The Kansas City Chiefs bagged a 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, but man, it felt like we were watching a rerun of that frustrating 2025 season for most of the game. After two outings where they showed off a totally reinvented self against tough AFC contenders, they totally fell back to earth. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was out there nonchalantly dealing, the offense was efficient early on, and yet, things were tight until late in the fourth quarter. Why? Well, two nasty trends from last year’s disappointments definitely showed up.
Third Down Nightmares Come Roaring Back
Let’s talk about the Chiefs’ defense. The Dolphins converted a painful six of 12 third downs, which is bad enough. But what really gritted my teeth was how Miami made it look so easy on those third-and-longs, just like 2025. They were throwing short of the sticks or handing off to running backs, and it worked! Seriously, on one drive, inside KC’s 25-yard line, Miami converted *two* third-and-longs. The Chiefs couldn’t generate any pressure on the quarterback or make an aggressive play on the ball after the snap. We saw it all afternoon: the second and third-level guys just weren’t making plays. Safety Alohi Gilman was struggling, and Jaden Hicks had trouble keeping up with tight end Greg Dulcich. Even cornerback Mansoor Delane didn’t look as sharp in coverage as he did in Week 1’s short sample. Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t sacked once and rarely felt any pressure from the Kansas City pass rush, only getting hit *one time* on 28 throws! That just made it too easy to challenge a secondary that wasn’t up for the fight. Shoutout to Chris Jones though, late in the game, down 14, he batted a pass up, and George Karlaftis, the only Chiefs pass rusher to hit Willis, secured it. A little too late for that kind of urgency, am I right?
Red Zone Frustration Stalls A Promising Attack
On offense, things started hot, and you thought they were going to light up the scoreboard. The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two drives, driving inside the 10-yard line and finishing them off. Awesome, right? But then, total shutdown. They scored only three points after that until the very final minutes. Remember the second quarter? Kansas City worked their way inside the 15-yard line, third-and-one. What happened? Two inside handoffs, both stuffed by Miami’s defense for no gain. An empty red-zone trip that kept the score way too close. And it didn’t stop there. The next three drives stalled out completely. In the fourth quarter, they got back to the red zone after a great catch by tight end Noah Gray over linebacker Willie Gay Jr. on the sideline. They’re at the eight-yard line, needing to lock in a two-score lead, take the pressure off the defense. What do they do? Lose eight yards over the next three plays. Just couldn’t secure that lead.
So yeah, a win is a win, and you always take it, but these aren’t the kind of sloppy performances that inspire confidence, even with Mahomes slinging it. Falling back into those old 2025 habits of failing on third downs and whiffing in the red zone after promising drives? That’s the real gut punch. The Chiefs need to shake off these ghosts ASAP, because you can’t rely on getting away with it every single week.
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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