Three Matchups That Will Decide Chiefs vs. Dolphins in Week 3

The Miami Dolphins are 0-2, with Malik Willis under center and little else around him to make his job easier. On paper, this is perhaps the most favorable matchup the Chiefs will see all season.

The Chiefs should win this one comfortably, as Super Bowl contenders should against teams this inferior. Whether they do will come down to three specific matchups that could tell us a great deal about where this team is headed.

1. De'Von Achane vs. the Chiefs' run defense

The only way the Chiefs lose this game, or even keep Miami in it, is if running back De'Von Achane has a career day. He is their only credible offensive threat and the only player on this roster who can change the complexion of any game he is in.

His 7.8 yards per carry as a rookie and 5.7 last season made him one of the league's most explosive backs when healthy and given room to operate. The latter has been the troubling part over the past two weeks, as he has taken 31 carries for just 110 yards.

The good news is that Kansas City's run defense has been stout through two weeks, ranking in the top 10 in the league. They held Jonathan Taylor, one of the top three to five best running backs in the NFL, to 92 yards at 3.8 yards per carry last week.

That said, he did find the end zone twice, including a 24-yard run where safety Jaden Hicks took a bad angle. Linebacker Nick Bolton also missed an uncharacteristic two tackles facing Taylor.

Sound fundamentals in the middle of the defense are the key here. Spagnuolo will have a plan to limit Achane, and Chiefs Kingdom should feel good about that. But if the linebackers and safeties play undisciplined football, Achane has the explosiveness to make them pay in a hurry. Keep him in check, and this game could be over by halftime.

2. The Chiefs' pass rush vs. the Dolphins' offensive line

Over two weeks, it has been a tale of two completely different pass-rushing performances. The Chiefs generated 25 pressures against Bo Nix and the Broncos in Week 1, then managed just nine against Daniel Jones and the Colts in Week 2.

The game flow, Indianapolis' balanced attack, and Jones' ability to get the ball out quickly all contributed to the drop-off. Sunday will show which version of this pass rush is closer to the truth.

Willis has already been sacked nine times through two games, which is as clear an invitation as a defense will get. Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, R Mason Thomas, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah are all capable of generating pressure on any given snap, and this matchup should give Kansas City's young rushers a confidence boost heading into the more difficult portion of the schedule.

The name to watch specifically is right tackle Austin Jackson, a seven-year veteran who has already surrendered nine pressures this season. Whoever lines up across from him should get the most runway. A strong pass-rushing performance Sunday would go a long way toward settling the debate about whether Week 1 was the real version of this group.

More than likely, it is somewhere in the middle, but this unit needs to figure out its identity.

3. Travis Kelce and Kenneth Walker vs. the Dolphins' linebackers

Last week against the San Francisco 49ers, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey were two of the top three receiving yard leaders against Miami's defense. The primary culprits were Dolphins linebackers Jacob Rodriguez, Jordyn Brooks, and former Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay, who combined to allow 117 yards through the air, with 79 of those coming after the catch, according to PFF.

The Chiefs are set up in a uniquely similar situation.

Tight end Travis Kelce and running back Kenneth Walker have combined for 252 receiving yards through two games, including 162 last week alone. Both are at their best catching the ball in the intermediate areas of the field where linebackers are asked to cover them, and neither Rodriguez, Brooks, nor Gay has shown the ability to match up with that caliber of receiving threat.

If Miami’s linebackers begin biting on play action, it could be a really long day for them.

If the run game is clicking and the linebackers are occupied, wide receivers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton could also find openings in the secondary, which has not graded out much better than the linebacker group.

There is also a case to be made that this is the week Andy Reid gives Emmett Johnson a bigger role, given how well the matchup fits his skill set, and the Chiefs should feel comfortable tinkering here.

However, the touches are distributed; this game sets up as a big day for Patrick Mahomes' two most dangerous weapons, and potentially another coming-out, or “We’re back,” party for the offense as a whole.

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