The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-10 on Sunday to improve to 3-0. Despite the two-point win, Kansas City put up a fair fight and let the Dolphins hang on until the end.
The defense, in particular, struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing a 50% conversion rate (Miami went 8 for 16), which led to extended drives for the Dolphins.
Overall, the third-down defense has been fine this season—37.50%, 11th best in the NFL—but with tougher competition on the horizon, they’ll need to fix these issues before the trend goes the wrong way.
The Dolphins started the game with a long 17-play drive in which they converted four third downs, two through the air, one on the ground, and one through a penalty.
The Chiefs tried to bring pressure, but Miami’s good timing plays took advantage of the loose secondary coverage.
On the snap, the Chiefs applied pressure with five, dropping defensive lineman George Karlaftis into coverage while safety Christian Roland-Wallace and cornerback Nohl Williams came out on the right side of the offense. Linebacker Nick Bolton and Karlaftis run shallow crossing routes, while the other defensive backs drop into a quarterback look.
Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis was under pressure, and the rush almost made it to the house, but at the last second he found a target downfield and fired off his back foot. Rookie Mansoor Delane plays loose coverage and provides outside leverage at receiver.
Playing with his head turned to the sideline, the receiver makes a quick cut and returns for the ball. The catch was made, and it was a quick first down for the Dolphins despite great pressure.
In the red zone, the Dolphins used a huge draw play to keep the sticks moving and set up a touchdown.
On third and long, an obvious pass, the Dolphins took advantage of the alignment and were caught looking for the quarterback.
With the Chiefs in double three-techniques up front and both linebackers wider than usual, the Dolphins brought Ollie Gordon into the backfield in one move and ran a quick trap draw look, pulling both Chiefs defensive tackles up and quickly putting the interior offensive line at linebacker level.
Gordon sped up and rode the Chiefs defense, finally getting dragged down to within five.
These early conversions helped the Dolphins gain momentum and stay in the game.
The Dolphins continued to attack on third down, and in the middle of the game kept drives alive.
After being the most sacked quarterback in the NFL for two weeks, Willis knows the pressure well and rips the ball as fast as he can find open targets.
The Dolphins set Willis up for success with quick routes built into their third-down packages and quick three-step shotgun drops; they made sure the ball was out of his hands before the pass rush got home.
Rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas came close a few times, but couldn’t get home on third down.
Pre-snap, Gordon’s motion pulls Bolton wide to help in coverage. Bolton taps Delane to get him off the line, but the move gives the wide receiver enough space to create separation on a slant, leading to another first down.
The Dolphins worked the Chiefs’ third-down defense early, but with adjustments and quick thinking on the field, the Chiefs overcame these issues.
In the second half, the defense found ways to take away quick routes, forcing Miami to look further downfield to convert late downs.
Pre-snap, the Chiefs show multiple defenders all over the line of scrimmage, giving the impression that a blitz is coming.
At the snap, only four rushers will follow Willis, and the Chiefs strategically drop into coverage to eliminate quick routes.
Hicks and Thomas eliminate the tight ends on the short side of the formation, while Sneed eliminates the flat route, and Tranquil covers the deep route over the middle. The in-cutout of the bunch formation may be open, but Willis is quick because of the pressure show and he thinks his man is deep.
Tranquill gave a good effort to stay on the deep route until the final minute, while Alohi Gilman was there to clean up the mess. The pass should have been picked off, but the play still got the defense off the field.
Late in the game, the Chiefs would put the game away for good.
On this snap, the Chiefs bring pressure and drop into man coverage against the Dolphins’ pack. Both outside corners get to the receivers quickly, eliminating quick throwing lanes.
The Chiefs carried seven against a six-man protection, and Willis quickly dropped back under center. Expecting a quick exit, Nick Bolton slowed down his rush and jump, beat the pass and stopped the Dolphins.
Even after the pass was delivered, Delane held on to the tight end and was in position to break it down.
The Chiefs’ mistakes have been corrected, but against a better team, they could be the difference between winning and losing. The lack of a pass rush, compounded by quick throws, allowed Miami to take advantage early.
The schedule will be tougher, and over the next few months, they’ll face some of the league’s best third-down converting teams.