Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was dominant in Sunday’s victory over the Chargers, catching 11 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns — including the game-winner with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter.
It was Hill’s best game as a Dolphin and tied for the second-highest yardage output of his career.
After the game, Hill said being in his second season in head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense made a big difference in his performance.
“Oh man, everything was more fluid this year,” Hill said in his postgame press conference. “Because last year, man, I was just banking on my speed and just banking on me just outrunning guys. But this year, I was in my bag a little bit more on release moves and routes at the top, stuff like that.”
Hill noted that his newfound comfort with the routes helped him make his first catch.
“Last year, we ran the same exact route and I wasn’t open,” Hill said. “But this year, it’s a whole lot different because I know how to run it and I know exactly how many steps I need to be at and stuff like that.
“So, yeah, everything was different. I’m not just counting on my speed. Obviously, after the catch, I am.”
Then when the Dolphins needed him most in the fourth quarter, Hill made the biggest plays of the game. On third-and-10 with 3:47 left, he beat cornerback J.C. Jackson off the line and caught a 47-yard pass down the right side to put Miami in L.A. territory.
Then on third-and-goal from the 4, Hill caught a goal-line fade on the right side of the end zone for a go-ahead score.
Hill said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, “kind of leaned on me a little bit toward the end. And that just means more targets for me, though. I kind of enjoy that.”
Hill set career highs with 119 catches and 1,710 yards last year. But he’s feeling more dynamic now, which could be scary for the rest of the defenses on Miami’s schedule.
“I always feel like nobody can guard me,” Hill said. “As a competitor, I feel like if you ask anybody in our room, they’ll say the same thing — can’t nobody guard me or them. I just feel like, that’s just a competitive mindset. I want the ball — that sounds kind of like…crazy, you know?
“But, yeah, I just feel like can’t nobody guard me.”