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The Dolphins have entered a delicate phase of their season.
Star receiver Tyreek Hill has an ankle injury. (Hill said after Monday’s loss to the Titans that he has “been dealing with some ankle injuries this whole season.” He was listed on the injury report with an “ankle” in Weeks 3, 13, and 14 only.) The latest ankle injury limited his participation on Monday night, after he was brought down with a combination horse-collar and hip-drop tackle.
So what happens this weekend? He’s day-to-day, according to coach Mike McDaniel. One of these days very soon, the Dolphins will have to decide whether to let Tyreek play with an injured ankle.
He’ll want to go. He clearly wants to become the first player to generate 2,000 receiving yards. He surely covets the opportunity to be the first receiver named NFL MVP, even if he routinely downplays it. If he misses Sunday’s game against the Jets, it will become much harder to achieve either. (Then again, his true value could be proven by his absence.)
The Dolphins have far bigger goals. They want to win a Super Bowl, for the first time in 50 years. To do that, they’ll need a fully healthy Tyreek Hill. It might therefore be in the best interests of the team to give Hill this weekend off, or maybe longer, in order to get him healthy for the playoffs.
It’s a tough balance. Beyond the importance of keeping a key player happy, the Dolphins can’t take anything for granted. Their hammerlock on the AFC East has suddenly softened. They could still miss the playoffs entirely.
Jets, Cowboys, Ravens, Bills. They haven’t been able to beat a great team with Hill; how would they do against the Cowboys, Ravens, or Bills without him?
It will be interesting to see whether this becomes a major storyline on Hard Knocks. If it’s a true reality show, it will be the main focus of the coming week.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-could-face-tough-decision-151259808.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2023-12-13 15:12:59
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