Twice in three weeks now, the Miami Dolphins‘ defense held up its end of the bargain only to have the offense fall short — and each time, it’s come against arguably the two best teams in the league.
Vic Fangio’s group continues to round into form and did more than enough to win in the Dolphins’ 21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The defense, you know, they were the engine today,” Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said postgame. “Those guys had us fired up, and when we were able to find a spark somewhere because we were kind of flat on offense, you know, we began to get it going. You, you feel me? So that was kind of a glimpse of what we could have been in the first half.”
Hill is right. The Dolphins outscored the Chiefs 14-0 in the second half and, if not for a bungled final two plays, could have forced overtime.
Miami Dolphins’ Defense Excels vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday’s loss certainly echoed the Eagles game, when the Dolphins’ defense put a sputtering offense in position to tie the game in the fourth quarter, only to watch as Tua Tagovailoa and the rest fall short in the most critical moments.
“For the defense to shut them out in the second half, and only allow 14 points, and for us to be in that situation, with one minute to go … I think that’s the bigger picture from the players’ perspective,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.
The first game together with Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard both on the field didn’t disappoint.
Miami held Patrick Mahomes to under 200 passing yards in a regular-season game for the first time in 23 months. (It’s the sixth time in nine games that opposing passers haven’t cracked 200 passing yards against Miami.)
Per the Dolphins, the 267 total yards and 174 passing yards were both the Chiefs’ fewest in a regular-season game since Nov. 7, 2021.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Understand the Doubts After Latest Loss
And it was another showcase game for Bradley Chubb, who has arguably been the Dolphins’ best defensive player this season.
Chubb on Sunday tallied three tackles, one sack, one pass breakup, and forced a fumble.
“I was getting off the ball, and I saw Zach [Sieler] flew off the ball,” Chubb said of his strip-sack.
“So when you’ve got a guy like that playing next to you, it kind of makes my job easier. He took the guard’s attention, I wrapped around, kind of got him twisted up, and just tried to go after the ball, make a play, and it was a good play for us. But got to find ways to make more of those.”
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