After two games that showed a reinvented self against two AFC contenders, the Kansas City Chiefs fell back to earth and looked more like the frustrating team we saw for much of the 2025 season, still winning 24-10 over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
The Chiefs’ offense was efficient, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was nonchalantly dealing, and things were still tight until late in the fourth quarter.
Here are three trends from the game that mirrored last year’s disappointing performances… until they didn’t!
1. Not getting off the field on third down
The Dolphins’ offense converted six of 12 third downs against the Chiefs, but Miami’s ease in converting third-and-longs really brought up the frustration of the 2025 campaign.
Miami converted multiple third downs by throwing short of the sticks or handing off to a running back. On two third-and-longs in the same drive, both from inside Kansas City’s 25-yard line, the Chiefs couldn’t generate pressure or make an aggressive play on the ball after the snap.
The team’s second and third-level players lacked playmaking throughout the afternoon, especially safety Alohi Gilman. Safety Jaden Hicks struggled to keep up with tight end Greg Dulcich, and cornerback Mansoor Delane didn’t look as sound in coverage as he did in the short sample size we got from Week 1.
However, Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t sacked and rarely saw pressure from the Kansas City pass rush. That made it easier to challenge a Chiefs secondary that wasn’t up for matching it. The Chiefs generated just one quarterback hit on Willis, who threw 28 passes.
With Miami needing a quick score, down by 14 points late, defensive tackle Chris Jones made his presence felt by batting a pass up into the air, giving defensive end George Karlaftis a chance to secure it. Karlaftis was also the only Chiefs pass rusher to hit Willis.
2. Situational struggles
Early on, Kansas City’s offense gave spectators the impression it would light up the scoreboard. The team scored touchdowns on its first two drives by driving inside the 10-yard line and finishing them off from there.
The Chiefs scored just three points after that.
In the second quarter, Kansas City worked inside the 15-yard line to third-and-one. Both plays were inside handoffs, and Miami’s defense stuffed both for no gain. The empty red-zone trip kept the score within one game.
The Chiefs’ next three drives stalled. Kansas City would reach the red zone again in the fourth quarter after a strong catch by tight end Noah Gray over linebacker Willie Gay Jr. on the sideline. However, Kansas City — from the eight-yard line — lost eight yards over the next three plays, failing to secure a two-score lead in order to take any pressure off the defense.
With another chance to put the game away late, a possession deep in Miami territory was backed up by a penalty on center Creed Humphrey. Fortunately, two chunk plays redeemed the offense; tight end Travis Kelce went up for a pass in the end zone, securing it and putting the game away late.
The Chiefs’ offense finished with just three third-down conversions on seven attempts; the team also missed its only fourth-down attempt, as noted above.
3. Leaky pass protection
If the Dolphins have a strength on defense, it was certainly up front, and they played into it well. Edge rusher Chop Robinson was a problem throughout the game, and not just when he obliterated Mahomes and had the two-time MVP holding his back and moving gingerly for a few moments afterward.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, Robinson drew a roughing-the-passer penalty, but he and other Miami defensive linemen were terrorizing Kansas City’s front five. Mahomes was not sacked, but he was hit five times. Former Chiefs edge rusher Josh Uche recorded two, including a late pressure that drove left tackle Kahlil Benson to the ground.
This is likely the only reason Mahomes didn’t have a nuclear-level performance against an inexperienced Dolphins secondary. He finished with 246 yards on 20 of 24 passing attempts (10.3 yards per attempt) and a passer rating of 119.8.
