The Kansas City Chiefs keep their dreams of repeating as Super Bowl champions alive. In a frigid Arrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes and company were able to outlast the Miami Dolphins to earn the Super Wild Card Weekend victory and advance to the divisional round, 26-7.
It was a hot start for the Chiefs as they drove 69 yards on nine plays with Mahomes connecting with Rashee Rice for an opening drive touchdown. After that, however, things did start to slow down for both sides as they traded three-and-outs and Tua Tagovailoa tossed an interception before we saw Kansas City add to its lead with a chip-shot field goal from Harrison Butker at the start of the second quarter.
Down by 10, the Dolphins first -- and only -- gasp of offense came courtesy of Tyreek Hill, who was making his return to Kansas City for the first time since the 2022 trade that landed him in Miami. He hauled in his first target of the game less than a minute into the second quarter and Tagovailoa went back to him on the very next play, which resulted in a 53-yard touchdown to make it a 10-7 game. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, that was the only big threat they were able to inflict on the Chiefs, who plucked field goals of four of the next five drives to extend their lead and ultimately help lead them to the win.
The backbreaking moment for the Dolphins came at the start of the second half as they trailed by nine. After getting the ball to start the third quarter, the offense logged back-to-back drives where they were forced to punt and managed just 15 yards of total offense. Over that same stretch, the Chiefs posted consecutive scoring drives that tacked 10 more points on the board in their favor, leaving Miami in the dust.
Coming through on critical downs proved to be the X-factor in this game. While the Chiefs were able to move the chains, the same can't be said for Miami. The Dolphins didn't convert a third or fourth down attempt until the 5:58 mark of the third quarter. For the game, they were 1-for-12 on third down and 3-for-6 on fourth down. As for the Chiefs, they were 6-for-15 on third down and converted their lone fourth down try.
Mahomes finished 23 of 41 passing for 262 yards and a touchdown while adding 41 yards on the ground. Rashee Rice was his go-to target in the win, catching eight of his 12 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. As for Miami, Tagovailoa was 20 of 39 for 199 through the air to go along with a touchdown and an interception. Tyreek Hill caught five passes for 62 yards, most of which coming on that 53-yard touchdown in the first half.
For a more detailed breakdown of this head-to-head, check out our main takeaways below.
Why the Chiefs won
One of the big stories following the Chiefs this season was the struggles from the wide receiver group as they led the league in dropped passes. Well, it was a quiet night for the position group as a whole, except for rookie Rashee Rice. In his playoff debut, he proved to be the trusted target for Mahomes, seeing a game-high 12 targets which he turned into 130 yards and a touchdown. He also would've had another score had a penalty not called it back. Having someone other than Travis Kelce -- seven catches for 71 yards -- to lean on for Mahomes could prove to be invaluable as they continue this playoff run.
Also on the offensive side, Mahomes' mobility came up clutch. He only rushed twice in this game but made both attempts count. He had a 28-yard run in the first half on a fourth down attempt and then scrambled for 13 yards on Kansas City's opening possession of the second half. Both runs set up field goals. The offensive line also did a tremendous job keeping Mahomes upright as the quarterback wasn't sacked once.
Defensively, the Chiefs continue to play at a level not seen in prior seasons under Mahomes and Reid. They stifled Miami's running game and kept the explosive passing game in check. Tyreek Hill did escape for a 53-yard touchdown catch in the first half, but outside of that caught just four of his seven targets for nine yards.
Why the Dolphins lost
The Dolphins offense couldn't move the ball in key situations. They were horrid on third and fourth down for most of the night and didn't convert on either critical down until midway through the third quarter. They also never made it into the red zone. The backfield was a non-existent threat with Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane combining for 42 rushing yards on 14 attempts. The passing game was also out of rhythm for most of the night as well with Jaylen Waddle only hauling in two catches, while Tyreek Hill was largely silent outside of quick burst in the second quarter that we noted above.
Miami's injuries on defense also seemed to finally catch up to them, specifically off the edge. With the likes of Jaelan Phillips (torn Achilles in Week 12) and Bradley Chubb (torn ACL in Week 17) sidelined, Mahomes had all day to throw the football, which is a death sentence for any defense. Vic Fangio tried to disrupt the Chiefs quarterback with tons of blitzes, but couldn't get home with the likes of Emmanuel Ogbah, Justin Houston, and Melvin Ingram.
Turning point
The start of the second was where all hope of the Dolphins pulling off a comeback evaporated. They got the ball to start the third and went three-and-out on a drive that lasted just 99 seconds. The defense was able to hold the Chiefs to a field goal on the ensuing drive to keep the deficit to a more manageable 12 points but needed to start sparking up scoring drives. Mike McDaniel recognized that judging by keeping his offense on the field for a fourth-and-1 attempt from the Miami 34-yard line on that next drive, which they would convert. However, the offense sputtered over the next few plays, including that save from Chris Jones and George Karlaftis above that set up a third and long, which they failed to convert.
Play of the game
Patrick Mahomes made a couple of stellar plays with his legs in the win (including one where he broke his helmet). The most impactful came on a fourth-and-4 situation where Andy Reid left his offense on the field. With his receiver bottled up, Mahomes escaped the pocket and not only picked up the first down but ran 28 yards down the field to set up an eventual field goal that extended the Chiefs lead.
What's next
From here, the Chiefs will now wait for the results of Monday's rescheduled matchup between the Steelers and Bills. If Buffalo comes out of that game with a win, Kansas City will head to Orchard Park for the divisional round. If Pittsburgh pulls off the upset, C.J. Stroud and the Texans will travel to Arrowhead next week.