The Kansas City Chiefs are hitting the road for the first time this season, heading into Miami on Sunday afternoon. They’re sitting pretty at 2-0 after a wild 33-30 overtime victory against the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are absolutely reeling at 0-2, having dropped their first two games by a combined 36 points, including a brutal 35-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers just last week. The Chiefs are double-digit favorites, but don’t sleep on Miami playing their home opener with their season already at a critical point. Kansas City needs to match that desperation, all while building on the offensive identity they’ve established.
Mahomes’ Career Day Shows Chiefs Are Balanced, Not Just Bombastic
What an offense! A balanced attack doesn’t mean just hitting a specific split of runs and passes; it means the defense has to respect *everything* you do. And the Chiefs? They’re doing just that. Through two games, they’ve got 67 runs and 74 passes under their belt, stacking up an average of 186 rushing yards and 283 passing yards per game. This kind of balance is forcing defenses to respect every part of the game plan, preventing them from just keying in on quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It’s opening up tons of play-action opportunities.
We saw it loud and clear against Indianapolis. Mahomes completed 14 of 17 play-action passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. That’s a career high for him in play-action completions, man! Seriously, how good is that? A huge part of this is their improved rushing attack. When linebackers and safeties have to respect Kenneth Walker III in the backfield, even a tiny hesitation creates massive openings behind them. They used this perfectly against Indy, hitting Xavier Worthy on a play-action pass right after Walker ripped off a 19-yard run to open the game. Miami’s defense has already shown they can be carved up in multiple ways. In Week 1, Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty blasted them for 102 yards. Then, in Week 2, Miami committed extra defenders to stop San Francisco’s run, and Brock Purdy just shredded them, completing 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, including all 10 of his passes that traveled 10 or more yards downfield. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and head coach Andy Reid need to keep mixing things up with formations, misdirection, and snaps from under center. If Miami plays light in the box, lean on Walker and rookie Emmett Johnson. If safeties come up, Mahomes needs to bomb it downfield. It’s all about reading the defense and letting them decide how they’re going to get hurt.
Miami’s Entire Offense Revolves Around One Guy: Contain Him
On the flip side, the Chiefs’ defense has one clear mission: contain De’Von Achane. Miami’s entire offense revolves around this dude. His production has been modest through two games, with 110 rushing yards on 31 carries, plus another 49 yards on seven receptions. That’s only averaged 3.5 through two games. They need to keep him locked down.
Sunday afternoon’s game is a huge moment for both these teams. The Chiefs are on the road, looking to solidify their early-season identity. For the Dolphins, it’s their home opener, and they’re facing down an 0-3 start if they can’t figure things out. Can the Chiefs maintain their offensive flow and shut down Miami’s main threat? We’re about to find out.
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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