After two primetime home matchups to start the 2026 season, the Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 3's noon slate. Patrick Mahomes and the offense have been rolling since the quarterback's return from a torn ACL and LCL. The benefits of Kenneth Walker III and his league-leading (before Bijan Robinson's Thursday night performance) 369 total yards from scrimmage are hard to quantify.
Andy Reid freshening up the scheme, along with Eric Bieniemy's return as offensive coordinator, has brought both a strategic and competitive advantage for the offense. While the Chiefs' defense took a dip in Week 2 versus the Indianapolis Colts, giving up 30 points, their Week 1 performance instills lots of confidence for a young and growing group moving forward.
The 0-2 Dolphins are, let's face it, not a very good football team. The Chiefs, despite being on the road, are double-digit favorites in most sportsbooks. Kansas City's offense, through two games, ranks top-three in points per game (32.0), total yards per game (469.0), and time of possession (35:21). The Dolphins rank in the bottom third of the league in those three major categories, as well as being a bottom-five defense.
Look, I get it, the mantra has been and will always be "Any Given Sunday." And if the Chiefs let their guards down all the way, the NFL has a way of punishing teams who overlook an opponent and underperform as a consequence. But I think Kansas City's coaches and players have been saying all the right things this week and are dialed in to checking off another win on their game sheet.
Kansas City travels to sweltering Miami to take on a Dolphins team hungry for its first victory
Chiefs Offense vs Dolphins Defense
I remain cautiously optimistic about the Chiefs' offense, which is annoying because I want to be all-in on a Mahomes-led unit returning to dominance, being elite game in and game out no matter who they are playing. Two things I know. Mahomes and his surgically repaired leg should cease to be a concern. The guy worked his ass off for nine months to be ready for the start of the season.
If we didn't know any better and he wasn't wearing the large brace on his leg, then I'm not sure anybody would be able to tell he was coming off a major injury. That's how good he's looked for the past six quarters of the season. The other thing I know is that Walker, while excellent, cannot keep up his current pace of not only production, but also the raw number of touches. He is on pace right now for 476 touches, which would rank second all-time, behind James Wilder's 492-touch season in 1984.
All that to say, I'm not sure it's going to matter who gets the opportunities for the Chiefs in this game; something good will probably come of it. Miami has yet to record a sack this year and has allowed their opponent to score either a field goal or touchdown in every single first-half defensive series. The Chiefs found the end zone and scored a field goal in each of their first game drives so far this year.
I would expect Miami to come out energized, feeding off their home crowd. And I think the Chiefs quickly put a stop to that. Mahomes should have a field day with a defense that cannot pressure the quarterback and a secondary devoid of any proven talent whatsoever. In fact, one of the Dolphins' starting safeties, Zayne Anderson, was cut from the Chiefs' practice squad back in 2022.
I would expect Kansas City to once again establish the run early and often with Walker and, hopefully, more and more of rookie Emmett Johnson, who has been excellent in limited time. Then for Mahomes to start unleashing the football all over the field to his various wide receivers and, of course, the great Travis Kelce, who may have the toughest matchup of anybody, going up against Miami's respectable linebacker duo of Jordyn Brooks and Jacob Rodriguez.
Dolphins Offense vs Chiefs Defense
Miami's offense definitely has some talent, especially in the run game. The Chiefs' first, second, and third concerns in this contest need to be containing the speedy back De'Von Achane. The 24-year-old has been one of the more explosive and elusive playmakers in the league for a few years now. And with the Chiefs coming off a game where they surrendered over 130 yards and two TDs to Jonathan Taylor, I would expect that to be a point of emphasis this week.
Malik Willis was given a solid three-year deal this offseason to captain Miami's offense. Through two games, however, he hasn't been too hot. Willis has a brutally bad 58% completion percentage, one interception, and just one score through the air. While he has added another TD on the ground with his legs, for some reason, the Dolphins seem uninterested in utilizing perhaps Willis' biggest strength. His mobility and dual-quarterback skills.
I would expect offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to introduce some of that part of the playbook versus Kansas City. And Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs need to be ready for it. What I think benefits the Chiefs in this game from a schematic standpoint is the fact that the Dolphins' receiving corps is, well, not good. Especially with their leading receiver, rookie Caleb Douglas, set to miss this game due to injury.
With the addition of Mansoor Delane to the Chiefs' cornerback room, I think he, Nohl Williams, Alohi Gilman, and the rest of the secondary will have a major bounce-back week and shut down the Dolphins' pass-catchers. Which would allow the Chiefs to stack the box with one or two more defenders ready to take down Achane or Willis in the run game.
It's harsh to say, but true at the same time. The Chiefs are ridiculously more capable of stopping Miami's defense than the other way around. Chris Jones has been holding back his fire, it seems, which is smart given his age and the wear and tear his body has been through. Against this Dolphins offensive line and Willis' slower progressions in the pocket, Jones could have a field day and garner big numbers.
The Verdict
Some may call this a trap game from the Chiefs' perspective. And sure, let's hope that KC doesn't take the Dolphins for granted and expect to roll into sweltering Miami and get an easy win. But I tend to boil it down to this. The Chiefs are better than the Dolphins. In just about every facet you want to look at it. One guy who we know is going to come and play is Patrick Mahomes. That's enough.
Week 3 Score Prediction: Chiefs 38, Dolphins 16
Chiefs Keys to Success
- Start fast and keep the gas pedal on/win the turnover battle
- Keep Malik Willis in the pocket and force him to make quick decisions
- Force De'Von Achane to run through the tackles, not bounce it outside
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