INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It wasn’t certain if Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill would be available against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. Not only did he play, Hill ended the longest touchdown drought of his NFL career in Miami’s 23-15 win.
Known for his explosive gains, Hill got into the end zone on a 1-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa in the third quarter to put the Dolphins (3-6) up 17-6. Hill had gone seven games without scoring after catching a touchdown in the season opener against Jacksonville when he also had a season-high 130 yards on seven receptions.
“I didn’t know that, which is crazy, man,” Hill said. “Yeah, it’s a blessing to be back in the end zone. Man, I’m grateful to be a part of this team. However I can help this team, I’m all for winning. It don’t matter about me scoring, man. It’s about winning. It’s the importance of being able to do something special amongst these guys.”
Hill had been questionable because of a torn ligament in his wrist. He missed two days of practice last week, and Tagovailoa said the team didn’t know whether Hill could play until Sunday night.
He said the wrist injury had been bothering him since training camp, but was made worse when he was detained by police on the morning of the Dolphins’ Week 1 game, ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported Monday.
Fellow receiver Odell Beckham Jr., however, was confident Hill would be there.
“I mean, I don’t feel like he wasn’t gonna play, injury or not,” Beckham said. “Nah. There’s no way he wasn’t gonna play on ‘Monday Night Football’ when we’re in a must-win situation. So just for him to be able to do that, score, he knows how much he means to this team, so we appreciate him.”
Hill finished with three receptions for 16 yards. It was his second-lowest output as a pass catcher this season after managing one grab for 8 yards at Indianapolis in Week 7. Hill added 11 yards rushing on two carries.
That stat line didn’t do anything to address what it on pace to be Hill’s least productive season since his rookie campaign in Kansas City in 2016. He now has 37 receptions for 462 yards and two touchdowns, a sharp drop-off after having at least 1,700 yards in each of his first two seasons with Miami. He previously spent six seasons with the Chiefs.
The 30-year-old Hill has had at least 1,200 yards receiving in each of the previous four seasons. He led the NFL with 1,799 yards and 13 touchdown catches in 2023 and agreed in August to a restructured contract with more guaranteed money.
Much of this season’s downturn can be attributed to an extended absence for Tagovailoa because of a concussion. But Tagovailoa said there was no pushback from Hill or Jaylen Waddle to try and make up those numbers since he returned against Arizona in Week 8, especially against a Rams’ defence that mostly played conservative pass coverages.
“Coming into this game, they could have easily said, like, ‘Dude, just continue to throw the ball, even if they’re in a two-high shell,’” Tagovailoa said. “But those guys are in it, man. They’re just in it to win it.”
–with files from Sportsnet
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