The Kansas City Chiefs bagged another win on Sunday, moving to 3-0 after beating the Miami Dolphins 24-10, but don’t let that score fool you: their defense was playing with fire, letting Miami convert a brutal 50% of their third downs and stick around way too long. The Dolphins went 8 for 16 on third down, and that rate created extended drives that kept this game from being a total blowout.
Early Game Scares Showed the Cracks
Right from the jump, the Chiefs’ defense was struggling to get off the field. Miami kicked off the game with an insane 17-play drive, converting four third downs along the way. Think about that: four! Two were through the air, one on the ground, and one via a penalty. Kansas City tried to bring the heat, rushing five, but Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis consistently found openings because of loose secondary coverage and perfectly timed plays.
Remember that play where they tried to bring pressure, even dropping defensive lineman George Karlaftis into coverage? Safety Christian Roland-Wallace and cornerback Nohl Williams came off the right side, and linebackers Nick Bolton and Karlaftis picked up the shallow crossing routes, while the rest of the defensive backs dropped into a quarters look. Willis was under pressure, the rush *nearly* got home, but he ripped it off his back foot to a target downfield. Rookie Mansoor Delane was playing loose coverage, giving up outside leverage, and the receiver just made one quick cut to come back for the ball. Bang, quick first down despite the pressure. It felt like Miami was just toying with them.
And then, in the red zone, the Dolphins pulled out a tremendous draw play that absolutely gashed the Chiefs on third and long, setting up a touchdown. Seriously, a draw play on third and long, an obvious passing down, and the Chiefs were caught looking for the pass. They had double three-techniques up front, linebackers wider than normal, and Miami just motioned Ollie Gordon into the backfield. It was a quick trap draw, pulling both Chiefs defensive tackles upfield and putting the interior offensive line right at linebacker level. Gordon built speed and took the defense for a ride, finally getting dragged down inside the five. Talk about taking advantage of an alignment! These early conversions weren’t just plays; they were momentum builders for Miami.
Willis Got Quick and the Trend Needs Fixing
The Dolphins kept attacking on third down through the middle of the game. Malik Willis, who had been the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL through the first two weeks, was super aware of the pressure coming his way. He just ripped the ball as fast as he could to open targets. Miami had him set up perfectly, with quick routes built right into their third-down packages and quick three-step drops out of shotgun. The ball was out of his hands before the Chiefs’ pass rush could even dream of getting home.
Look, overall, the Chiefs’ third-down defense isn’t terrible this season. They’re sitting at 37.50%, which is 11th best in the NFL. That’s fine, it’s not elite, but it’s not a disaster. But this game against the Dolphins? That 50% conversion rate is a serious problem. With tougher competition looming on the horizon, Kansas City can’t afford to be giving up free conversions like that. They need to fix these issues, and they need to do it NOW before this starts becoming a bad trend that impacts their entire season. No more gifting opponents free drives. This isn’t just about winning now, it’s about being championship-ready when it truly counts.
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.
Leave a Reply