KC Chiefs: Sizing Up Every Opponent in AFC Playoffs
Miami Dolphins (10-6) (Six-Seed)
First match-up: at Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round
The team that the Kansas City Chiefs will least likely square off against this postseason is the Miami Dolphins, who are the lowest seeded team in the AFC playoffs.
Should the Fins and Chiefs be facing each other, it’d be a good thing for Kansas City, as it’d mean both of these squads made it to the AFC Championship Game. Not only that, but the game would be played at Arrowhead Stadium.
Miami was similar to how Kansas City was last year. They excelled from decent quarterback play and a stout run game. The Dolphins began the year at 1-4 and rallied to win nine of their final 11 regular season games.
In order for the Dolphins to meet up with the Chiefs, they’d have to beat Pittsburgh on the road in the Wild Card Round and then knock off the Patriots in Foxborough.
The Dolphins didn’t skip a beat when Ryan Tannehill was lost for the rest of the regular season to a knee injury that kept him out for the final few weeks. Tannehill was having a nice year under rookie head coach Adam Gase, but backup Matt Moore has done just fine in Tannehill’s absence.
Miami’s biggest weapon is their run game, which was led by running back Jay Ajayi. Ajayi rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns in his second season in the backfield and was the scariest part of the Fins offense.
The defense is ranked fourth to last in terms of total yards allowed per game, but to be fair, the Chiefs are ranked 24th in the same category and their defense is actually pretty good for the most part.
It’s just not the likeliest of match-ups, but good for Miami, man.
In order for the Dolphins to meet up with the Chiefs, they’d have to beat Pittsburgh on the road in the Wild Card Round and then knock off the Patriots in Foxborough. That’s basically the same path the Chiefs will have to take to make it to the Super Bowl, but the Fins would have to play both of those games on the road and then travel to Arrowhead.
That’d be three straight road games against really, really tough opponents. Miami just doesn’t seem like the type of team that can handle that type of schedule, but most people are probably saying the same thing about the Chiefs.
It’s just not the likeliest of match-ups, but good for Miami, man. Hopefully they can start giving New England a run for their money in the AFC East.