The Chiefs’ pass rush has landed on the kind of matchup it needs.
After opening the season with a sharp performance against the Denver Broncos - four sacks and only 10 points allowed while harassing and containing Bo Nix - Kansas City came back to earth in Week 2. Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts got through without the Chiefs recording a sack, and Kansas City gave up 30 points. Now the Miami Dolphins are next, and they’ve brought a shaky offensive line with them.
Miami has already been battered through two games, getting outscored 62-26 by the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. The biggest issue has been pass protection. The Dolphins have allowed a league-worst nine sacks, and the numbers up front point to a defense-friendly Sunday for Kansas City.
The right side of Miami’s line looks especially vulnerable. Left tackle Patrick Paul has been reliable, but the rest of the unit has not.
Right tackle Austin Jackson owns the lowest pass protection grade among all 66 eligible offensive tackles at 33.1, according to Pro Football Focus, while right guard Jonah Savaiinaea sits at 39.4. That gives the Chiefs a clear place to attack.
Malik Willis has also had a rough time when the pocket starts collapsing. His 32.1% pressure rate is third-worst in the NFL through two games, and he has been pressured on 43.1% of his dropbacks. That kind of heat has helped fuel Miami’s sack problems, and edge rushers have done plenty of the damage.
Of the nine sacks the Dolphins have allowed, 5.5 have come from defensive ends. That opens the door for George Karlaftis, who has not recorded a sack yet this season, and for rookie R Mason Thomas to chase plays down on obvious passing downs. Miami has also allowed 1.5 sacks to linebackers and 1.5 to defensive backs, so Steve Spagnuolo could have chances to bring extra pressure.
Chris Jones is still waiting for his first sack of the year as well. The Dolphins have only given up 0.5 sacks to defensive tackles, but they haven’t seen a player with Jones’ caliber yet. Rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods could also get into the mix on the interior.
Kansas City’s pass rush is under the microscope for a reason. Last season, the Chiefs finished with 35 team sacks, tied for the seventh-fewest in the league, at roughly two per game.
Week 1 suggested things might be different. Week 2 said otherwise.
Against Miami, they have a real chance to get back on track.
The Chiefs should have enough offense to put Miami in passing situations, and if the rush still can’t get home against this line, that would raise a real concern. But if Kansas City does start winning up front, it could be the kind of game that gives this pass rush some momentum moving forward.
In Other News...
Brittany Mahomes Had A Different Focus After Chiefs Controversy
The Chiefs left Sunday night with another win, improving to 3-0 after beating the Dolphins 24-10 in a game that had no shortage of talking points. Miami had plenty to gripe about after a handful of controversial penalties went against the visitors, including a roughing-the-passer call on pass rusher Chop Robinson, and the officiating chatter quickly became part of the postgame conversation around Kansas City.
Brittany Mahomes took a different tack on social media, focusing on the crowd and the atmosphere rather than the penalty debate. It fit the mood inside Arrowhead, where the Chiefs keep finding ways to stack wins even as outside noise follows them from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
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.
Brittany Mahomes stepped into the conversation on social media, though not by taking on the controversy head-on. Instead, Patrick Mahomes wife chose to highlight the Chiefs crowd, a reminder that even in a game with plenty of frustration on the other sideline, the home support at Arrowhead still tends to get the last word. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]