Chiefs Defense Dominates While Dolphins Still Cannot Overcome Huge Problem
You knew this was supposed to be a Kansas City Chiefs victory after only one half. After all, the Chiefs led the Dolphins, by three touchdowns and the chances of that mountainous deficit being climbed are, well, like climbing Everest.
After the Dolphins were shut out in the first half for the first time in 40 games, the Chiefs were looking like they were headed to an easy win. And history was on their side:
The Chiefs had led 179 previous games by 21 points. And their record was 178-1 in those games.
The Dolphins had trailed 108 games by 21 points. And their record in those games was 3-105.
"We knew we had two more quarters," Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. "This game is played in four quarters. And so we knew we had the second half to come back and make a run at it.
"But it's always tough against a team like that. Those guys know a thing or two about big games."
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 05: Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins is tackled by Mike Edwards #21 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Trent McDuffie #22 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter during the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 05, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Chiefs Hold On To Beat Dolphins
And now the Chiefs are 179-1 and the Dolphins are 3-106.
Chiefs 21.
Dolphins 14.
Those are the historical records. This year's record, meanwhile, is what is starting to draw a picture for these two teams.
The Chiefs continue to find ways to win. They find ways to avoid consecutive losses. They find ways to succeed when their best players, such as Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, don't perform to any awesome heights.
And so the Chiefs are 7-2 and have the best record in the AFC.
And for all the publicity they get for having a dynamic offense, it is the defense that now drives that club.
The Chiefs have held five of their opponents, including the Dolphins, to less than 17 points this season.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 05: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass in the second quarter during the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 05, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Chiefs Defense Stifles Dolphins Offense
In this game the Chiefs defense actually provided the margin of victory when Bryan Cook took a lateral from cornerback Trent McDuffie after a Tyreek Hill fumble. Cook then raced 59 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
That came against the NFL's top scoring offense. So the performance somewhat surprised Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
"Well, I'm not going to slight our defense, but I wouldn't have guessed that," Reid said. "...That being the No. 1 offense, the Dolphins, in the NFL right now. So the things our defense did right there, that was a tremendous achievement.
"Obviously we got to keep it going. You're only as good as your next game you play in. But that was a heck of an achievement."
The Dolphin, meanwhile, were left dealing with a stubborn narrative that they cannot beat good teams. The narrative that they're paper tigers persists.
That's because it's been 405 days since the Dolphins beat a team with a winning record. It hasn't happened this season.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 05: Skyy Moore #24 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter during the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 05, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Dolphins Continue Struggles Against Good Teams
"All we can continue to do is work and not lose sight of where we want to go as a team," Tagovailoa said. "We got to continue to stick together and not deviate from that regardless of what everyone outside is saying."
This was kind of a universal sentiment among Dolphins players. "I'm not paying attention to any narratives against us," defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said.
Fine. But what everyone is saying is based on what they're seeing. And they're seeing that the inability to beat good teams might soon catch up against Miami. That's because the Dolphins are kind of running out of poor teams to fatten up on.
Yes, Miami still has games upcoming against the Titans, Commanders and Raiders.
But the rest of the schedule includes games against Dallas, Baltimore, Buffalo, even a couple against the Jets -- all of which have winning records now.
So the Dolphins, which have lost the three games they've played against teams with winning records this season, have to figure out how to overcome their obvious inability.
And that topic takes on greater meaning if Miami gets into the postseason.
The postseason, you see, is where good teams go to compete for a championship.