Sunday, December 13, 2020

Chiefs at Dolphins - Week 14 - Record: 12-1

We returned to Miami for the first time since our Super Bowl win in February. Everyone had been mentioning that, a very cool thing. Today we clinched our fifth straight division title too, but it was way more dramatic than it had to be. It was sort of a tale of three games.

The first game of the game was Mahomes looking really iffy out there. He threw three picks on the day! Two of them were in the first quarter. He was also sacked for a loss of 30 yards when he tried to do his patented swimming-away from the rush but this time the Dolphins lineman got him. 30-yard loss! They'd mentioned the 30-yard loss Bob Griese took in Super Bowl VI, and I thought that one was huge! For this portion of the game we were down 10-0.

Then we went to work. Second game within a game. Our run D was actually really good today, so we were able to hold them off while Tyreek got his sweep special to get us a TD. Travis caught a short one, then when the 3rd quarter started Tyreek pulled in a 44-yard TD pass from Patrick. Add a spiffy punt return TD by Mecole Hardman and a safety by Chris Jones & company and bam we're up 30-10. The Dolphins QB, Tua Tagovailoa, was just having a miserable time of it during this game within the game.

Thennn there was the third game within the game, when the Dolphins started playing good football and the Chiefs defense started playing bad football. For one thing we were getting all kinds of PIs, one of them in particular was just not one, the one on Anthony Hitchens -- but then the Dolphins should not have been that close to getting a touchdown to begin with. I just couldn't see how we got so soft on our pass D, it was horrific.

One play in particular in the last couple minutes of the game that got the Dolphins deep into Chiefs territory was their receiver catching a pass with literally six Chiefs within five yards of the guy. Yes, I know it is really hard to play in the NFL, these guys are very good athletes, and I'm not out there, they are, I know -- but, well, I thought our guys were good athletes too! What was with that?

So it was just a very weird game. It was almost as if the Chiefs just went through the motions too often. Mahomes was crazy amazing just enough times, otherwise he was just really off his game. His third interception was a really terrific play by their defender, but why were we throwing that pass at that time, late in the game? Besides that, it was a little underthrown. I know, I'm complaining about a pass that was a littttle bit underthrown from the guy who is likely already the GOAT and is doing things for the Chiefs right now that should only be in our dreams. 

Let's be honest, today Hill was amazing, Kelce was amazing, CEH has amazing, Hardman actually made some terrific plays, one of which was just before he fumbled the ball away -- to be honest that was just the kind of the day it was. Our defensive line did very fine work, but then in that 4th quarter they may have just been tired. Yep, I'm not out there, they are, and they took care of business against a pretty decent Dolphins team.

Still got to get it done to get that No. 1 seed -- three games left and next week we're in New Orleans. No rest for the weary.

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Photos are from Kevin Sabitus at the official Chiefs site. Thank you.

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