How do the Chiefs defend Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins’ speed?،
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 5, they performed as well as they could have hoped, limiting their opponents to 292 yards and 14 points.
They're still impressed by the amount of work that awaits them Saturday night when the teams meet again, this time in the wild-card round at Arrowhead Stadium.
“They have a lot of speed,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “That's one thing we're sure of. They're going to try to get to that edge and they're going to try to get the ball to their players in space and so I think an important thing is tackling in the open field. . . I think it's a game where the 11 [are] necessary, for each room. So we return to this swarm, to this relentlessness which [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] Talk about. I think this should be posted this weekend. »
The Chiefs countered Miami's speed well in the Week 9 matchup between the teams. The Dolphins have plenty of fast players, including wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The midseason meeting was the first time Hill faced his former team since the March 2022 trade that sent him to Miami. Hill had eight catches against the Chiefs but gained only 62 yards. McDuffie's tackle on Hill late in the first half led to him fumbling, with the Chiefs recovering and returning it for a touchdown for the deciding score in a 21–14 victory.
According to ESPN Analytics and NFL Next Gen Stats, the Chiefs have covered a zone with a losing record of 61% against the Dolphins. The Chiefs excelled in this type of coverage. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 67% of his attempts with 76 QBR coverage against man, 58% with 19 QBR against zone. His only touchdown came against man coverage.
Much of the zone coverage was due to Hill, whose speed and quickness broke many games open.
“You have to treat it differently,” Spagnuolo said. “If you're in the zone, we have to have 22 eyeballs on him, know where he is at all times. That's part of what we're saying because he can hurt in different ways. They pass the ball. towards him and the jet swept and they threw it at him, the screens, all that.
“They all have speed. They built it that way, but Tyreek is definitely leading that charge because of what he can do, and we haven't faced [running back De’Von Achane] last time. I told the guys that the other day there would be another weapon that we didn't have before, so be prepared for that. Our eyes will be on all these guys. I always say we can't double 'em all, but we're going to try to find ways to eliminate the guys they're going to go after.”
Tagovailoa only threw to Hill three times on 20 routes when the Chiefs were in zone coverage. He had two catches on those plays for 29 yards. Hill was targeted seven times on 13 routes when the Chiefs were in man coverage and on those plays he had six catches for 33 yards.
According to Next Gen Stats, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed lined up opposite Hill on 12 of his routes. The Dolphins only threw to Hill twice when Sneed found himself as the closest defender and both passes were incomplete.
Sneed has often covered the opponent's top receiver this season, the list including Calvin Ridley, DJ Moore, Garrett Wilson, Justin Jefferson, AJ Brown and Ja'Marr Chase. Sneed usually won these battles. Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12 was the only receiver to catch at least three passes with Sneed as the closest defender.
The Chiefs will likely try Sneed on Hill often this week. But between Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and Achane — who was on IR when they met in November — the Dolphins have more reason to worry about the Chiefs.
“This whole team is fast,” safety Justin Reid said. “I don't know if there's a guy out there that goes over 4.35. That speed is definitely one of the things that makes them so unique and it's a challenge for us, but we're willing to take over for him.”
