Tyreek Hill the biggest wildcard in Cowboys-Dolphins Week 16

Tyreek Hill’s presence in the Miami lineup changes things significantly so the Cowboys must be ready for anything in Week 16

There’s arguably no player who strikes more fear in the hearts of a secondary than Miami WR Tyreek Hill. Hill, blessed with 4.29 40-speed, is nicknamed “cheetah” for a reason. He’s regarded as the fastest player in the NFL, and he has a highlight reel to prove it.

It’s understandable if the Cowboys’ game prep looks significantly different game-planning for a Dolphins team with Hill vs a Dolphins team without Hill.

It’s not that Hill can just take the top off any defense, it’s that after years of playing under Andy Reid in Kansas City, he knows how to take a routine ball at or behind the line all the way to paydirt as well.

Hill is well versed in the screen game and has an uncanny knack for knowing when to follow blocks and when to turn on the afterburners. His start-stop ability allows him to cut on dime, making it often a team effort to stop the 5-foot-10 blazer.

At the moment, Tyreek Hill’s game status for Week 16 is still in question. He returned to practice on Thursday, but Miami coach Mike McDaniel stated his return was not indicative of his availability against Dallas.

After appearing to be full speed in individual drills, it’s hard to imagine Hill not playing against the Cowboys in Week 16. Given the standings in the AFC, and argument can be made Sunday’s Christmas Eve matchup means more to Miami than it does the Cowboys. They desperately want Hill on the field.

The Cowboys will have to prepare for both situations. Dan Quinn spoke of his desire to cage the Dolphins in and “build a wall” on the edges to limit their outside gains. but if Hill plays they also have to keep bodies back and make sure extra defenders are in place to limit the big plays.

Using press coverage against Hill is understandably a poor idea. He’s strong and quick enough to beat it with ease and based on EPA/play against press, only A.J. Brown is more deadly. Additionally, press against Hill is something Miami QB Tua Tagovailao appears to look for since Hill is the most targeted WR against it this season.

At 5.7 yards, Hill leads the NFL in yards per route against man coverage in 2023. For perspective, CeeDee Lamb is sixth in the league at 3.0 yards/route against man. Taking a passive approach to guarding Hill is out of character for Dallas but likely in the defenses best interest.

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