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As the Miami Dolphins prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a Week 9 showdown over in Frankfurt, Germany, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is taking his team’s 2023 success in stride. He told the media ahead of one of the most highly-anticipated NFL games of the season that win or lose, he’s focused on the process and picking up Ws when it matters most.
“I'll tell you what's going to happen with the Miami Dolphins. We lose, we can't beat good teams. We win, we're going to win the Super Bowl,” McDaniel told reporters on Friday, per ESPN. “None of it matters. You have to be your best when your best is required, and that's when there's elimination games. So you're trying to build towards that and take advantage of every opportunity to best service yourself for the situation at end of the season.”
McDaniel may be focused on the bigger picture, but he is right. The media (this writer included) is going to draw bold conclusions from the result of the Dolphins’ Week 9 showdown with the Chiefs.
What the results of Dolphins vs. Chiefs will mean
A win doesn’t necessarily signal a Super Bowl trophy for Miami, despite McDaniel’s prediction.
The Chiefs are struggling on offense right now, and depending on how the game shakes out, a Dolphins victory could easily make the narrative more about that team’s weaknesses than the McDaniel squad’s strengths.
That said, Mike McDaniel is dead-on about how a Dolphins loss will play.
A defeat would move Miami to 6-3 on the season, with their wins coming against the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots (twice), Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers. Depending on your Chargers feelings, these wins all came against four (or five) of the worst teams in the NFL this season.
The Dolphins’ losses would then be to the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Philadelphia Eagles. A loss in Week 9 — especially to currently reeling Kansas City — would absolutely suggest there are major problems for McDaniels and the Dolphins when they play good teams.
