The Chiefs left Miami with a 24-10 win and plenty of room for cleaner football, but the bottom line was the one Kansas City wanted: 3-0.
Patrick Mahomes handled the heavy lifting with two touchdown passes, and the defense, uneven in stretches, came through when it had to. The victory was workmanlike more than pretty, but it was enough to keep the Chiefs rolling into Week 4.
The early tone was set immediately. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a 48-yard gain on the game’s opening burst, and three plays later Kansas City was in the end zone.
He stayed sharp for most of the afternoon, completing his first 11 passes before a bad throw late in the second quarter turned into an interception. Xaiver Worthy helped limit the damage by hustling to tackle Jacob Rodriguez after the pick.
Kelce and the tight ends were a big part of the passing game all day. Mahomes dropped one in over Noah Gray’s shoulder for a 22-yard completion that helped set up a field goal, and Kelce sealed things with an 11-yard touchdown catch.
It was Kelce’s second touchdown of the season. Mahomes finished 20 of 24 for 246 yards, though the protection issues became harder to ignore as the game wore on.
In the second half especially, he was taking hits almost immediately after letting the ball go.
The run game held up well enough, with Kenneth Walker grinding out 70 yards on 18 carries. Even so, there were a couple of flat spots that stalled momentum, including two snaps at the Miami 12 where Kansas City couldn’t get a single yard.
On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs never found a sack for the second straight week, and Miami quarterback Malik Willis had enough time too often to work through his reads. The Dolphins converted 8 of 16 on third down, which kept Kansas City from fully taking control.
Still, when the Chiefs needed a stop, they got one. Miami faced a fourth-and-6 from its 47, and Kansas City’s pressure did not allow the play to develop.
George Karlaftis picked off his first career interception on a ball tipped by Chris Jones, though he later wiped out an interception chance for Chris Roland-Wallace with a penalty.
Miami also had to adjust after De’Von Achane left on the Dolphins’ fifth snap with a knee injury and did not return. Even so, the Dolphins answered Kansas City’s lightning-fast opening score with a long march of their own, a drive that officially lasted 17 plays and 91 yards. With penalties included, Miami covered 101 yards in 19 plays.
L’Jarius Sneed supplied another key moment by punching the ball loose from Willis and recovering the fumble. But Mahomes threw his interception three plays later, keeping the game from fully slipping away.
Special teams were solid overall, with Nikko Remigio putting together a strong 34-yard kickoff return and the Chiefs’ kick-return coverage doing its job. Harrison Butker gave Kansas City a 17-10 lead with a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, though he later missed from 50 yards at the end of the game.
Next up is another road trip. The Chiefs visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in a Week 4 game that kicks off at 3:25 p.m.
Central Time and will be televised by CBS/Paramount on Channel 5 in Kansas City. Mansoor Delane was the standout on the grades sheet, returning from injury for the first time since the third play of the season opener and finishing with 10 tackles, a tackle for a 5-yard loss and a pass deflection.
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Brittany Mahomes Had A Different Focus After Chiefs Controversy
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Brittany Mahomes Just Weighed In On The Chiefs Hottest Sunday Debate
The Chiefs 24-10 win over the Dolphins on Sunday pushed Kansas City to 3-0, but the postgame chatter quickly shifted away from the score and toward the flags. Miami took issue with several penalties, including a roughing-the-passer call against pass rusher Chop Robinson, and the officiating debate gave the victory an immediate second life online.
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Chiefs Fans Finally Have Ammo In The Refs Debate
The latest round of officiating debate has given Chiefs fans something they have not had much of in recent seasons: a data-backed argument. After a roughing-the-passer call went against the Dolphins and a pass-interference decision helped the Broncos, the conversation around NFL penalties widened again, and the numbers point to Kansas City as one of the teams that has not exactly been living on the favorable side of the ledger.
Paul Foellers FORCE ranking, which measures how teams fare in penalty luck, places the Chiefs among the least benefited clubs in the league. It is the kind of finding that does not settle every argument about officiating, but it does give Kansas City supporters a little more ammunition the next time the flag debate flares up, especially with the Chargers sitting at the top of the impact chart. [Read more 🡒]