Patrick Mahomes is relishing the return of ex-teammate Tyreek Hill to Arrowhead in the AFC Wild Card matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, as the wide receiver comes back to Kansas City for the first time since his 2022 trade.
Saturday’s game could turn into a strange night for Hill, who was drafted by Kansas City and played there for the first six seasons of his career, as a frigid forecast is set to kick in the area for the occasion.
‘Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Tyreek’s a great player, man,’ Mahomes, who will be disputing the sixth-playoff-bound season of his career this weekend, told Kansas City’s 610 Sports Radio’s The Drive. ‘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.’
Chiefs fans will have mixed feelings toward their former wideout, as his return could deprive Kansas City of any postseason success. If Hill had initially played in Kansas City during the regular season, then he would have likely be met with cheers and a round of applause.
Patrick Mahomes said ex-teammate Tyreek Hill will be cheered and booed’ on his Arrowhead return on Saturday when the Chiefs play the Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card round
Hill and the Dolphins will want an upset in Kansas City as Miami’s on a two-game losing streak
But his untimely return to Arrowhead, combined with the Dolphins’ two-game losing streak and the fact that its the postseason will probably result in a icier reception for Hill, now 29. He left Kansas City at age 28.
‘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.’
Hill, now 29, started off his career in Kansas City and spent six seasons there before his trade
Kansas City has apparently been covered with six inches of snow since last weekend, according to The Associated Press.
More snow is expected later this week, and then comes the bitter cold, as the high temperature Saturday could struggle to reach double digits, and by the time the game is kicked off long after darkness sets in, the wind chill is expected to be well below zero.
Could that be an advantage for the Chiefs, who have played in similarly cold conditions plenty of times over the years, given that the Dolphins will spend the week practicing in 70-degree temps in South Florida?
‘You can’t bank on that. That’s where you get into trouble,’ Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. ‘We’re not having a snowball fight.’
