Important INJURY: Miami Dolphins important player will miss the next game due to a critical injury….
GARDENS OF MIAMI — The biggest task for the Miami Dolphins when they host the New York Jets on Sunday may not be beating one of the league’s finest defenses or avoiding their first losing streak of the season with playoff positioning on the line.
The most difficult issue for them may be achieving those things without All-Pro Tyreek Hill.
In Monday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, the NFL’s leading receiver hurt his left ankle, restricting him to a season-low 47% of Miami’s offensive snaps. Hill is listed as “day-to-day” as the Dolphins prepare to meet the Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Coach Mike McDaniel would be faced with a problem he hasn’t encountered in his two years as Miami’s head coach: putting out a game plan without Hill.
“In general, I’m hopeful about Tyreek. “I believe that if there is a will, there is a way,” McDaniel stated on Tuesday. “In any case, that was a painful ankle (injury)….” He’s given me every reason to be confidence in his abilities, but unless he explicitly tells me that there’s no question he’ll play, you have to plan for everything.”
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Hill has not missed a game since being traded to the Dolphins in the summer, and no player in the NFL has more receiving yards in that time than Hill’s 3,252. In fact, Hill is on pace to beat Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yardage record of 1,964 set in 2012, when seasons were 16 games rather than the current 17. Hill has 1,542 receiving yards on the season, averaging 119 per game. To break the record, he needs 423 yards in the next four games. If he misses one game, he’ll need to average 141 yards per game in the final three games, which are against two of the league’s top five passing defenses in the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens, as well as the No. 11 passing defense in the Buffalo Bills.
On Monday, the Dolphins got a taste of life without Hill, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa averaged 6.4 yards per attempt without his top target, compared to 9.2 yards per attempt with Hill on the field.
Despite a solid run game (158 yards on 31 runs), the Titans outgained the Dolphins 403-366, and Tagovailoa failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season. The absence of Hill and center Connor Williams, who tore the ACL in his left knee on Miami’s first drive, disrupted what is usually a formidable offense, according to the fourth-year veteran.
“I think we got a little out of sorts with how we went about our drives,” she remarked. “I think one of the biggest things that happened, and I think it had something to do with the game, was when Connor went down.” However, this is how the league operates. You hope for healthy seasons and to be healthy for as long as possible. But it’s a physical sport, and such things happen.”
Tyreek Hill hasn’t missed a game since joining the Dolphins in the summer of 2022, but an ankle injury suffered against the Titans is jeopardizing that streak and his attempt to break the receiving record. Cooper Neill for Getty Images
Hill hasn’t taken part in any of Miami’s three practices this week, despite the fact that the first two were walkthroughs.
McDaniel stated that, similar to how the Dolphins managed injuries to other key players such as Terron Armstead and Robert Hunt, his staff will be prudent in maintaining Hill’s health moving forward.
“He’s such an important part of our team that we’re going to make sure that when he’s on the field, he’s not at risk of further injuring himself,” McDaniel said in a statement on Thursday. “We’re just going to be cautious and wise with him.” He’s a contender and the leader of this team, and he wants to set the terms. But he’s at a nice place where he’s not going to do it at the expense of additional injury progression. I’m content with where he’s at.”
McDaniel said Hill draws a defense’s attention whether he has the ball or not, and that as one of the top players in the NFL, his skill set is unreplicable.
Miami, on the other hand, has another talented receiver in Jaylen Waddle, who led the team with 79 yards on six catches Monday night and has 822 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Even after Hill’s trade to Miami, he has remained productive, as his 2,178 receiving yards since the start of last season rank sixth in the NFL.
And, against a Jets defense that has allowed the second-fewest passing yards in the league this season, Waddle would play a key role in a game that Miami needs to win.
In the AFC East, the Dolphins lead the Buffalo Bills by two games. If the Dolphins beat the Jets and the Bills lose to the Cowboys, they may win the division as early as Week 16.
“If ‘Reek isn’t available, I think (Waddle) understands his role with stepping up,” Tagovailoa said in a statement. “I believe everyone else recognizes their role as well.” It’s difficult not having Tyreek out there when the entire offseason was designed around him and Jaylen, and now that one of those components is gone, guys can double Jaylen and leave other guys one-on-one. It provides opportunity for other guys who can truly accomplish something spectacular for us.”
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