Kansas City Chiefs roll Miami Dolphins 26-7 in Wild Card round
The Kansas City Chiefs had little problem with the either freezing temperatures or their opponents on Saturday night, taking down the Miami Dolphins 26-7 to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
It was a dominant effort from start to finish, with the Chiefs cruising right down the field on their opening drive for a touchdown, reminiscent of their first drive in the Week 9 matchup with the Dolphins. Kansas City had 10 possessions on Saturday and scored on six of them, including a pair of touchdowns and four field goals from Harrison Butker.
The Chiefs overwhelmed the Dolphins in a wide swath of statistical categories in their opening-round tilt. Kansas City had more total yardage, more yards per play, more first downs, more time of possession and fewer penalties.
Patrick Mahomes handily won the quarterback duel against Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. Mahomes completed 23-of-41 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Tagovailoa completed just 20-of-39 attempts for only 199 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice had the biggest game of any offensive player, catching eight passes for 130 yards and a score, setting a new Chiefs rookie playoff record in the process. Tight end Travis Kelce had a big game, too, with seven receptions and 71 yards.
Running back Isiah Pacheco was the game’s leading rusher with 89 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Miami, one of the most efficient rushing teams in the NFL this season, racked up just 76 yards on 18 carries as a team.
Saturday’s game was historically cold, with temperature at kickoff officially logged at -4 degrees Fahrenheit with a -27 wind chill. That made it the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history and the fourth-coldest game in NFL history.
The Chiefs won’t know their divisional round opponents until Monday night when the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers face off in their opening-round game. If the Bills win that game, they will host the Chiefs next weekend. If the Steelers win, then the Chiefs will host the Houston Texans, who blew out the Cleveland Browns in the first game of the weekend.
The full divisional round schedule will be released Monday night, likely during or after the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles.
For more on the Kansas City Chiefs’ 26-7 win over the Miami Dolphins, check out 580 Sports Talk Monday from 2-6 on 580 WIBW.
