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If there was one game the NFL would want to export to an international audience, it couldn't do better than the Miami Dolphins Week 9 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The American football audience in Germany is in for a real treat with this one. Star power up and down each roster, high-scoring offenses, and two marquee quarterbacks. What more could you ask for?
This game should be a real test for the Dolphins. For all the success Tua Tagovailoa and this team has achieved so far at 6-2, those two losses are glaring. A Week 4 thumping from the Buffalo Bills quickly took the shine off their historic output on offense in Week 3. Their Week 7 defeat came under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, a two-touchdown loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Beating the teams you are supposed to beat is one thing, but for the Dolphins, they surely want to prove themselves against better competition. What better opportunity than a date with the 6-2 Chiefs?
Kansas City had ripped off six straight victories after an 0-1 start to their Super Bowl defense. Then, the impossible happened, and the Denver Broncos finally sunk the Chiefs. It was an ugly outing from QB Patrick Mahomes — think that's likely to happen two weeks in a row?
Now that we've set the (German) stage, let's get into our Dolphins Week 9 predictions. Please hold your applause until the end.
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Jaelan Phillips and Co. take down Mahomes multiple times
In five of eight Chiefs games, Patrick Mahomes has been sacked once or zero times. Of the three games where he suffered multiple takedowns, he dropped back 40+ times in two of them, and in the other he attempted 38 passes. Ample opportunities for defenders.
Kansas City protects its franchise guy better than any other NFL team, with a league-leading 77% pass block win rate. But the Dolphins can bring pressure from multiple angles. Bradley Chubb ranks fifth among edge rushers with a pass rush win rate of 28%. Among defensive tackles, Christian Wilkins is fourth at 18%.
Jaelan Phillips (2.5 sacks) has started slow due to an oblique injury that has limited him to five games. But with Chubb and Wilkins demanding so much attention, Phillips should be freed up to get after Mahomes.
Waddle outproduces Hill
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Seems foolish to bet against Tyreek Hill, considering the season he is having so far. Oh well, we've come too far already.
No team knows Hill better than his former one, the Chiefs. One would think that might give them some insight into how to cover him and disrupt his game. Luckily for KC, they also have Trent McDuffie, who is developing into one of the NFL's top cornerbacks.
Hill will command the attention of Kansas City's coverage, which should open up more opportunities for teammate Jaylen Waddle. Waddle is coming off his best game of 2023, a monster seven-catch, 121-yard performance versus the New England Patriots.
No defense is going to shut down Hill completely, but for QB Tua Tagovailoa, looking #17's way might be the key in this matchup.
The Chiefs win a high-scoring thriller over the Dolphins
We mentioned earlier that the Dolphins have had a difficult time when playing fellow Super Bowl contenders. It's a two-game sample size, but it might be instructive about how legit Miami is. Or it could be a blip, two difficult games that say nothing about the Dolphins' chances the rest of the season.
But for now, for Week 9? Here's the issue: the Dolphins aren't just running into a good Chiefs team. They are running into a pissed off Chiefs team, one that failed to extend several impressive streaks against a divisional rival last week.
Mahomes and Kansas City couldn't muster double-digits points there last time out. Do you think that's going to happen again? For an international crowd hungry to see Taylor Swift's boyfriend at his best?
Great teams don't allow one loss to turn into a losing streak. The Chiefs are a great team. You get the picture, right? Expect a lot of points, plenty of highlights…but not a Dolphins win.
