The Kansas City Chiefs continue to dream of winning the Super Bowl back to back. Patrick Mahomes and company managed to hold off the Miami Dolphins in a chilly Arrowhead Stadium, winning Super Wild Card Weekend and moving on to the divisional round 26-7.
The Chiefs got off to a fast start as they went 69 yards in nine plays, with Mahomes finding Rashee Rice for a score on the opening drive. The action did, however, slow down for both teams after that as they traded three-and-outs and Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception before Harrison Butker's chip-shot field goal at the beginning of the second quarter gave Kansas City a bigger lead.
Tyreek Hill, who was playing his first game in Kansas City since the 2022 deal that sent him to Miami, provided the Dolphins with their only offensive burst when they were down by ten. Less than a minute into the second quarter, he caught his first pass of the day. Tagovailoa went back to him on the very next play, and it resulted in a 53-yard touchdown to make the score 10–7. Sadly, the Dolphins' only significant danger against the Chiefs came from field goals, as they converted four of the following five drives to increase their advantage and eventually secure the victory.
The Dolphins' heartbreaking moment came when they were behind nine points at the beginning of the second half. The offence mustered just 15 yards of total offence after forcing punts on back-to-back drives after taking the ball to start the third quarter. During the same period, Miami was left in the dust as the Chiefs went on a string of successful scoring drives that added 10 more points to their score.
In this game, making crucial plays proved to be the differentiator. Although the Chiefs managed to shift the chains, Miami was unable to do so. It wasn't until 5:58 into the third quarter that the Dolphins were able to convert a third or fourth down try. They were 1-for-12 on third down and 3-for-6 on fourth down during the game. The Chiefs, on the other hand, converted their lone fourth down attempt and went 6 for 15 on third down.
In addition to gaining 41 yards on the rush, Mahomes completed 23 of 41 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown. His go-to target in the victory was Rashee Rice, who caught eight of his twelve targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. For Miami, Tagovailoa completed 20 of 39 passes for 199 yards, including a score and an interception. Tyreek Hill gained 62 yards and five receptions, the most of which was on the first-half 53-yard touchdown reception.
Why the Chiefs won:
This season, the Chiefs wide receiver group's struggles—they led the league in passes dropped—were one of the main stories to monitor. Except for youngster Rashee Rice, the position group as a whole had a quiet night. He demonstrated in his postseason debut that he was Mahomes' reliable target, catching a game-high 12 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. If the penalty had not been called back, he would have also scored another goal. Mahomes could find it very helpful to have a weapon other than Travis Kelce, who has seven catches for 71 yards. This could prove to be crucial as they continue their playoff run.
On the attack front as too, Mahomes' mobility was quite useful. In this game, he only attempted two rushes, but both of them were successful. On Kansas City's first play of the second half, he scrambled for 13 yards after scoring a 28-yard run on a fourth-down attempt earlier in the half. Field goals were put up with each run. The fact that Mahomes wasn't sacked once speaks volumes about the offensive line's performance in keeping the quarterback upright.
Under Mahomes and Reid, the Chiefs' defence continues to play at a level that hasn't been seen in previous seasons. They checked Miami's dynamic passing game and hindered its running game. Although Tyreek Hill did manage to escape for a 53-yard touchdown reception in the first half, he only managed to collect nine yards from four of his seven targets after that.
Why the Dolphins lost:
In crucial circumstances, the Dolphins offence was unable to move the ball. For the majority of the game, they were terrible on third and fourth downs, and they didn't score on either crucial down until the middle of the third quarter. They also never made it inside the red zone. Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane combined for 42 running yards on 14 attempts, making the backfield a non-threat. Tyreek Hill was mostly quiet save for the previously mentioned little spurt in the second quarter, while Jaylen Waddle only managed two catches over most of the game. The passing game was also out of rhythm for most of the evening.
Miami's injuries on defence, particularly off the edge, also appeared to finally catch up to them. Mahomes had all day to throw the football, which is a death sentence for any defence, with players like Bradley Chubb (torn ACL in Week 17) and Jaelan Phillips (torn Achilles in Week 12) out of the game. Vic Fangio attempted numerous blitzes to disrupt the Chiefs quarterback but was unable to get through to players such as Melvin Ingram, Justin Houston, and Emmanuel Ogbah.
Up next:
The Chiefs will now have to wait and see what happens in Monday's rescheduled Steelers vs. Bills game. Kansas City will travel to Orchard Park for the divisional round if Buffalo wins that match. If Pittsburgh pulls off the upset, C.J. Stroud and the Texans will travel to Arrowhead next week.