Patrick Mahomes, defense fuel Chiefs’ wild-card win over Dolphins

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – There have been times this season when the Kansas City Chiefs' offense didn't resemble the high-octane units of their Super Bowl champions, but on a frigid Saturday night, against a defense of the Miami Dolphins. , Patrick Mahomes guided the Chiefs to a 26-7 wild card victory to advance to the divisional round.

The Dolphins' offense hit a record pace early in the season, but faltered down the stretch, scoring a combined 33 points while losing the final two games of the regular season. Miami didn't convert a third down Saturday until 10:00 remained in the fourth quarter.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are in the divisional round of the playoffs for the sixth straight season, but this time with a different type of team. The Chiefs defense, as it has for most of the season, led the way. The Chiefs held the Dolphins to 264 yards and a touchdown.

QB Breakdown: The Dolphins tried to blitz Mahomes like no other Chiefs opponent. They chased him on 60 percent of his dropbacks in the first half, the highest percentage of his career. He went 8 of 15 in a 100-yard halftime blitz. The Dolphins eased off the pressure somewhat in the second half. Mahomes finished 23 of 41 for 262 yards and a touchdown.

Buy on exceptional performance: Rookie receiver Rashee Rice had his biggest game to date with 130 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. More often than not, if Mahomes went to a wide receiver, it was Rice. He was the target of 12 of Mahomes' first 20 passes thrown to a wide receiver. Rice had 92 receiving yards in the first half. A Chiefs receiver didn't reach 92 receiving yards for a game until Week 12 of the regular season. This was the most first-half receiving yards by a Chiefs WR since the first game of 2021 (Tyreek Hill, 96 receiving yards). And it was the most yards by a rookie in the first half of a playoff game since 2009 (Colts WR Austin Collie had 105 receiving yards in the first half of the AFC Championship Game against the Jets ).

A mind-blowing statistic: Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor's behind-the-back blocking penalty erased a Chiefs touchdown in the second quarter. Taylor took 17 penalties in the regular season, the most by an offensive player in a season since 2003. Taylor had another penalty later in the first half, this one a false start, as the Chiefs were in the drill for two minutes.

Disturbing trend: The Chiefs made 2 of 6 touchdowns in the red zone. They were 1 of 3 in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals in the red zone in their last game against their starters. They finished 17th in red zone efficiency in the regular season at 54.1%. –Adam Teicher

Next game: Either the Bills in Buffalo or the Houston Texans in Arrowhead.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were missing five starters on one side of the ball, but a casual observer could be forgiven for not being able to tell it was on defense.

The Dolphins offense put together 264 yards. Without five defensive starters, Miami's defense forced field goals on four straight trips to the red zone, but its offense couldn't capitalize.

Even with running back Raheem Mostert and receiver Jaylen Waddle returning after two absences, the Dolphins' offense looked like a shell of the version that scored 70 points against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 20 of 39 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown and an interception, capping a three-game stretch of unremarkable play heading into a crucial offseason. The Dolphins picked up his fifth-year option, but his contract negotiations for an extension over the next few months will be watched with great interest.

QB Breakdown: This is a play that will likely be discussed over the next few months regarding Tagovailoa's limitations. Kansas City didn't view him as a running threat and challenged him to throw in icy conditions. The ball slipped out of his hands on several pass attempts, and his ineffectiveness as a passer allowed the Chiefs to play a key role in Miami's running game. Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards this season, but he hasn't topped 300 yards since Nov. 19.

Describe the game in two words: Bad football. There aren't many other ways to describe it — the Dolphins averaged 3.1 yards per play outside of that long touchdown to Hill and were constantly placed at the line of scrimmage by a stout defense. Chiefs.

Disturbing trend: For the fourth straight game, the Dolphins' high-powered offense looked anything but special. They have failed to reach their season scoring average in five of their last six games, losing all but two. Outside of a 53-yard touchdown pass Saturday night to Hill, the Dolphins' offense was nonexistent. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: The season is over.