The Miami Dolphins were handed the seventh loss of their 2023 campaign on Saturday, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated them 26-7 at Arrowhead Stadium and knocked them out of the playoffs.
Mike McDaniel’s team struggled to do much of anything in the freezing conditions of the wild-card battle. His offense was stagnant, and his defense was slow and seemed unable to keep Patrick Mahomes and company from getting the ball into the red zone.
As we do after every game, let’s take a look at some of those who deserve credit and some who deserve criticism. for their performances against the Chiefs.
STUD: LB David Long Jr.
Miami’s offseason linebacker addition made his presence felt on Saturday night, as he was one of the only Dolphins defenders who was looking for contact and was excited to hit a Chiefs player in the freezing conditions. He finished the day with seven tackles (one for a loss), but it was his attitude that put him on this list.
DUD: Team preparation and IQ
Nearly every offensive possession for Miami in this game was marred by some type of mistake that set them back and made things more difficult for them. The Dolphins had eight penalties called on them on Saturday, and five of them were on the offense. False starts, delay of games and illegal formation penalties are inexcusable in the postseason. Even on defense, the team had two roughing-the-passer penalties that could’ve been avoided and could’ve kept the Chiefs from scoring a back-breaking touchdown.
STUD: CB Ethan Bonner
With the injuries in the secondary, Bonner, the undrafted rookie, was tasked with playing in his first playoff game, and he didn’t look bad. He had a couple of effort plays, including a forced fumble late in the game when most players were just waiting for time to expire.
DUD: CB Kader Kohou
When defensive coordinator Vic Fangio opted to blitz Mahomes, it left the cornerbacks in man defense, and Kohou was someone that the quarterback found early and often. He was unable to stick with Rashee Rice, who finished the game with 130 yards and a score, or even tight end Noah Gray, who beat him for a 20-yard gain on second-and-10.
