From the Other Side: Five Questions About the Chiefs
The Miami Dolphins will enter the most difficult stretch of their 2020 schedule when they face the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The Dolphins have won seven of their past eight games, including a 19-7 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, while the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will come in at 11-1 following a 22-16 victory against the Denver Broncos last Sunday night.
RELATED: Dolphins History Lesson on Facing Teams with an 11-1 or Better Record
To get a better feel for the Chiefs and how to slow down the most explosive offense in the NFL, we checked in with Arrowhead Report Publisher Joshua Brisco for his answers on these five key questions:
1) What can a defense do to slow down that Chiefs offense, more specifically Patrick Mahomes?
Brisco: Don't bother blitzing. The best chance to slow down Patrick Mahomes is to have a Bosa and then hope for the best. If you don't have a Bosa, you have to have someone perform like one. Pressure Mahomes with three or four and then show him as many looks as possible with your defensive backs and linebackers. The Chiefs' offensive line has had some issues, so that's achievable, but Mahomes will unpack what the defense shows throughout the game.
2) Why has Le’Veon Bell, who the Dolphins pursued when he was a free agent earlier this season, not been more productive for the Chiefs?
Brisco: There are a handful of reasons. The first four weeks can easily be explained by the borderline-scientific-fact that it's almost impossible to step into an Andy Reid offense and produce immediately. However, as Bell has now played in six games with the Chiefs, I'm a bit surprised he hasn't seen more work, especially on later downs and in the passing game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is clearly the team's lead back (when he's healthy, which wasn't the case against the Broncos last week), but Bell has split reps with third-string back Darrel Williams from time to time as well. Bell is a role-playing running back on a team that doesn't (and shouldn't) run very often.
3) What’s the best way to defend Tyreek Hill?
Brisco: You cannot leave Tyreek Hill single-covered. It just doesn't make sense. Zone coverage is just asking for trouble from the Chiefs' offense as well, so you have to typically take Hill on in man and make safety help mandatory. The issue there becomes what happens when you also double-cover Travis Kelce, and now an array of other weapons become one-on-one threats. Regardless, you'd rather be beaten by Sammy Watkins or Demarcus Robinson than watch a repeat of what Hill did in the first quarter against the Buccaneers.
4) What is it that the Raiders did to give the Chiefs so many problems in their two games this year?
Brisco: The most impressive thing the Raiders did was keep up in the points department. The Vegas defense gave the Chiefs some trouble a time or two, but in the first game (the Chiefs' lone loss of the year), the Raiders took deep shots and slugged it out with the Chiefs' offense. In the rematch, Derek Carr was more successful in the intermediate range, leaning on Nelson Agholor and Darren Waller. Their offensive successes looked different, which leads to the larger element I'd highlight: They threw the ball, they did it well, they didn't get caught up in trying to "keep Mahomes off the field," and they played their most efficient and effective offensive games. It doesn't matter how long your possessions take, you just need to score seven points almost every time.
5) How strong is the sense that the Chiefs repeating as Super Bowl champions is inevitable?
Brisco: I don't think anyone in Kansas City thinks another Super Bowl is inevitable. Football is a difficult, chaotic sport, and assuming that the Chiefs will just be crowned in February doesn't do anyone any good. Conversely, I do think the Chiefs are expected to win each of their games individually. It's a small but important distinction. They're expected to be excellent and ultimately victorious each step along the way, but it's not a foregone conclusion by any means.
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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @apoupartFins.
