5 takeaways as Chiefs outlast Dolphins to continue perfect start

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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On paper, Kansas City against Miami on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, was a mismatch.

The Chiefs have been one of the NFL’s best teams through two weeks, obliterating Denver and outlasting Indianapolis in overtime, while the Dolphins have been among the worst, losing at moribund Las Vegas and getting crushed at San Francisco.

Miami, a 10-point home underdog, didn’t get the memo, showing plenty of grit and keeping the game close well into the fourth quarter before Kansas City pulled away for a 24-10 victory.

Tight end Travis Kelce finished off the win with an 11-yard touchdown pass as Mahomes hung in the pocket to deliver a strike between two defenders with less than three minutes remaining.

Kelce, who started the game with a long catch-and-run, didn’t have another catch until the decisive drive, which finally pushed the Chiefs’ lead to two scores for the first time all game.

The win snapped a rare six-game road losing skid, the longest stretch of coach Andy Reid’s career.

“We’ve got plenty of things to work on, but it’s great to be 3-0,” Reid said.

Two of those losses, at Tennessee and Las Vegas, came after Mahomes’ knee injury last season, but Kansas City’s last road win came on Sept. 21, 2025, at the New York Giants.

Fast start fizzles

The Chiefs (3-0) made quick work of the opening drive, scoring in only four plays.

It started with Patrick Mahomes scrambling right and throwing back across the field to a wide-open Kelce, who found space in the secondary for a 48-yard catch-and-run, including 27 yards after the catch.

Kenneth Walker III capped the 67-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run barely 2 minutes into the game.

The Dolphins (0-3) answered with an impressive 17-play, 91-yard drive despite losing star running back De’Von Achane to a knee injury on the fifth play.

A Nohl Williams penalty on third-and-18 kept Miami’s drive — a whopping 9-minute, 27-second march — alive near midfield as Malik Willis went 5 of 8 for 55 yards before Ollie Gordon II tied the game with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Kansas City benefitted from a rather hilarious illegal-contact penalty — Miami rookie safety Michael Taaffe essentially hugged Kelce at the goal line and didn’t let go — on its second drive.

Instead of a third-down sack and likely field-goal try, the Chiefs’ offense made the Dolphins pay two plays later when Mahomes underhanded a 5-yard touchdown pass to Walker.

Kansas City’s third drive ended in Miami territory when Walker was stuffed twice on short-yardage runs with Mahomes — 11 of 11 for 131 yards, to that point — still perfect.

The Chiefs didn’t score again until 3 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter when a 34-yard Harrison Butker field goal made it 17-10.

Miami, which trailed by a touchdown at halftime, cut the lead to 14-10 on the opening drive of the third quarter.

After a sizzling start, the Dolphins bottled up Walker for 73 total yards — 18 carries for 70 yards and two catches for 3 yards, with two scores.

Mahomes GOAT watch

Mahomes tied the NFL’s quarterbacking GOAT, Tom Brady, for the most wins in his first 150 career games, including the playoffs.

Before Brady, many considered Joe Montana the GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time, and Mahomes made history passing him against the Dolphins, too.

Now in his ninth season as the Chiefs’ starter, Mahomes improved to 115-35 overall, including a 98-31 regular-season record and a 17-4 mark in the postseason.

Brady and Mahomes are tied for the most wins in NFL history through 150 games played, regular season and playoffs combined.

Mahomes also threw two touchdowns in the win, Nos. 273 and 274 of his regular-season career.

That broke a tie with Joe Flacco (272) and moved Mahomes past Montana (273) for 20th in NFL history in career passing touchdowns.

Montana threw 29 touchdowns for the Chiefs, whom he played for in the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career in 1993-94.

Brady (649) owns the NFL record, so Mahomes has a long way to catch him, but he’s now one behind Vinny Testaverde (275).

Mahomes proves he can take a hit again

Mahomes, who finished 20 of 24 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, took the hardest shots he’s absorbed this season against Miami.

In the third quarter, defensive end Chop Robinson drilled him in the end zone on an incomplete pass over the middle to Rashee Rice, who made a series of big catches late and finished with a team-best seven catches and 88 receiving yards.

Robinson drove Mahomes into the ground, landing with his full body weight on his ribcage to draw the personal foul and extend the drive.

Later in the fourth quarter, Mahomes had a defender around his right leg, the one that didn’t require surgery last December, when Josh Uche pushed him over. But he avoided any issues.

Mahomes also took a shot under the chin as he delivered the TD toss to Kelce that iced the victory.

Rookie CB Delane shines

Mansoor Delane was central to the Chiefs’ offseason remake of the defense, but he didn’t feature much in the season’s first two games.

After intercepting Bo Nix on the third snap of his NFL career, Delane left with a shoulder injury. He was active in Week 2 against Indianapolis but never saw the field.

Delane started and saw his most significant action to date against the Dolphins, who weren’t afraid to challenge him.

Willis completed three passes for 47 yards against Delane on the lengthy TD drive to open the game, but the No. 6 overall pick from LSU in last spring’s draft rose to the occasion on Miami’s second drive.

First-year coach Jeff Hafley rolled the dive on fourth down near midfield and Willie tested Delane again, trying to connect with Malik Washington on a fourth-and-4 slant.

Delane, who tied for the team lead with six tackles on the Dolphins’ first two drives, knocked it away for a turnover on downs.

Late in the first half, he sniffed out a screen to the flats — something he’s shown an aptitude for early in his career — and took Gordon down for a 5-yard loss to force a third-and-long.

They came back to the slant late in the third quarter on third down and, despite blanket coverage, converted against Delane — who finished with a team-high 10 tackles, including a game-best eight in the first half.

Another turnover-battle win

L’Jarius Sneed entered the game allowing a 115.4 QB rating to opposing passers and again struggled at times in pass coverage.

He had a critical fourth-down holding penalty that extended a Dolphins drive late in the first half with Miami threatening to tie the game. However, two plays later Sneed atoned by punching the ball from a scrambling Willis’ grasp and recovering the fumble, a play Reid had to challenge to earn the turnover.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs returned the favor when Rashee Rice slipped, leading to a tip-drill interception for Dolphins rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.

But Kansas City, which struggled to take the ball away last season, won the turnover battle with a game-clinching interception on the final play before the two-minute warning.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones finally pressured Willis up the middle on fourth-and-1 near midfield, tipping the ball high in the air as defensive end George Karlaftis raced under it for his first career interception.

After Butker missed a 50-yard field goal in the closing minute, Chris Roland-Wallace appeared to ice the game with another pick, but a phantom hands-to-the-face call against Karlaftis wiped it away.

Injury report

Achane had three carries for 17 yards and was targeted once in the passing game before he left with a knee injury after Miami’s fifth offensive snap.

He was ruled out early in the second half and reappeared on the sideline without his shoulder pads.

Achane’s backup, Gordon, left the game with cramps late in the third quarter, leaving the Dolphins without an available tailback. He had 14 carries for 37 yards with three catches for another 14 yards in relief before exiting.

Gordon returned early in the fourth quarter after receiving an IV treatment.

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