The Miami Dolphins didn’t beat the Kansas City Chiefs in week three — they lost 24-10 — but they held their own against one of the best teams in the National Football League for most of the contest. It’s a moral victory for a team that has struggled through three weeks of the 2026 NFL season. If Miami continues to show incremental improvement as the year goes on, the foundation that new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley have talked about wanting to establish will be beneficial to future versions of Dolphins teams.
One area the Dolphins need to show improvement is protecting the quarterback. Malik Willis was sacked nine times in Miami’s first two games — 5 times against the Raiders in week one and 4 times against the 49ers in week two. Against the Chiefs, improvement was made — as Willis wasn’t sacked once on the afternoon.
A major reason Willis was able to avoid Kansas City’s pass rush was the play of Miami’s starting center Aaron Brewer. Brewer was the Dolphins’ highest-graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus in week three — earning a 72.6 overall grade. Obviously Brewer didn’t give up a sack against the Chiefs — nobody did — but in three games in 2026, Brewer didn’t allow an opposing defender to bring down his quarterback even once.
With the return of De’Von Achane, who was lost for the season with an ACL tear, the Dolphins will need every remaining healthy player to take a step forward if they want to continue positive developments in 2026. Brewer is now Miami’s most influential offensive player. His play this season will go a long way in determining how many notches the Dolphins can put in the win column in 2026 and beyond.
Week One – WR Caleb Douglas
Second Week – LB Jacob Rodriguez
Week Three – OC Aaron Brewer