The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins, 21-14, in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday behind a stifling effort defensively.
Here are some quick notes from the victory.
1. Andy Reid is now tied with Hank Stram for the most wins by a head coach in franchise history.
Reid tallied the 124th regular-season victory of his incredible tenure with the Chiefs on Sunday, matching Pro Football Hall of Famer Hank Stram for the most in franchise history.
Reid joined Dan Reeves (Broncos and Falcons), Tom Coughlin (Jaguars and Giants) and Tony Dungy (Buccaneers and Colts) as one of only four coaches in league history to rank in the top two in all-time wins for multiple franchises.
With one more win, Reid – who is also the winningest head coach in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles – will become the first head coach in NFL history to own the most regular-season victories for two teams.
2. The Chiefs' defense held Miami's high-powered offense to its lowest point total of the season.
Miami entered the game with the No. 1 scoring (33.9 points), total (453.3 yards), passing (301.5 yards) and rushing (151.8 yards) offense in the NFL on Sunday, but from start to finish, it was the Chiefs' defense that was the story of the afternoon.
Kansas City held Miami to just 100 net yards of offense in the first half, holding the Dolphins scoreless through the first two quarters of play for the first time in Head Coach Mike McDaniel's tenure. As a whole, the Chiefs "won" on nine of Miami's 11 possessions, forcing seven punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs.
The Dolphins were 3-of-12 on third down, and despite entering the game with the most plays of 20+ yards in the NFL, the Chiefs held Miami to a season-low two such plays on Sunday.
One reason behind that success was the Chiefs' ability to keep Miami's offense out of rhythm. Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa entered Sunday's game with the quickest average time to throw of any passer in the NFL at 2.28 seconds, but against Kansas City, that number jumped to 2.52 seconds – his second-longest average time to throw of the season. It may seem inconsequential on the surface, but as a whole, that higher number indicates that Tagovailoa's initial reads were likely well-covered.
Kansas City is one of only two teams (joining the Baltimore Ravens) to hold the opposition under 25 total points in every game this season.
3. Defensive backs Trent McDuffie, Mike Edwards and Bryan Cook combined for an unforgettable touchdown.
The Dolphins were driving late in the second quarter when McDuffie jarred the ball free from wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a fumble near midfield. Edwards then scooped it up and returned it for four yards before flipping the ball to Cook, who broke free for a 59-yard touchdown. It was the fourth forced fumble of the season for McDuffie, who leads the league in the category.
It marked the Chiefs' first defensive score of the season, and their longest since cornerback Jaylen Watson's 99-yard pick-six early in the 2022 season. Kansas City is 13-1 under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo when the defense scores a touchdown.
4. Kansas City sacked Tua Tagovailoa three times.
Tagovailoa entered Sunday's game as the least-pressured quarterback in the NFL, setting up an intriguing matchup with the Chiefs' defense, which had the second-most sacks (28) of any team in the league. Suffice to say, Kansas City's pass-rush won that battle.
The Chiefs pressured Tagovailoa on 29 percent of his dropbacks, marking the third-highest mark against him of the season. Kansas City also sacked him three times, as linebacker Leo Chenal, cornerback Jaylen Watson and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton each brought Tagovailoa to the ground.
Wharton's sack, in particular, was especially significant. The Dolphins – trailing by seven points – were facing a 2nd-and-16 at the Chiefs' 44-yard line with just over five minutes remaining in the game when Wharton buried Tagovailoa for an 11-yard loss. A completion on that play – even for a modest gain – would have set up a potentially manageable third down, and at worst, a long field goal attempt. Instead, Wharton forced a Dolphins' punt. It should also be pointed out that Trent McDuffie, who was rushing on a slot cornerback blitz, helped make the sack happen.
The Chiefs' 31 sacks on the season are the second-most in the NFL, trailing only the Baltimore Ravens (35). Remarkably, 13 different players have at least a half sack for the Chiefs so far this season. That mark is also tied with Baltimore for the most of any team in the NFL.
5. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice caught his fourth touchdown of the season.
Rice hauled in an 11-yard touchdown on the Chiefs' opening series, marking his fourth score of the year. It was an important one, too, considering that a video review had wiped out a touchdown catch by wide receiver Justin Watson mere moments earlier. Just one snap later, however, Rice was in the end zone.
The former second-round pick is tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns of any rookie this season, trailing only the Minnesota Vikings' Jordan Addison.
6. The Chiefs engineered a 95-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on a 13-play, 95-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter that pushed the margin to double-digits. The series included a handful of big plays, including a diving, six-yard catch by Rashee Rice on third down, an 18-yard strike to wide receiver Kadarius Toney and a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Skyy Moore.
Mahomes then finished the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass on third down to tailback Jerick McKinnon, who recorded his third touchdown catch of the year. The series was the Chiefs' second-longest touchdown drive of the season in terms of yardage.
7. Tight end Travis Kelce now has the most scrimmage yards for any player in Chiefs' history.
It wasn't a big statistical day for Kelce, who caught just three passes for 14 yards as the Dolphins clearly designed their defensive scheme around stopping the All-Pro tight end, but he still managed to make some history.
In fact, Kelce now owns the franchise record for career scrimmage yards (10,955), passing Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez (10,954). Kelce also passed Gonzalez for the most receiving yards (10,941) in franchise history (10,940).
8. Kicker Harrison Butker remained perfect on Sunday.
Butker connected on all three of his extra-point attempts on Sunday, continuing his perfect start to the season. Butker has nailed all 18 of his field goal attempts and all 22 of his extra-point tries to begin the year.
9. The win meant that Kansas City maintained the top spot in the AFC standings.
It may only be Week 9, but it's never too early to start looking at the playoff picture as the second-half of the season approaches. The Chiefs are currently in great shape, too, as they're tied for the top mark in the AFC with the Baltimore Ravens. Kansas City also currently owns the tie-breaker over Baltimore, which has lost two conference games (as opposed to the Chiefs' one conference loss).
Additionally, the Chiefs' victories over Miami and Jacksonville may prove to be especially valuable by the end of the year. Both of those teams are currently leading their divisions, and if tie-breakers are needed at the end of the season, the Chiefs own the head-to-head advantage over each.
10. Patrick Mahomes moved to 15-3 in his career as a starter following a loss.
Mahomes moved to 15-3 in his career immediately following a loss on Sunday, which includes a perfect 2-0 mark this season. Mahomes has lost back-to-back starts just once over the last four seasons, doing so early in the 2021 campaign. The reigning league MVP has won each of his last nine starts following a loss in the time since.
The Chiefs will now enjoy a much-deserved bye week before returning to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 20 for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
