You can sense it from the very beginning of the game. Not even about how the Chiefs scored so easily in six plays while marching down the field. I’m referring to the initial possession of the ball by Miami. They managed to get a first down, but a movement penalty cost them it. It felt like the entire game was like what I just stated.
To be clear, this was not a case of “Miami was screwed over by the refs.” Miami had six penalties, while the Chiefs had nine. Simply put, Miami’s penalties destroy them and rob them of opportunities for advantages.
Tua cannot pass a stunning ball to Waddle for a first down and have it called back for a holding penalty. not with the Chiefs in mind. Late in the first half, you can’t let up a 20-yard field goal that would have put the ball in Chiefs territory. You can’t play against the Chiefs. With 30 seconds remaining in the first half, you can’t be the same man who dropped the ball, fumbled it, and allowed KC to return it for a score, sparking a 10-point swing. not with the Chiefs in mind.
And you most definitely cannot miscommunicate with Cedrick Wilson at the most critical moment of the game and let him to sprint wide open into the end zone, only to have him follow it up with a snap that, although not the best ever, struck you in the fingers. That kind of thing is against limits when playing the Chiefs, Ravens, Bengals, 49ers, or Eagles.
Quit doing stupid things if you want the football community to quit calling you fruads. That’s not how hard it is.
Defense
Vic Fangio came up with a brilliant strategy that worked. The defense held them in for the whole second half as the offense played a dismal first half. It’s amazing that they prevented the Chiefs from even getting close to a field goal in the second half.
For the first six or seven games, the Dolphins’ offense was the talk of the town. However, their defense has been keeping them in games they’ve lost lately. It was the Eagles at first, and it’s the Chiefs today. All of these strong teams have defenses that are strong enough to counter the speed, mobility, shifts, and deft running style of the Dolphins.
It stands to reason that the most reliable side of the ball would be the defense, given their wealth of quality. That’s our current situation. This can be a lot more balanced squad if the offense can either run the ball more (foreshadowing) or simply return to running it well when Achane returns.
There is no telling how the Dolphins will finish out their 8 game schedule. Sportsbooks currently have them at 12/1 odds to win the Super Bowl. I think that is a bit optimistic based on what we saw yesterday and the week before. They simply cannot beta the teams they need to in order to even make it to the Super Bowl.
