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Tyreek Hill is funny. He’s confident, hard working and fast. Very fast. Sometimes too fast.
Especially when speaking.
We’ve seen many notable quotes from the superstar wide receiver since he joined the Dolphins and started a podcast, “It Needed To Be Said,” shortly after. He’s retracted many of those comments.
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For example: “Obviously, like I’m gonna go with 15 [Patrick Mahomes] as the strongest arm but as far as accuracy-wise, I’m going with Tua all day,” Hill said in one of his podcast episodes.
After reportedly receiving death threats from enraged fans, Hill later clarified that he never said Tua was better than Mahomes.
His latest quip: “I’ve won a Super Bowl and I feel like this is the better team than when I was in Kansas City,” Hill said when asked whether the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl (by Thierry Henry on CBS Sports Golazo). Hill later doubled down with the (mediocre) explanation that “The salary cap increases every year. So, that means … you’re able to afford better players.”
He added, “If you look at our team, our team [has] structurally, got a lot more superstars on it than we had on the Chiefs.”
Hill played in Kansas City for six seasons. (Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)It was an obvious answer to a lazy question. Which Dolphins player will say they don’t think they can win a Super Bowl?
But to say the 2023 Dolphins, who have yet to beat a team over .500, are better on paper than the 2019 Super Bowl-winning Chiefs? Hill knows how to get clicks.
Let’s quickly compare the 2019 Chiefs to the 2023 Dolphins.
Verdict from Vegas: Tyreek Hill is wrong.
Preseason oddsmakers gave the Chiefs significantly better odds to win the Big Game (per Pro Football Reference):
2019 Chiefs preseason Super Bowl Odds: +600, W/L O-U: 10.5 wins
2023 Dolphins preseason Super Bowl Odds: +2500, W/L O-U: 9.5 wins
Verdict from Roster Review: Tyreek Hill might be right, but it’s close.
Offense
Position: Passing
2019-20 Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
2023-24 Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa
Verdict: 2019 Chiefs (X-Factor)
Position: Running
2019-20 Chiefs: The Super Bowl backfield was Damien Williams and Anthony Sherman. They had LeSean McCoy, too.
2023-24 Dolphins: League-leading backfield of Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane and Jeff Wilson Jr.
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Verdict: 2023 Dolphins
Position: Receiving
2019-20 Chiefs: Eric Bieniemy scheming with Hill and Travis Kelce. Also had Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman.
2023-24 Dolphins: It’s hard to beat a Bieniemy/Hill/Kelce combo, but if anyone can it’s Mike McDaniel/Hill/Jaylen Waddle. Minimal factors outside those two, but that’s OK.
Verdict: Wash
Position: Line
2019-20 Chiefs: Eric Fisher, Stefen Wisniewski, Austin Reiter, Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff, Mitchell Schwartz
Plagued by injuries all season, this Chiefs line was built for pass protection — fourth-fewest sacks allowed — but was less effective on the ground (23rd in rushing). Still, it was an impressive group when healthy.
2023-24 Dolphins: Terron Armstead, Lester Cotton, Connor Williams, Liam Eichenberg, Austin Jackson
Also struggling with injuries, the Dolphins line has impressed in an offense heavily reliant on motion and timing. Its QB sacked percentage (4.52 percent) is the third-lowest in the league.
Verdict: Slight edge to the Chiefs on paper, but it’s hard to argue with the Dolphins’ on-field, offensive production.
Chiefs, slightly.
Defense
The 2019 Chiefs’ defense was fine. Led by talented coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, they had stars in Chris Jones, Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu. They ranked 17th in yards allowed per game (349.6), per Covers, allowing the seventh-lowest points per game (19.2). Teams tended to run on these Chiefs, as they allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game (128.2) and were more stout against the pass (eighth-fewest passing yards per game, with 221.4).
But this Dolphins defense, with improving secondary play since the return of Jalen Ramsey, together with stars in Xavien Howard and pass rusher Bradley Chubb (they will miss Jaelen Phillips), is impressive. Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense is allowing the sixth-fewest total yards per game (305.2). They allow the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game (92.8), 11th-fewest passing yards per game (212.4) and have the third most sacks in the league (38). They have studs across the defense.
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Position: Line
2019-20 Chiefs: Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Tanoh Kpassagnon
2023-24 Dolphins: Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, Raekwon Davis
Verdict: Wilkins and Sieler have Pro Bowl potential, but the Chiefs line was their strength.
2019 Chiefs, but it’s close.
Position: Linebackers
2019-20 Chiefs: Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, Reggie Ragland
2023-24 Dolphins: Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips (IR), Andrew Van Ginkel, David Long Jr., Jerome Baker
Verdict: Pre-Phillips injury this was easily Dolphins.
Now it’s closer, but leaning Dolphins.
Position: Secondary
2019-20 Chiefs: Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward, Kendall Fuller, Daniel Sorensen, Bashaud Breeland
2023-24 Dolphins: Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, Jevon Holland, DeShon Elliott
Verdict: Ramsey and Howard are elite. Mathieu was an All-Pro in 2019, but it’s not really close.
2023 Dolphins
My Verdict: On paper, it’s hard to argue with Tyreek. Their rushing attack and secondary play is too substantial of an improvement over the 2019 Chiefs to ignore. With a league-leading offense and imposing defense, the Dolphins just need to clean up their game (less turnovers and better short-yardage plays) to match their on-paper potential. They could win it all.
But in reality, the 2019 Chiefs had Patrick Mahomes. We know who Vegas bet on. Who would you take?
(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
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