The Dolphins left Week 3 with another loss on the board, falling 24-10 to the Chiefs, but the game also delivered a few clear storylines that will linger well beyond the final whistle.
The biggest blow came early. After a week of talk about getting De’Von Achane more involved, Miami’s offense watched its best weapon leave before the first quarter could settle in.
On his third carry, Achane went down awkwardly after a tackle, hobbled off, and was soon taken to the locker room for further testing. He never came back, and he was later ruled out with a knee injury.
For a Dolphins offense that has not scored more than 13 points in any of its first three games, losing Achane only makes the climb steeper. At this point, there’s no clarity on how serious the injury is or whether he’ll be sidelined for a while.
There was at least one bright spot on defense, and it came from rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Miami took Rodriguez in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft, and he keeps giving the team reasons to feel good about that pick.
He already leads all rookies in tackles, handles the “green dot” duties on defense, and against Kansas City he added his first career interception by diving for a tipped Patrick Mahomes pass. Rodriguez finished with six tackles, including three for loss, and even in a game where the Dolphins gave up 24 points, he looked like a player trending in the right direction every week.
The bigger problem on that side of the ball is still the same one that has followed Miami through three games: no pass rush. The Dolphins entered Week 3 with zero sacks, dead last in the NFL, and that number did not change against the Chiefs.
They did get five quarterback hits, but none turned into a sack. Chop Robinson landed a big shot on Mahomes, only to get flagged for roughing the passer, while veteran defensive tackle Zach Sieler once again came up short in a matchup that needed more from him.
Miami can’t keep chasing quarterbacks without finishing the job, or the defense is going to keep paying for it.
On offense, the young receiving group showed some life again. Rookie Caleb Douglas, a third-round pick at No. 75, missed the game with an injury, but Chris Bell picked up some of the slack with four catches for 67 yards, including a 44-yard catch-and-run.
Malik Washington also chipped in, finishing with five catches for 56 yards. It’s a different look from the Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle days, but Miami’s younger pass catchers are starting to show something, even if the touchdowns still haven’t arrived.
Special teams also remains a concern. The Dolphins were shaky in Week 2, and Week 3 didn’t do much to ease that feeling.
They avoided a major breakdown, but the trust level in Riley Patterson from long range is clearly thin. Late in the first half, Miami had a chance at a 55-yard field goal and chose instead to take a delay-of-game penalty and punt.
Patterson has been accurate, but the leg strength is the issue. He hit 27 of 29 field goals in 2025, with a long of 54 yards, and in a league where kickers are now pushing past 60 yards regularly, that kind of range matters.
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 🡒]