Without Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs 'lose the ability to instill fear' - Kansas City Chiefs Blog- ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs didn't necessarily remove themselves from consideration for a seventh consecutive AFC West championship or a spot in the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons with Wednesday's blockbuster transaction.

But there's no disputing that they made their job more difficult by trading wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.

«When you move Tyreek Hill from that offense, you lose the ability to instill fear into the opposing defense,» said ESPN NFL analyst and former defensive back Matt Bowen. «When Tyreek Hill is on the field, the defense is consistently threatened at all three levels because he can catch a shallow and go for six, he can catch a deep in and go for six and he can run right past you deep whenever he wants. He could beat you vertically or horizontally. Such a unique talent.

»That element is now gone from their offense."

Hill is the most dynamic NFL player of his era. He has 20 touchdowns of 50-plus yards, or seven more than any other player, since he entered the league in 2016. He has 26 receiving touchdowns on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield since 2017, 10 more than any other player.

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There isn't much clarity on how effectively the Chiefs will operate without him. He's been remarkably durable during his career, missing just six games. Two came at the end of the season in 2017 and 2020 when the Chiefs were sitting many of their regulars in preparation for the playoffs.

Four came in 2019, when an injury knocked him out of their lineup for four games. Then,