What to Take from the First Dolphins-Chiefs Game?

The Dolphins dropped a 21-14 decision against the Chiefs in Germany in Week 9
What to Take from the First Dolphins-Chiefs Game?
What to Take from the First Dolphins-Chiefs Game? /
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The Miami Dolphins' first-round playoff game of the 2023 season will be rematch of their Week 9 battle in Germany.

It was a game the Dolphins clearly could have won after they trailed 21-0 at halftime. The Dolphins outgained Kansas City 292-267 that day, the only time this season they had more yards than their opponents but lost.

For those who might have forgotten, the Dolphins drove inside the Chiefs 40-yard line on each of their final two possessions while trailing 21-14, but punted the first time after a 6-yard loss on a running play and a sack put them in a fourth-and-27 situation and then turned the ball over on downs after Tua Tagovailoa failed to handle a shotgun snap and fell on the ball after a third-down incompletion where Cedrick Wilson Jr. got behind the secondary down the left sideline but there was a miscommunication issue between QB and receiver.

The game, which will be replayed on NFL Network on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET, was a blowout until the Dolphins defense clamped down, holding the Chiefs to 67 yards in the second half.

Here's what else stood out from that game:

-- The Dolphins were about as healthy as they've been all season, the only two starters missing being guards Isaiah Wynn and Robert Hunt. 

-- The Dolphins won the toss and deferred, only to watch Kansas City drive 75 yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

-- Miami had two sacks in the game — from Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, who both would sustain season-ending injuries in subsequent weeks.

-- The Dolphins completely shut down tight end Travis Kelce, holding the perennial Pro Bowl selection to three catches and 14 yards. That's his lowest yardage total in any game since the 2018 opener when the Chargers held him to 6 yards on one catch.

-- Tyreek Hill's first game against his former team didn't go well. In addition to losing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown to extend K.C.'s lead to 21-0, he was charged with two dropped passes and was held to 62 receiving yards (his fourth-lowest total of the season).

-- Tua was pressured on 26.3 percent of his dropbacks in that game, per Pro Football Reference, his fourth-highest rate of the season. He also was blitzed 14 times, which tied for third-most during the season (16 times against the Chargers, 15 times in the first Patriots game). Tua was sacked three times by the Chiefs.

-- By contrast, the Dolphins blitzed Patrick Mahomes 10 times and pressured him on 28.6 percent of his dropbacks.

-- One big problem area for the Dolphins was third-down offense. Miami converted 25 percent (3-for-12) against Kansas City, its worst showing of the season in that department.

-- Raheem Mostert had only 41 rushing yards until he reeled off runs of 25 and 19 yards on the play right before and right after the two-minute warning, helping the Dolphins move the ball from their 25 to the Chiefs 31 with a chance to tie the score. The Dolphins then called for four consecutive passes while their comeback attempt failed.

-- The game-time temperature in Frankurt, Germany, on that day was 53 degrees Fahrenheit — or some 50 degrees warmed than it's expected to be Saturday night in Kansas City.

Deja Vu: Dolphins to Open 2021 at New England


Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.