If Chad Johnson had an NFL MVP vote, he says it'd go to Tyreek Hill ... telling TMZ Sports the injury the wideout suffered this past Monday night showed there's just no one more valuable than him in the league.

The Cheetah was hindered in the first half of Miami's "MNF" game against Tennessee after he was dragged down by an opponent -- and while his leg was being tended to by trainers ... the Dolphins' normally explosive offense suddenly looked stale.

Tua Tagovailoa took a bunch of sacks -- and the long gains that the team had grown used to seeing evaporated out of nowhere.

Johnson tells us none of that is a coincidence ... saying it all showed Tyreek is the one who makes this year's Dolphins team.

"This is why he belongs in the MVP conversation," Johnson said. "I know the MVP is a quarterback award, but what you saw [Monday] night, for two quarters with the absence of Tyreek, is how important he is to that team."

While Hill -- who now has 97 catches for 1,542 yards and 12 TDs this season -- ultimately returned in the second half, the Dolphins fell to the Titans, 28-27.

Johnson said he anticipates Hill's injury will be fine moving forward -- although Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday the receiver will be questionable for this weekend's game against the Jets as he continues to recover.

As for Johnson's old team, the Cincinnati Bengals, he was optimistic about their outlook for the rest of the 2023 season -- telling us he fully expects the Jake Browning-led squad to "sneak in" to the playoffs.