 15, 2017, back when Hill was wrapping up his rookie season and Mahomes had yet to take the reigns of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses.

“We play a lot of big games — games on short rest, night games — and having that experience will help,” Mahomes said. “A lot of guys on this team have done that, so the step up you see going into the playoffs, we make it a little smaller, because we’ve been in games like this. We can rely on our experience and be the best team we can be.”

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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel gestures during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Chiefs wrapped up their eighth straight AFC West title with one game left in the regular season, so Mahomes and several of their biggest stars were able to sit out a win over the Chargers, and instead prepare for another playoff appearance.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, are limping in both literally and figuratively.

A wave of late-season injuries has left coach Mike McDaniel with a patchwork defense and cobbled-together pass rush, while consecutive losses to Baltimore and Buffalo denied the Dolphins the chance to host a game this weekend.

continued in next post~~~