After two primetime games to start the 2026 season, the (2-0) Kansas City Chiefs play at noon in Week 3 against the (0-2) Miami Dolphins. The first road trip of the season will take the Chiefs to South Florida to take on the winless Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. The weather is expected to be sunny and very hot.
Whether it’s first-year head coach Jeff Hafley, quarterback Malik Willis or a rookie-filled defense, the Dolphins have a new look, and this is their first chance to impress the home crowd in the new era.
Let’s see if their home-field heat advantage can flip the script and knock off the Chiefs, who have two AFC West opponents to look forward to. Kansas City has the biggest line of any favorite on the NFL schedule this weekend, so Miami is looking for a big upset.
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The Dolphins won the opening coin toss and elected to postpone; the Chiefs will receive Miami’s kickoff to make things right.
Kansas City wasted no time attacking Miami’s young secondary: on the first play from scrimmage, the Chiefs ran the play action out of a heavy formation, giving Travis Kelce a wide-open throwing window down the field. It set up the offense in the red zone, and running back Kenneth Walker got the job done. On a third-and-one, the leading back scored on a 10-yard touchdown run, giving the Chiefs an early 7-0 lead.
As good as the opening drive was as the Chiefs offense put together, the defense responded with an extremely poor effort. Miami put together a 17-play drive and moved the chains seven times, including twice on third and long. The second was a handoff that gained 11 yards and set up a rushing touchdown by Miami running back Ollie Gordon. The Dolphins tied it, 7-7.
Kansas City’s second possession came back to center on Walker’s rush, but wide receivers Tyquan Thornton and Rashee Rice helped move the chains three times, pushing the offense into the red zone as the opening period ended.
The Chiefs looked to have stalled in the red zone after quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked on a straight dropback on third-and-short, but a flag by the Dolphins’ defense kept the drive alive. A few plays later, a pass to Walker put Kansas City back in front, 14-7.
Miami’s second possession lacked the efficiency of the first. Quarterback Malik Willis connected with wide receiver Malik Washington for nine yards, but the Dolphins eventually stalled near midfield. On fourth-and-four from the Kansas City 49, cornerback Mansoor Delane broke up Willis’ pass intended for Washington, giving the Chiefs possession on downs.
Kansas City quickly moved into scoring territory when quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with wide receiver Xavier Worthy for 17 yards. Running back Emmett Johnson followed with a seven-yard gain, but the drive fizzled out near the goal line. After a short completion to tight end Noah Gray, Miami stuffed running back Kenneth Walker on consecutive third-and-one and fourth-and-one attempts, pinning the Chiefs to the 12-yard line. Kansas City remained ahead 14-7.
Miami immediately escaped its goal line shadow when quarterback Malik Willis connected with wide receiver Chris Bell for 44 yards. The Dolphins drove into scoring territory, aided by a defensive holding penalty on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, but Sneed redeemed himself with the game-defining drive. Kansas City successfully challenged that Willis went down on a three-yard scramble, resulting in an overturned decision that credited Sneed with a forced fumble and a recovery at the Chiefs’ 25-yard line.
Kansas City gave up the momentum immediately after running back Kenneth Walker opened the possession with a 22-yard run. Two plays later, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass over the middle to wide receiver Rashee Rice, but the ball slipped through Rice’s hands and was intercepted by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Rodriguez returned it 17 yards to the Miami 47, ending a good Chiefs possession.
Pinned at its own 9 with less than a minute remaining, Kansas City made no serious attempt to extend its lead before halftime. A seven-yard completion from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Xavier Worthy was negated by an offensive holding penalty on Rashee Rice. Running back Emmett Johnson gained three yards on the final snap, sending the Chiefs into halftime with a 14-7 lead.