What we learned about Kansas City Chiefs from 21-14 win vs. Miami Dolphins in Germany
Kansas City defensive back Trent McDuffie said, coming into the week, that the Chiefs’ defense would have an opportunity to show it was “the truth” if it could slow down the Miami Dolphins’ top-rated offense.
Consider the world now educated following the game here in Frankfurt, Germany. This Kansas City defense is for real.
The Chiefs’ defense was the star for another week, holding Miami nearly three touchdowns below its scoring average in a 21-14 victory at Deutsche Bank Park Stadium.
This much was clear from the Chiefs early, whether they were still jetlagged or not: They were fired up for this game.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce took turns amping up fans around the stadium before the game. And then KC followed with one of its most impressive possessions of the season on its opening drive, going 75 yards on seven plays, with Rashee Rice grabbing an 11-yard touchdown reception.
For most of the rest of the half, though, the story was the Chiefs’ defense, which shut out the Dolphins on six possessions.
The Chiefs also added some flair for one of the top highlights of the NFL season.
In the second quarter, Miami receiver Tyreek Hill — in his first game against the Chiefs since they traded him before last season — fumbled after McDuffie wrapped him up for a physical tackle.
Chiefs safety Mike Edwards scooped up the ball, but once he started going to the ground, he flipped it back to teammate Bryan Cook, who took off down the sideline.
Fifty-nine yards later, Cook had a defensive touchdown ... and the Chiefs had built a 21-0 first-half lead.
But the second half was filled with Kansas City mistakes. Mahomes was hesitant offensively and lost a fumble. Chris Jones extended a Dolphins drive with a personal foul penalty on third down, essentially giving the Dolphins four points — they went on to score a touchdown on that drive.
Who rescued the Chiefs? The defense, which came up with a pair of fourth-quarter stuffs to secure the win.
The first was spurred by a Tershawn Wharton sack, while the final possession — with 1:03 left — ended when the Dolphins had an errant shotgun snap on fourth-and-10 from the KC 31.
The Chiefs (7-2) now have a bye week before playing host to the Philadelphia Eagles for Monday Night Football on Nov. 20.
This story was originally published November 5, 2023 at 11:39 AM.
