The most anticipated overseas game of the season came down to one play -- a botched snap.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs topped Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins, 21-14. The game, played in Frankfurt, Germany, tightened up in the second half after Kansas City raced out to a 21-0 lead at the break. With the Dolphins driving in the final minutes to potentially tie the game, center Connor Williams tossed an errant snap on fourth down to seal their fate.
Miami now falls to 6-3, while Kansas City improves to 7-2 and remains atop the AFC.
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Here are three takeaways from Sunday's Dolphins-Chiefs game:
1. The Dolphins haven't proven they're legitimate Super Bowl contenders
At some point, the Dolphins have to beat a great team if they want to be taken seriously as contenders.
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They've had three chances this season. They whiffed on all three swings. It began with a 48-20 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills, one week after dropping 70 points on the lowly Denver Broncos. Then, on Sunday Night Football in Week 7, Miami visited Philadelphia and lost 31-17 to the Eagles.
That brings us to Sunday morning, when the Dolphins' offense was silenced against the Chiefs. A Chiefs team, meanwhile, that was fresh off an ugly loss to the aforementioned Broncos. While the Dolphins' defense stepped up with a scoreless second half, their high-powered offense remained relatively quiet.
To simplify things, here's the tally through nine games this season.
- Dolphins against teams below .500
- Record: 6-0
- Points per game: 39.0
- Average margin of victory: 18.2
- Dolphins against teams above .500
- Record: 0-3
- Points per game: 17.0
- Average margin of defeat: 16.3
Until the Dolphins put together a complete performance against a worthy opponent, it's only fair to question them.
2. The Chiefs' defense is carrying them this season
Somewhat quietly, the Chiefs' defense is the best it has ever been in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Steve Spagnuolo's unit is allowing just 15.9 points per game through nine weeks -- an easy recipe for success when you have the best quarterback in football on your side.
Sunday's masterpiece was perhaps their best outing of the season against the league's best offense. The Chiefs sacked Tagovailoa three times and held the quarterback to a season-low 193 passing yards. Most importantly, they had the play of the game -- which was ultimately the decisive score. Late in the second quarter, Trent McDuffie stripped Tyreek Hill before Mike Edwards recovered the ball and lateraled it to Bryan Cook. The safety then sprinted 59 yards for the touchdown.
A dominant Chiefs defense could be a nightmare for opponents in the postseason, when Mahomes is typically rolling.
3. The AFC is still wide open
The Chiefs and Dolphins entered Week 9 as the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the AFC, respectively. But if Sunday's game was any indication, neither team should be comfortable in their current state.
Kansas City is still missing another playmaker on offense. Miami still hasn't won a big game. Behind those two, there are several capable AFC foes ready to pounce.
The Baltimore Ravens have revamped their offense under Todd Monken. The Jacksonville Jaguars are riding a five-game winning streak. The Buffalo Bills still have Josh Allen and a team that's been through several playoff battles. The Cincinnati Bengals are finally heating up after a slow start.
All that to say, you can't just pencil these two teams in the AFC Championship Game for a rematch in a few months. While everyone has their own flaws, there's still plenty of football to be played.
