The Miami Dolphins secured a crucial 29-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but star wide receiver Tyreek Hill wasn’t satisfied with his personal performance. The lightning-fast wideout, known for his sure hands and game-breaking ability, uncharacteristically dropped three passes that hit his hands, including two potential touchdowns. After the game, Hill took full responsibility for the miscues and pointed to a surprising culprit: a lack of practice reps with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Hill: “I Need Those Valuable Reps with Tua”
In a candid post-game interview, the six-time Pro Bowler didn’t mince words about what he felt led to his drops. “I feel like at the end of the day, I need those valuable reps with Tua,” Hill explained. “Those vet rest days are starting to show. I completely blame myself for not getting my head around and not seeing the ball because, if I see a ball, we’re talking cross-court, 70-yard touchdown. But those Wednesday reps are definitely showing.”
Hill, who has battled a nagging wrist injury throughout the season, has frequently missed or been limited in Wednesday practices to manage the issue. While the extra rest may be helpful for his body, the speedster believes it’s coming at the cost of his on-field chemistry with Tagovailoa. “As a leader, I’ve just got to be able to bite the bullet sometime and practice and get those valuable reps with QB1,” Hill added. “Because, if we’re able to stay on the field on third down, who knows what could happen.”
Costly Drops Stall Drives
Hill’s drops came at inopportune times for the Dolphins’ offense. He let a third-down pass slip through his fingers on Miami’s opening drive, and later dropped a would-be touchdown on another third down, though 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir did get a fingertip on the ball. Hill had a chance to redeem himself late in the third quarter but couldn’t haul in another endzone target on third down. The Dolphins settled for field goals after each of the two dropped touchdowns.
On the deep ball, it was tipped by the defensive back, and on the other one, it’s just, again, missing those valuable reps with the quarterback.
– Tyreek Hill
Channeling Coach Reid’s Wisdom
In diagnosing his struggles, Hill hearkened back to a lesson he learned from his former coach Andy Reid during their time together with the Kansas City Chiefs. “One thing I learned from Coach Reid whenever I was in Kansas City, I was blessed to be able to play under such a great head coach, is you can’t just show up on Sunday,” Hill shared. “You’ve got to be able to prepare yourself Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, even Saturday. Then when it’s Sunday, it’s easy.”
Hill clearly believes that wisdom applies to his current situation in Miami. “Once again, us missing those valuable reps because when it’s live speed, everything’s moving so fast. We need those valuable reps whenever it’s Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
Dolphins Committed to Getting Hill More Reps
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that while managing a player’s practice workload is an “imperfect formula,” he’s prepared to adjust Hill’s schedule to get him the reps he needs. “Whenever it hits a player and they feel that it has accumulated, then you adjust your plans because the idea is, above all else, executing and feeling as convicted and confident on game day,” McDaniel explained. “I think the adjustment to getting more reps with Tua, that’s an easy one. You know what I’ll do? I’ll say, hey, get more reps, and then they’ll do it.”
Tagovailoa echoed his coach’s willingness to put in the extra work to get back in sync with his top target. “If he told you that, then that’s what we need more of. We need reps. Me and him need more reps,” the quarterback said. “That’s what we’ve got to do. That’s the secret sauce to me being able to connect with all these guys … If we miss a throw, if we’re off on a throw in the team practice or in a routes on-air rep, we’ll get together in whatever time we have, whether it’s after or during, while the defense is on, and we’ll get those reps made up.”
Chasing a Playoff Berth
At 6-7, the Dolphins find themselves two games behind the Denver Broncos for the AFC’s final wild card spot. With just four games remaining, they’ll likely need to win out and get some help to punch their ticket to the postseason. Getting Hill and Tagovailoa back on the same page will be crucial to making a late playoff push.
While the Pro Bowl receiver’s production has dipped from his lofty standards the past two seasons, he remains one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers. If a few extra practice reps can help Hill and Tagovailoa rekindle their early-season magic, the Dolphins could still be a dangerous out down the stretch and potentially in the playoffs. The duo sounds determined to put in the work to make it happen.
