TheKansas City Chiefs will play the first road game of the season on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins.
Kansas City enters the matchup 2-0 after defeating the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in overtime. Miami is 0-2 after losing its first two games by a combined 36 points, including a 35-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.
The Chiefs will be double-digit favorites, but the Dolphins will be playing their home opener as their season is already approaching a critical point. Kansas City must
match that desperation while building on the offensive identity it established in its first two victories.
Here are three keys to a Chiefs victory in Week 3:
Offensive key: Maintain a balanced attack
A balanced offense does not necessarily mean finishing with the same number of rushing and passing attempts. It means forcing the defense to respect everything the offense can do.
Through two games, the Chiefs have attempted 67 runs and 74 passes while averaging 186 rushing yards and 283 passing yards per game. That balance has prevented defenses from focusing solely on quarterback Patrick Mahomes while creating opportunities for the play-action passing game.
That was especially evident against Indianapolis. Mahomes completed 14 of 17 play-action passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. That many completions off play action were a career high.
Kansas City’s improved rushing attack is making those concepts more effective. When linebackers and safeties have to respect running back Kenneth Walker III, even a brief hesitation can create openings behind them. The Chiefs used that against Indianapolis, including a play-action pass to Xavier Worthy immediately after Walker opened the game with a 19-yard run.
Miami has already shown that its defense can be attacked in multiple ways. The Dolphins allowed Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty to rush for 102 yards in Week 1. In Week 2, Miami committed additional defenders to stopping San Francisco’s rushing attack, and quarterback Brock Purdy responded by completing 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He completed all 10 of his passes that traveled at least 10 yards downfield.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and head coach Andy Reid should continue moving formations, using misdirection and operating from under center. If the Dolphins play lighter boxes, Kansas City can lean on Walker and rookie back Emmett Johnson. If Miami brings its safeties forward, Mahomes should attack the vacated space downfield.
The Chiefs should not decide beforehand that this will be a running game or passing game. They should allow Miami’s defensive response to determine which part of their offense does the damage.
Defensive key: Contain De’Von Achane
Miami’s offense revolves around running back De’Von Achane.
His production has been modest through two games: 110 rushing yards on 31 carries, with another 49 yards on seven receptions. He has averaged only 3.5 yards per carry and has yet to score a touchdown, but those numbers should not cause Kansas City to underestimate him.
Achane led the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry last season, finishing with 1,350 rushing yards and 1,838 yards from scrimmage. He also caught 67 passes for 488 yards, demonstrating how dangerous he can be as both a runner and receiver.
The Chiefs’ defensive ends must remain disciplined and set firm edges. Achane is at his best when he gets outside, finds open space and forces defenders to pursue him laterally. Kansas City’s edge defenders cannot crash inside and give him an open path to the sideline.
Maintaining outside leverage will force Achane back toward the interior of the defense, where Kansas City’s defensive tackles and linebackers can rally to the football. The defense must also locate him when he releases into the passing game, particularly on screens, checkdowns and misdirection concepts designed to get him isolated in space.
Edge discipline will be important against quarterback Malik Willis as well. Willis has enough mobility to take advantage when defenders lose contain; Kansas City cannot become overly aggressive while pursuing either player.
The goal does not have to be completely stopping Achane. It should be keeping him from creating explosive plays. If the Chiefs contain him and force Willis to consistently beat them from the pocket, they will put Miami’s offense in a difficult position.
X-factor: Avoid the trap
Everything about this matchup points toward Kansas City.
The Chiefs are undefeated, while the Dolphins have lost their first two games by double digits. Miami is averaging only 13 points and 271.5 total yards per game, and its offensive line has already allowed nine sacks. San Francisco scored touchdowns on each of its first five possessions against Miami last week.
That is exactly why the Chiefs must be careful.
Historically, approximately 75% of teams that begin a season 3-0 have reached the playoffs. By comparison, only about 2.5% of teams that have started 0-3 since 1990 have recovered to reach the postseason.
The Dolphins will understand what is at stake. Kansas City cannot arrive expecting Miami to play like a team that has already accepted its fate.
The Chiefs should attempt to take control early. Offensively, that means finishing drives with touchdowns rather than letting Miami stay within one possession. Defensively, it means preventing Achane from producing an early explosive play that energizes the home crowd. On special teams, it means avoiding mistakes that create short fields or easy scoring opportunities.
Kansas City needed overtime to defeat an 0-1 Colts team at Arrowhead last week. The Chiefs cannot allow another winless opponent to remain within striking distance deep into the fourth quarter.
The bottom line
The Chiefs must approach Miami with the same urgency the Dolphins will bring to their home opener.
Offensively, Kansas City needs to maintain the offensive balance it has through two games. Defensively, the Chiefs must set the edge and contain Achane. Most importantly, Kansas City must remain focused and avoid giving an 0-2 team reasons to believe it can win.
If the Chiefs accomplish those three things, they should be able to avoid the trap, win their first road game and improve to 3-0.
