ESPN went inside the numbers to look at Chiefs’ offense against Dolphins’ defense
Two of the NFL’s top units will be facing off in Sunday’s Chiefs-Dolphins game.
The Chiefs’ offense, which is ranked second in scoring (30.8), will take the field against the Dolphins, who have the NFL’s second-ranked scoring defense (17.7). The Chiefs are tied for the fewest giveaways (eight) in the NFL, while Miami is tied for second in takeaways (21).
Dolphins coach Brian Flores told reporters this week his defense will be challenged Sunday, and it goes beyond trying to stop wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
“Who are you going to put on (Sammy) Watkins? Who are you going to put on Mecole (Hardman)? Who are you going to put on (Demarcus) Robinson? We’ve got to handle the backs too,” Flores said. “(Clyde) Edwards-Helaire is a good back. Le’Veon Bell isn’t a slouch either. I wish we could have 14 defenders. That would be nice.
“They are hard conversations. Do we man them? Do we zone them? Do we blitz them? Andy (Reid) has every play in the history of the National Football League. They run option, they run RPOs (run-pass options), they missile motion you. It’s not going to be easy.”
ESPN took a deep dive on the Chiefs’ offense against the the Dolphins defense on “SportsCenter” this week.
“No defense really stops Patrick Mahomes, but maybe the Dolphins can make him sweat a bit,” ESPN’s Kenny Mayne said. “Miami blitzes at the fourth-highest rate of any defense, also allows the sixth-lowest QBR (Quarterback Rating) when blitzing. They force nine turnovers when sending extra rushers, only the Bucs have more takeaways. Problem is Mahomes has the best QBR in the NFL when defenses try to blitz. It’s a big reason why he’s been blitzed at the fifth-lowest rate this season.”
That was just part of the conversation about what should be an interesting meeting of great offense and great defense.
Here is the segement, which includes some of the NFL’s Next Gen stats:
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 10:08 AM.
