Chiefs vs. Dolphins highlights: How Kansas City shut down Miami to win frigid wild-card game
By Nate Davis, Chris Bumbaca, Cydney Henderson, Tyler Dragon
Halfway through the fourth quarter of the AFC wild-card matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, half of the Arrowhead Stadium faithful started the trek toward the parking lot.
This was not an exodus of defeat. The Chiefs led by three possessions and were well on their way to advancing to next week’s divisional round. Who could blame the fans? It was -8 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -28 — slightly worse than the -4 (-27 wind chill) at kickoff. They’d braved enough harsh weather and were leaving satisfied. Coach Andy Reid’s mustache had been covered by icicles for three quarters.
The Chiefs led wire-to-wire in a 26-7 victory Saturday over the Dolphins. The defense dominated, the offense did more than enough, and kicker Harrison Butker booted four field goals — a Chiefs postseason record.
“Guys came with that attitude, that mentality. We knew it was going to be cold. But all we week were preaching, ‘Let’s come in with that fire,'” Mahomes said.
Kansas City scored on its opening drive in less than four minutes when Patrick Mahomes connected with rookie receiver Rashee Rice for an 11-yard touchdown. Rice showed why he carried the Chiefs’ receiving room down the stretch; he had eight catches on 12 targets for a game-high 130 yards.
Entering the third quarter, the Dolphins had managed just six first downs. A 53-yard touchdown from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill — the former Chief making his Arrowhead return — made it 10-7 early in the second quarter. Miami didn’t score again. Aside from Hill’s catch and run, the Dolphins had 98 total yards on 32 plays as the fourth quarter began. They had 76 rushing yards all game. Miami was 1-for-12 on third down.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 71 yards but dropped at least two balls. His partner, Taylor Swift, was a favorite of the Peacock cameras — the game was exclusively streamed on the service — and she donned a customized “87” jacket.
Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco (24 rushes, 89 yards) scored a touchdown from the wildcat formation in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Edge rusher George Karlaftis recorded 1.5 sacks to lead the defense, and safety Mike Edwards intercepted Tagovailoa, who airmailed a pass over the middle on Miami’s second possession.
Mahomes wasn’t overly efficient (23-for-41, 262 yards). He also had two scrambles for a combined 41 yards on the ground.
