Tyreek Hill has cultivated an image as King Troll during his two years with the Miami Dolphins. But just because he’s intentionally pushing buttons doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
The latest Cheetahism to make its way through the outrage cycle? Hill’s assertion on CBS Sports Golazo this week that this year’s Dolphins team (8-3, currently the AFC’s fourth seed and AFC East leader) is better than the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl.
Controversial? Sure. But it also might be accurate — if the stats are to be believed.
"I feel like [the Dolphins are] probably the better team than when we won a Super Bowl back when I was on KC."
– Tyreek Hill just said THAT 😳
via @CBSSportsGolazo pic.twitter.com/8BKDQmBRDf
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2023
The Case for the 2023 Miami Dolphins over the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs
Hill, during his Thursday media availability, expounded on his argument.
“Just look at the stats, man,” Hill said. “The stats speak for themselves. Also, the salary cap. That’s all I’m going to say on that. A lot of people may not want to agree with me, but they know I’m right. They can be like, ‘Oh, we have this player.’ So what? Look at the salary cap and look at the stats this year. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
It’s unclear what Hill meant by the salary cap — perhaps he was referring to the Dolphins’ total cash spending this year ($254.2 million, which is 13.1% over the 2023 cap).
But he certainly has a point about the Dolphins’ stats matching up favorably with that Chiefs team.
Of the 22 major team, offensive, and defensive stats, the Dolphins have the edge in 14 of them, including scoring, total offense, yards per play, and net yards. And if not for the Dolphins’ poor ball security, the gap between the two teams would be even greater.
There is one important caveat, however:
Those Chiefs’ stats came against far stiffer competition.
MORE: Tyreek Hill Goes Viral for Tua Tagovailoa Love, Surprising Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Take
The 2019 Chiefs’ strength of schedule (.510) and strength of victory (.477) were leaps and bounds better than those of the 2023 Dolphins (.419 and .311, respectively).
One thing Hill said Thursday, however, is indisputable. This Dolphins team is in a far better position to make a run than the group that started 8-3 — and then dropped five in a row — last year.
“Man, we’ve added a lot of guys, a lot more veteran guys who really understand the situation we’re in,” Hill said. “We’re definitely in a better spot. Obviously, we’re at the same point we were at last year. Coach [Mike McDaniel] just has got guys flying around the ball more, more attention to detail. It feels different this year. We’re on a roll right now. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
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