KC Chiefs Displayed Plenty of Toughness in Wild Card Round Win
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 26-7 on Saturday night in a battle of the three and six seeds in the AFC. The final result shows a dominant outing from the Chiefs, but it could have been a lot worse for the Dolphins.
Not only was the actual air temperature minus four degrees in Kansas City, but the wind chill temperatures dipped down to minus 30 degrees. Before the game even began, it was obvious the Dolphins were going to be in for a rough night. The Chiefs started the game feeding running back Isiah Pacheco and his powerful running style was perfect for the weather. The Chiefs marched right down the field and scored a touchdown on their first possession. That was something that had been missing from this team during the regular season, but early scoring in the playoffs could make a huge difference in this team’s chances of making another Super Bowl run.
However, after the first possession, it was tough sledding when they got into the red zone. There was a drop from tight end Travis Kelce that cost them a first-and-goal opportunity or potentially a touchdown if he'd made the grab. They settled for a field goal. The next three times the Chiefs scored, including twice more in the second quarter, were Harrison Butker field goals from less than 35 yards out. The Chiefs led 19-7 heading into the fourth quarter and closed the door with a Pacheco touchdown. The final score of 26-7 could have just as easily been more.
The big takeaway from this game was how dominant the Chiefs' defense looked. Outside of one big, underthrown deep ball that former Chief Tyreek Hill was able to corral and score on, the defense shut the Dolphins and their offense down. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed bullied Hill on multiple occasions. His running mate, Trent McDuffie, laid the wood on Hill’s final catch of the game, a loss of four yards. Defensive end George Karlaftis got after Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, getting three hits and picking up 1.5 sacks. Fellow lineman Chris Jones helped him finish off one of the sacks. Nick Bolton finished the game with 10 total tackles and led a linebacker crew that knew it would need to be tough against the run. Another highlight included a first-quarter interception from safety Mike Edwards that helped set the tone.
On that note, a huge point of emphasis going into this game was taking care of the ball. The Chiefs generally did a good job of that during their Wild Card game. Mahomes didn’t throw any interceptions and the only lost fumble was late in the game when things were already wrapped up. This will continue to be a point of emphasis as long as the Chiefs are in the playoffs. If they don’t lose the turnover battle, there is a great chance they win the game.
Combining this defense with an offense that takes care of the ball, along with an experienced and winning quarterback and coaching duo, is a recipe for playoff success. The Chiefs had some rough patches in the regular season and were written off by many opposing fanbases, media members, and even some in Chiefs Kingdom. This game was a reminder that they are the reigning champs and have no desire to give up that crown. This team wants to be the first back-to-back NFL champs in the past 20 years. They are as hungry as they’ve ever been.
Kansas City wasn’t the only town dealing with winter weather conditions this weekend. The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers were supposed to play at noon on Sunday, but blizzard conditions in Orchard Park forced the NFL’s hand to move the game to Monday. The Chiefs will go on the road to play the Bills if the Bills win. If the Steelers pull off the upset, then the Chiefs will host the Houston Texans in Kansas City.
If the Chiefs play the Bills, it will be the first time Mahomes has a playoff game on the road. Hosting the Texans would be business as usual. No matter the opponent, this game against the Dolphins has them well-prepared for winter weather in Buffalo or Kansas City. It likely won’t be any worse than what they played in on Saturday.
The Chiefs proved their toughness, shutting out the Dolphins in the second half and winning by a large margin in one of the most difficult environments imaginable. They will now play in the Divisional Round for the sixth consecutive season and the eighth time in nine seasons they’ve played this deep into the playoffs. The experience should help the Chiefs and prepare them for any situation they find themselves in. It will be up to the players to continue playing championship-level football to get them to the next level once again.
