Dolphins @ Chiefs
Final Score: Chiefs 21, Dolphins 14
Writer: Brian Hartman (@TooMuch_Brian on Twitter)
Guten tag! This matchup from the AFC came to us from Germany. The Chiefs started hot with a seven-play drive going 75 yards for a touchdown to their second-round rookie Rashhe Rice. The Dolphins were worried early after Jaylen Waddle went down on their second offensive snap after being rolled up while pass-blocking. Waddle would later return, and even carry a reverse for 12 yards. The Chiefs capped off a dominant 95-yard drive with a pass to Jerrick McKinnon. This is one of the few drives they didn’t get locked up in 3rd and long situations. The most exciting moment of the first half happened as the Dolphins were driving in the last two minutes. Tyreek Hill caught a screen pass and was smacked in the face by Trent McDuffie, who forced the fumble. The wildest part was seeing the defender Mike Edwards pick it up, get wrapped up by the Dolphins, and toss it to Bryan Cook, who returned it for a touchdown leaving that German crowd with sauerkraut hanging from their mouths. The Dolphins go into halftime without completing a single third downplay.
The second half was all Dolphins after halftime, down 21 to 0. The pass to Cedrick Wilson Jr. was a great grab by the receiver. That was the spark they needed midway into the third quarter. Raheem Mostert made his statement on the game when he charged through the Chiefs defensive wall. Of course, that’s not the only time the Germans have seen a wall knocked down. The rushing touchdown was set up by Bradley Chubb’s strip-sack of Patrick Mahomes.
Three Up
- Chiefs Defense – This defense looks so good! Too good! To the point it’s ruining, Patrick Mahomes needs to score all the points.
- Dolphins Defense– Having Jalen Ramsey back in the lineup is helping out this defense. They weren’t able to come away with a win today, but it looks like they might be able to give this team some help when there are teams that can slow down this fast Dolphins offense.
Three Down
- Raheem Mostert – He hasn’t seemed himself since the Philadelphia game. You can only start to wonder if he’s dealing with ailments right now and how much work he will continue to lose once rookie De’Von Achane returns from IR.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 21/34 comp, 193 yards, 1 TD | 2 carries, 7 yards
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins struggled against top-end defenses as they dealt with Chris Jones and the Kansas City defense. The pass rush for the Chiefs kept Tua honest, didn’t allow many shots deep, and forced Tyreek Hill to stay close to the line of scrimmage for targets. Tua came into the day as the league leader in passing yards and produced a season-low of 193 yards. Tua’s lone deep completion came in the 3rd quarter when he dropped a 31-yarder to Cedrick Wilson Jr.
Running Back
Raheem Mostert: 12 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD | 1 target
The struggle was real for Raheem Mostert coming out of the first half of play. He only saw four carries and not a single target, while both other backs saw targets. Raheem Mostert saw a significant uptick in his workload in the second half and saw multiple chunk plays. Mostert’s touchdown came after a Patrick Mahomes fumble deep in Chiefs territory. We saw a lot of success in the second half for Tua as well on play-action plays once the running game got going.
Notes
- The touchdown saved his fantasy day, but without the receiving work he saw earlier in the season, Mostert could have problems in tough matchups.
Jeff Wilson Jr: 2 carries, 6 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards
There is no excitement when watching Jeff Wilson Jr. run the ball. The explosiveness we saw from him last year may have been left in 2022.
Salvon Ahmed: 3 carries, 4 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 1 carry, 3 yards | 10 targets, 8 receptions, 62 yards
Tyreek Hill was the focal point today, as usual, but the Chiefs wouldn’t allow a big day for the Cheetah. All in all, Hill had little opportunity to make a big play without deep shots and having red jerseys swarm him for the entirety of the game. Tyreek’s most notable play came right before the half when he caught a screen pass and was immediately met by McDuffie, forcing a fumble resulting in a scoop and score for the Dolphins.
Jaylen Waddle: 1 carry, 12 yards | 6 targets, 3 receptions, 42 yards
Jaylen Waddle was much like the other stars in this game, just not a lot of production. Waddle caught a 17-yard pass on the first snap, and from there, the excitement hit; two catches and 25 years later, and we get a melting performance.
Notes
- Waddle had his knee rolled up on the second snap for the Dolphins offense when blocking on a run play for Mostert. He made it back on the following drive and was given a carry on the play, which was a good sign, but he will need to be monitored going into the week.
Cedrick Wilson: 5 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards, 1 TD
It was a crazy snag! Cedrick Wilson had to go up and fight off hands and pull it down for his only reception, but that was all she wrote for the remainder of his game.
Durham Smythe: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
If you play tight end for the Dolphins, you won’t get targets. The Dolphins target the position at the lowest rate in the league, so Durham Smythe seeing three targets must have been a product of Kansas City all over the receivers.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 20/30 comp, 185 yards, 2 TD | 6 carries, 24 yards
Patty got it done, but this was another gross game from the former MVP. Watching him, it seemed like he wanted a deep play. Kelce was open, often multiple times closer to the line of scrimmage, and Patrick Mahomes would scramble looking for his young receivers to find an opening. This was the first game for the Dolphins to have Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey on the field this year, and the coverage they had was felt today. It’s hard seeing back-to-back games where Mahomes has struggled, but with two defensive battles, we can expect a bounce back after their bye week.
Running Back
Isaiah Pacheco: 16 carries, 66 yards | 1 target
There wasn’t much that came from this day on the ground. Pacheco had a couple of his patented “angry runs,” but for the most part was held in check. Jerrick McKinnon getting the receiving work cut into Pacheco’s production.
Jerrick McKinnon: 1 carry, 2 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards, 1 TD
Came in and scored a touchdown immediately after Pacheco left the game briefly with an injury.
LaMical Perine: 1 carry, 1 yard | 1 target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rashee Rice: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, 1 TD
Watching Rashee Rice excites you that the Chiefs finally found a receiver that can produce on a regular level. Well, that week won’t be this week, unfortunately. Rice would not be denied his reception in the back of the endzone on the Chiefs’ opening drive, but was quiet otherwise.
Skyy Moore: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards
What’s there to say? He’s out there.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
The first play of the game was a 14-yard catch, and then we didn’t see much else from Valdes-Scantling. But you won’t see his typical deep caches when Mahomes is throwing for under 200 yards.
Travis Kelce: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 14 yards
If you were curious if Taylor Swift made it to Germany, Travis Kelce‘s stat line says it. If Jalen Ramsey wasn’t attached to his hip, then Kelce was being double-teamed. The Dolphins flat-out would not let Travis Kelce slice them into sushi today.
Justin Watson: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
Justin Watson had several big plays dropped today, including a touchdown on the opening drive. The brace on his arm might be hindering him more than he’s helping on the field now.
Mecole Hardman: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 10 yards
Kadarius Toney: 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards
Noah Grey: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards