Hill, Dolphins torch Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 victory

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made headlines over the summer with some bold claims regarding what he plans to do in his second season in Miami. In Sunday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hill demonstrated that his comments weren’t just idle chatter.

The Dolphins and Chargers went toe-to-toe for four quarters with Miami finally edging their West Coast opponents 36-34. Hill torched the Chargers’ secondary for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. The game was Hill’s third with over 200 yards receiving and first as a Dolphin. Hill helped quarterback Tua Tagovailoa amass 466 passing yards and three touchdowns. Tagovailoa was 28-44 on the day. He also threw one interception.

Hill’s best work came in the second half — he caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a four-yarder with 1:45 remaining in the game that proved to be the game-winner.

Afterwards, Hill noted that last year, he relied on his speed to beat opponents. He wasn’t very familiar with the Miami playbook and tried to out-athlete defenses. It worked well — he had a career-high 1,710 yards on 119 receptions — but yesterday, he showed what he’s capable of now that he’s had two full training camps in the Dolphins’ system. “Everything was more fluid this year because last year, man, I was just banking on my speed and just outrunning guys,” said Hill after the game.

The Dolphins travel up the East Coast next week to face the New England Patriots on the Sunday night game. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:20.