The Miami Dolphins already had a 10-3 lead when Tyreek Hill went down on the sideline early in the third quarter Monday night. Just three plays after the eight-time Pro Bowler was carted into the locker room, the Dolphins scored a touchdown to extend their lead en route to a 27-21 win.
It was a roller coaster of bittersweet emotions for a team that finally broke through with its first win of 2025, but lost its No. 1 receiver in the process.
After the game, plenty of Dolphins players had thoughts on the mixed feelings that came with the victory and unfortunate news of a dislocated knee for Hill.
“It’s a huge blow,” Dolphins left tackle Patrick Paul told reporters. “That’s a leader for our team, someone who’s very vocal. He brings the energy, he’s a great person in the locker room. … He’s a heart and soul player on this team, so we all got his back and it was very hard to see, honestly.”
“That’s why you know you’ve got to treat every play like it’s your last,” defensive lineman Zach Sieler said. “You never know what’s going to happen. No idea what, to be honest, I didn’t even see it, and then once I saw everyone run over there, I didn’t even want to look up for any replays. So, praying for him and his family.”
While it’s a devastating injury that could spell the end of Hill’s tenure with the Dolphins, you couldn’t tell by looking at the receiver’s face. He was smiling as he left the field on a cart, which head coach Mike McDaniel called “inspiring” for Miami teammates who had to refocus after the injury.
“[Hill] was kind of joking,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters. “That’s just his personality. So he was joking when I came up and talked to him and when a lot of the guys came up and talked to him. That’s just his personality. That’s just who he is. But our thoughts and our prayers are with him.”
“When I went over there and I saw him, he was still happy,” Achane said. “Like Tua said, he was smiling, just still making jokes. I’m like ‘bro, you just got hurt.’ Him just showing that spirit just let us know we still got a game to win and we still got to lock in. He just put his body on the line to get this first down so might as well continue the job.”
According to Tagovailoa, nothing needed to be said to his teammates to get the team back on track. Everyone knew the assignment and locked back in after Hill’s exit.
“I think it was one of those where collectively we knew we needed to step up, in general,” Tagovailoa said. “Regardless of who is in, we feel as if it’s the next man up. We shouldn’t lack the way we play, the style of our play, shouldn’t lack any of that. So that was sort of the mantra or the mindset going into that after Tyreek got hurt.”
Now the Dolphins are 1-3 and will have to try to continue to dig out of their early hole without one of the NFL’s most dangerous receivers.
“Just next man up,” Achane said. “I feel like anybody on this team when they’ve got the ball in their hands, they can make plays. We just got to practice and just got to face the fact that we might not have him.”
“Tyreek is one of them guys that it changes for the whole team, it changes for the whole offense,” fellow Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “He means a lot to the offense, not just going out there and making plays, but having his spirit and energy out there and his leadership out there. I think it changes for the team, we all have to step up. We all got to play for him, and we are all praying for him.”
#Dolphins #players #losing #Tyreek #Hill #injury