There’s going to be plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs this week. And, honestly, some of it will be justified.
But the Chiefs’ 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon was anything but convincing. Sure, there was never much doubt that Andy Reid’s squad would eventually get the job done against a struggling Miami team. Still, Kansas City made enough head-scratching mistakes to leave Chiefs Kingdom scratching its head.
The win moved KC to 3-0 on the season — already half as many victories as the team managed all of last year. But while the offense once again struggled to find its footing on the ground and looked far from its sharpest against Miami, one man stepped up when the Chiefs needed him most.
Chiefs Move To 3-0 as Walker Bails Out Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III Comes Clutch as Chiefs’ Game Struggles
Kenneth Walker III found the end zone twice, while Patrick Mahomes threw for 246 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Chiefs handled the Dolphins 24-10 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. But don’t let the final score fool you.
Miami (0-3) made the Chiefs sweat for most of the afternoon, hanging within one score until the closing minutes. That’s a far cry from the Dolphins’ first two weeks, when they were beaten by 14 and 22 points, respectively.
The Chiefs finally slammed the door when Miami failed to convert a fourth-and-5 from its own 48-yard line with 5:56 left. Malik Willis’ pass to Kevin Coleman fell incomplete, handing the ball back to Kansas City. Just over three minutes later, Mahomes found Travis Kelce for an 11-yard touchdown, effectively putting the game on ice.
Dolphins with a 17 play, 91 yard drive to tie the Chiefs 7-7. Running tbe ball down their throats with RB Ollie Gordon for the score. pic.twitter.com/mctTkfIHtn
— BrianCatNFL (@BrianCatNFL) September 27, 2026
Walker’s afternoon was a little more complicated.
For the first time since arriving in Kansas City, he failed to crack 100 yards from scrimmage. Every yard was a grind, and Miami’s defense stuffed him on a few crucial short-yardage attempts. But when the Chiefs needed points, Walker delivered. His two touchdowns — one rushing score where he practically walked into the end zone and another on a shovel pass — were about the only things that came easy for KC’s new lead back.
And those two plays proved to be massive.
The Chiefs’ pass rush, meanwhile, was basically a no-show. Willis wasn’t sacked and rarely felt meaningful pressure, giving him plenty of time to test a Kansas City secondary that struggled to hold up its end of the bargain. The Chiefs generated just one quarterback hit on 36 pass attempts. That’s where the frustration starts to creep in.
After two weeks that made it look like Kansas City had reinvented itself against two AFC contenders, the Chiefs suddenly looked much more like the maddening team we saw for stretches of the 2025 season. Miami converted 8-of-16 third downs, and it was the third-and-long conversions that really had to sting.
The Chiefs’ Biggest Red Flag May Be Emerging at Left Tackle
Miami kept finding ways to move the chains on third down, even when the Dolphins didn’t necessarily get past the sticks. Short throws, quick-hitting runs — whatever it took to keep the drive alive.
And the most frustrating part? The Chiefs had two third-and-long situations on the same drive, both from inside Kansas City’s 25-yard line, and couldn’t make a play. The pass rush failed to get home, while the secondary couldn’t come up with the kind of aggressive play on the ball that could have flipped the field.
There’s no shortage of things for Kansas City to clean up if this team wants to hang with the AFC’s heavyweights.
The biggest red flag might be at left tackle. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has done a commendable job filling in for the injured Josh Simmons through three weeks, but the second half exposed just how tough that assignment can be. Miami’s edge rushers repeatedly got around Benson and were able to generate quick pressure in Mahomes’ face.
But, the Chiefs did what they were supposed to do. They walked into a road game against Miami, handled business, and flew home at 3-0. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. Did Kansas City leave plenty of meat on the bone? Without question.
It’s true… good teams find ways to win even when they’re not playing their cleanest ball.
Six weeks from now, what’s going to matter more — the ugly film or that shiny 3-0 record?
Main Image: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
