Catching a Cheetah: Exploring the ways in which the Dolphins might defend Tyreek Hill
The Miami Dolphins’ approach to defending Tyreek Hill — and how well they execute that plan Sunday — could be the single biggest event of their entire season.
Hill, Kansas City’s electric wide receiver, is arguably the toughest cover in the NFL. A sub-4.3 40 sprinter, he’s probably the fastest player in the NFL. (His nickname, appropriately, is Cheetah.)
But Hill isn’t just a burner. He’s a game-changer. Just two weeks ago, he had more than 200 receiving yards against the Buccaneers — in a single quarter.
He ranks first among AFC receivers in yards (1,079) and touchdowns (13).
Meanwhile, the surest paths for the Dolphins to reach the playoffs include beating the Chiefs. (They’re 70 percent to get in with a win Sunday, according to FiveThirtyEight, but just 31 percent with a loss.)
And any plan to beat the Chiefs must begin with containing Hill.
“He’s obviously an explosive player,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said Tuesday, “[and] he’s getting better. He was very good to begin with, and he has taken it to another level.”
That’s scary.
But the Chiefs have reason to worry too.
Hill isn’t the only star in Sunday’s potential playoff preview at the top of his game. Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is too.
Howard leads the NFL with eight interceptions — two shy of the franchise’s 53-year-old record — and has one in four consecutive games.
Coach Brian Flores on Monday called Howard “one of the best corners I’ve been around” — and that’s saying something. During Flores’ time in New England, the Patriots had elite talents such as Stephon Gilmore, Darrelle Revis and Malcolm Butler on their roster.
Added Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander: “He’s having a special year. We need him to continue to play at this high level he’s been playing all season.”
Howard said Monday that breaking the team’s interception record, set by Dick Westmoreland in 1967, “would be great. The way I’m getting a pick damn near every week. Just keep that going.”
If Howard gets a pick this week, it w’ll probably be the most impressive of his career. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the lowest interception rate in NFL history (1.3 percent).
Put another way: While Howard might be the best defensive player in the NFL this year, Mahomes is arguably the best talent in all of professional sports.
So how to even the scales?
Hill vs. Howard is the matchup everyone wants to see.
Everyone, perhaps, except for the Dolphins.
They don’t seem particularly juiced about the idea of sticking Howard on Hill for 70 snaps.
“I don’t think there’s one way you can do it,” Boyer said. “You have to have a multiple-faceted approach to make sure you limit those explosive plays.”
The good news for the Dolphins is they have options. They key to victory Sunday is figuring out which option will work best.
In other words: Do they want a big-bodied playmaker (Howard) to shadow Hill, or maybe ask their fastest cover man who lacks the same ball skills (Byron Jones) to run with him?
The answer is probably a little of both, but a case could be made to use Jones more than Howard on Hill.
Jones’ 4.36-second 40 time at the Combine was a full two-tenths of a second faster than what Howard ran.
The flaw in that plan? It doesn’t account for second-year wideout Mecole Hardman — who’s nearly as fast as Hill and has a higher yards-per-catch average (15.0 to 14.6). Plus Jones — despite getting high praise from his coaches — needs to play better. Quarterbacks have a passer rating of 118 when targeting him this season.
“With a guy like [Hill] who’s an explosive target, who moves all around, I think it really challenges your communication, where guys need to be and having an understanding of where he is,” Alexander said. “Maybe one movement in out and of motion, across the formation can maybe change a matchup or change a call or change a rotation. You’ve really got to lock in throughout the week.
“That’s the hard work of figuring out where he’s going to be, how he’s going to line up, how they’re going to move him, making sure regardless of where he’s going to me located, pre or post-snap, all 11 individuals on defense have an understanding of where they’re supposed to be and how this puzzle is supposed to fit,” he added. “We know that every blade of grass will be attacked with [Mahomes] as the engine that drives the car.”
