The Kansas City Chiefs are sitting pretty at 3-0 after beating the Miami Dolphins 24-10 on Sunday, but let’s be real, that game left a lot to be desired. Against a Dolphins squad most folks consider among the league’s worst, it felt like nothing really clicked for Kansas City, no matter if you were looking at offense, defense, or special teams. Despite the ugly win, one bright spot, maybe even the *only* bright spot, was how lethal Patrick Mahomes was on play-action passes, especially with Kenneth Walker and rookie Emmett Johnson demanding serious defensive attention.
Mahomes’ Play-Action Is Out of Control
Mahomes was straight up cooking on play-action against Miami. Next Gen Stats dropped the numbers, and they are wild: he averaged a staggering 15.3 yards per pass attempt on play-action. That wasn’t just a couple of lucky throws either; he went 11 of 12 for 183 yards, with eight of those completions coming from under center. When you can hit those kinds of numbers, it doesn’t matter how sluggish the rest of the offense looks, you’re going to move the chains and put up points. It felt like every time they faked the handoff, the Miami defense was totally fooled, leaving receivers wide open downfield.
The Run Game Is Making Mahomes’ Life Easier (Even If Nothing Else Is)
Mahomes himself was pretty candid after the game, admitting he was “down” about how tough the offense looked. But he had no doubt who to credit for his play-action success: Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson. “It’s helping out a ton,” Mahomes said, giving props to his running backs. He noted that people might just see their rushing stats and touchdowns, but they “don’t really understand how the play-action and the movements and stuff like that have really opened up in our offense.” Mahomes also shouted out the offensive line for “firing off the ball on run and pass,” which is key for selling that play-action. Even though the overall execution was rough around the edges against what should’ve been an easy opponent, Mahomes is clearly banking on this synergy to keep developing. They’ve gotta get better at “marrying” the run and pass as the season rolls on.
So, the Chiefs are 3-0, a perfect start to the regular season. But if they’re going to keep this momentum, they need to clean up those “little mistakes” and focus on “finishing drives,” just like Mahomes said. The play-action is a dangerous weapon, no doubt, but relying on one trick to bail out an otherwise “tougher-than-expected offensive performance” against one of the league’s worst teams isn’t sustainable. They have to continue building on that run game foundation and integrate it better into their overall scheme. The early season is all about finding your identity, and the Chiefs have a few things to figure out, even with a perfect record.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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