After their worst defeat in a few seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Frankfurt, Germany to take on the Miami Dolphins. The team will aim to finish the first of the regular season on a strong note and head into their bye week 7-2.
In this matchup, they take on one of the best teams in the AFC and perhaps the most explosive offense in football. On the other side is old friend Tyreek Hill, who still holds the franchise's single-season receiving yards record. This is the first time the Chiefs will square off against the former superstar since trading him in March of 2022.
The Dolphins are of four teams (including the Chiefs) tied for the best record in the AFC at 6-2. Kansas City holds the tiebreaker today but head-to-head reigns supreme, so this weekend's matchup may have monumental consequences down the road. This game won't be the Chiefs' last one against another AFC contender, but that doesn't make it any less important.
If the Chiefs are going to leave Germany victorious, here are the seven things they need to do:
1. Win the turnover battle
When you're squaring off against one of the best teams in the NFL. limiting turnovers is a must. Given how explosive Miami has been on offense this season, any free possessions could be catastrophic.
Against the lesser teams in the league, it's not the end of the world to turn the ball over once or twice (not five times like against Denver). When facing an elite team with a great offense, one or two extra possessions can very easily be the difference between a win and a loss.
For the second consecutive season, the Chiefs have struggled with turnovers. They've had a giveaway in every game, except for against Minnesota, which obviously isn't acceptable. Fortunately, Miami has the exact same net turnover differential as them (-4). The main difference between the two teams is that Kansas City has forced more turnovers on defense, while also giving the ball away more on offense.
This is one of the basics but a fumble or an interception in this matchup will mean A LOT more than in most other games.