The Kansas City Chiefs took care of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. It puts them at 3-0, giving them half of their win total from last season. However, it was not the cleanest of victories for Kansas City. That will lead to some items being worked on and cleaned up before the Chiefs travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders.
A part that was not as clean as hoped was keeping Patrick Mahomes upright. Mahomes only threw the ball 24 times and had just four incompletions on the afternoon. It was a much more hurried day for the signal caller than what the box score may indicate, though.
Simply put, Mahomes took too many massive hits in this game. He was able to draw a roughing-the-passer call after Miami's Chop Robinson drove him straight down to the turf. Mahomes held his back a bit after that play before taking the next snap.
In other moments, Mahomes had a handful of throws where bodies were flying on or around his legs. It occurred more often than Kansas City would like to see, especially when the team is easing him back into the fold following his torn ACL from late last season.
Dolphins pressure exposed some cracks in Chiefs’ protection
In total, Miami tallied five quarterback hits on the day. The Dolphins truly sped up Mahomes' process and decision-making in certain moments. It amazingly felt more impactful than anything Denver or Indianapolis did as pass rushers in the first two weeks.
The Kansas City offensive line was a bit clunky in Miami. Trey Smith was hit with multiple penalty calls. At offensive tackle, the Chiefs surely felt the absence of Josh Simmons in this one. Kahlil Benson has done admirably stepping in at left tackle for the first time in his life as a rookie undrafted free agent. Yet, he and Jaylon Moore were left scrambling throughout key situations against the Dolphins.
Chiefs can’t keep letting Patrick Mahomes take these hits
Mahomes did fire off some quick passes. He was able to use his legs to buy extra time when necessary. When Miami did get home and affect the pass, there were some skittish moments from the Chiefs' signal caller. A few passes were not placed where Mahomes likely wanted them as a result.
It is understandable that Mahomes is still knocking some rust off when facing heat in the pocket. But the Dolphins had many free chances to lay a hit on the quarterback. Taking that into consideration, Kansas City could have handled a handful of snaps differently when Miami was showing pressure. Mahomes does not need to take that many huge hits again next week as he progresses in his recovery from injury.
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