The Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
The loss was Miami’s third of the year, all against opponents with winning records. And, as many have noted, those are the only three times that they’ve played winning teams.
Prior to the game head coach Mike McDaniel theorized that the result of the Week 9 battle would determine the future of that narrative. if Miami won, they’d be Super Bowl contenders and easy favorites in the conference, but a loss would mean they can’t beat good teams.
McDaniel wasn’t wrong, the fraud narrative has been rampant since Tua Tagovailoa fell on the aborted snap, and Patrick Mahomes took the final knee to drop the Dolphins to 6-2.
While there’s a lot to work on and a lot to feel down about regarding Miami’s play on Sunday, there’s one aspect of their game that should have fans, coaches and players inspired for the rest of the season – their defense.
In this game, Vic Fangio’s unit had their starters healthy for the first time in the 2023 campaign with cornerback Xavien Howard and safety Jevon Holland back from missing last week and cornerback Jalen Ramsey off of injured reserve.
The group showed that they’re up to the task of shutting down some of the game’s best, and in this contest, that was tight end Travis Kelce. Miami held the superstar tight end to just 14 yards on three catches. That’s his lowest yardage output in a game since Kansas City’s season opener of 2018 against the Los Angeles Chargers when he recorded just one reception for six yards.
It was a concerted effort by Fangio’s group, as Kelce drew different coverage assignments, and nearly all of them worked.
After Miami allowed Patrick Mahomes and company to carve them right up on the first drive, they allowed just one more score on a 17-yard catch-and-run by running back Jerick McKinnon in the second quarter.
To hold any offense scoreless for over two quarters is impressive. To do so against an offense led by the best quarterback-tight end combination in the game is insane.
Yet, that’s exactly what Fangio did. He married the coverage in the secondary with a strong pass rush that caused problems for Mahomes, head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Those in the backend keep receivers from separating quickly, and the front seven creates enough pressure to force a mistake, errant throw or a short gain.
Kansas City might have the offensive firepower that they usually do, but they can still move the ball down the field, and Fangio’s group was able to limit that as much as possible. Against a lot of other teams, that type of effort will result in a win.
For now, the Dolphins will have to lick their wounds and think about the ending for a while, as they hit their bye week. However, when they get back, the defense has a legitimate chance to be one of the best in the league down the home stretch, and that started with a healthy performance on Sunday against the defending Super Bowl champions.
