The Chiefs have had to work for every inch, but they still walked into halftime with a 14-7 edge over the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
Miami has controlled the flow for stretches, especially with the way it has chewed up clock and kept leaning on fourth-down tries. Kansas City, though, has been the sharper team in the moments that have mattered most, turning stops and takeaways into enough breathing room to stay in front.
Kansas City struck first on its opening possession. Patrick Mahomes opened the drive with a 48-yard completion to Travis Kelce, and Kenneth Walker finished it off with a 10-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.
The Dolphins answered with a long, grinding response of their own - 17 plays, 91 yards - and capped it with Ollie Gordon’s 3-yard touchdown run to tie things up at 7-7. That drive came with a painful setback for Miami, as De’Von Achane left with a knee injury and did not return.
From there, the game turned into a series of swings and missed chances. The teams traded fourth-down stops before L’Jarius Sneed forced a turnover by punching the ball out from Malik Willis on a run in Kansas City territory. Andy Reid had to challenge the play because Willis was originally ruled down.
Kansas City then gave the ball right back. Mahomes threw a pass that went off Rashee Rice’s hands, got tipped by another defender, and was snared by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who dove for the interception and returned it to the Miami 47. But the Dolphins couldn’t cash in on the short field and eventually punted.
Mahomes had opened the day looking nearly flawless, completing his first 11 passes before the tipped interception. At halftime, he was 12-of-13 for 134 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
Willis has gone 11-of-17 for 112 yards.
Miami will get the second-half kickoff.
In Other News...
Dolphins Fans Have Another Reason To Be Furious With Chiefs Officiating
A controversial no-call in the Chiefs-Dolphins game is adding more fuel to a grievance Miami fans already know well. On a recent tackle, a Kansas City defender was seen pulling on Malik Willis helmet, yet officials let the play stand without a flag, turning a routine snap into another flashpoint in a rivalry that seems to bring out every officiating complaint imaginable.
For Dolphins supporters, the frustration was immediate because the contact looked obvious enough to invite a penalty and the silence from the officials only deepened the suspicion. Plays like that tend to linger long after the game ends, especially when they feed the larger belief around the league that Kansas City gets the benefit of the doubt more often than most teams. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Good Problem Up Front
Through three weeks, Miami has managed to keep its run defense sturdy even without Kenneth Grant, who is on injured reserve and could be back after Week 4. The Dolphins have patched the interior with Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Keith Cooper Jr., while rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and veteran Jordyn Brooks have helped keep the front seven organized and active against the run.
Grants return would give the Dolphins another option up front, but it also raises a real personnel question for a defense that has found a workable rhythm without him. His rookie season was uneven, and the bigger issue now is figuring out where he fits if the current group keeps holding its own once he is cleared to rejoin the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This Chiefs Break
When the Dolphins were trying to claw their way back into the game against Kansas City in Week 3, a roughing-the-passer call on Chop Robinson changed the feel of the moment in an instant. The hit on Patrick Mahomes extended the Chiefs drive, and Miami watched the sequence end with three points instead of a stop that could have helped shift momentum.
It was the sort of break that left Dolphins fans grinding their teeth, especially in a game Kansas City controlled from there. The Chiefs won 24-10, with Mahomes completing 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and Miami was left to wonder how different things might have felt without one costly flag in a key spot. [Read more 🡒]