The Chiefs getting to face the Dolphins is about as good of a wild card round matchup as you could draw up, for more reasons than one. As far as storylines go, it doesn’t get much better than Tyreek Hill returning to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time.
While Hill has faced the Chiefs since they dealt him ahead of the 2022 campaign, the wideout hasn’t played in Kansas City since the trade. Now, he gets to make his return with the stakes as high as could be.
Patrick Mahomes told 610 Sports Radio’s The Drive he’s looking forward to facing his former teammate.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Tyreek’s a great player, man,” Mahomes said. “He’ll be hyped up to come back to Arrowhead and try to score and everything like that. It’ll be a great challenge for us, the defense I know is excited for the opportunity. It's the playoffs, everybody is going to be playing their best ball and we’ll see who the best team is.”
For Chiefs fans, his return could come under better circumstances. If he first played in Kansas City during the regular season, he’d likely be met with an ovation. But the fact that he’s coming back with the intention of booting the Chiefs from the postseason could make the reception a bit frostier.
“I’m sure it’ll be a mixture of cheers and boos,” Mahomes said. "Tyreek did a lot for this organization, he really did. I know he’s in Miami now so he might get a couple boos because we’re playing him in the playoffs and everything like that.
“But one day he’s going to be in that Ring of Honor, and so he’ll be coming back to Arrowhead at some point and will get that ovation that he deserves. But this week will be a tad more hostile just being a playoff game and he’s on the opposite team.”