Tyreek Hill was put on ice in homecoming game versus Chiefs

Wild Card weekend welcomed the Miami Dolphins to a frozen Arrowhead Stadium to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. One of the biggest highlights on Saturday evening was the homecoming of former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek "The Cheetah" Hill.

The Dolphins' visit to Arrowhead was Hill's first appearance since being traded away by the franchise for five draft picks in the spring of 2022.

Many on social media talked about how cold the game would be. Some even wanted the game to be postponed, similar to the Buffalo/Steelers game, which was moved to Monday afternoon. The game was cold with a kickoff temperature of -4 degrees and a windchill of -27 degrees, and when Hill walked into Arrowhead, he was welcomed to a hefty dose of Missouri cold.

So how did Hill's homecoming work out?

First Half

The first quarter of the game failed to feature the high-flying Dolphins' offense, which was the number two-scoring offense in the league. This included Hill, who had zero targets in the first quarter. The highlight of Hill in the first quarter was a tackle on Chiefs safety Mike Edwards after he caught a Tua Tagovailoa interception.

In the second quarter, Hill reminded the Chiefs Kingdom of the speed and contested pass-catching ability we grew to love when he was a Chief with a 53-yard touchdown reception from Tagovailoa while fighting through pass interference from Trent McDuffie. Besides that explosive play, the Chiefs held Hill to three catches for 62 yards and the touchdown.

Later in the second half, McDuffie avenged this mistake with a critical pass breakup on a pass to Hill on a 4th-and-2. To close out the second half, Hill was called for a false start that turned a 3rd-and-8 into a 3rd-and-13.

Second Half

The third quarter was a repeat of the first quarter for Miami. Hill was not targeted, and the offense stuttered having difficulty moving the ball. The Dolphins offense appeared to use Hill more as a decoy than the game-breaking receiver he really is.

The fourth quarter was not much better; Hill had two receptions for no gain and had to feel the love from the Chiefs defense, who locked him down for the entire game. There was one hit in particular Hill is going to feel the next day, and it was after he caught a screen pass from Tagovailoa behind the line of scrimmage. McDuffie made sure Hill had a memory of his first game back to Arrowhead.

Rashee Rice Spoiled the Party

Since Hill left Kansas City, there have been many times where he has been missed, and we would love to have him back. Just like a high school breakup, the Chiefs needed to move on and have no regrets. Yes, the Chiefs did win a Super Bowl without Hill, but recent struggles at wide receiver have brought up old feelings.

On Saturday night, Rashee Rice was the true game-breaker at wideout and allowed the Chiefs to have no regrets. He is going to be the go-to guy moving forward. Rice had eight receptions for 130 yards with a touchdown and was a constant presence in the passing game. Rice showed his agility and great hands in the Wild Card matchup, which overshadowed the Hill's homecoming.

Tyreek Hill is going to have a special place in the Chief's Kingdom; he was a large part of the early success of Patrick Mahomes, including a Super Bowl victory in Miami. Chiefs fans have been nervous about Hill's return to Arrowhead, expecting the big plays and game-breaking speed, but they were pleased to see the Chiefs' defense able to lock him down except for one big play for a touchdown.

Chiefs Kingdom, what do you think about Hill's homecoming? Let me know!