Chiefs vs Dolphins: Writers' predictions are mixed on tough AFC battle

Why do we know the odds of the Kansas City Chiefs going undefeated, yet every loss is one of fire and brimstone? A loss is a loss, and the Chiefs travel to Germany with a chance to make fans forget about the embarrassment at Mile High.

The NFL schedulemakers robbed Arrowhead of seeing the Miami Dolphins, namely Tyreek Hill, come to Kansas City. Now, at least the two teams will treat the fans abroad with a high-octane game between the AFC's best.

Both teams lead their respective divisions, but this matchup has more at stake. This is a massive bragging rights game between Hill and his former team. He has been vocal and critical of the Chiefs since the team traded him ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. Chiefs players have been professional and mostly quiet on the subject, but his statements have to ring in the back of their minds.

The Kansas City Chiefs go abroad to face fellow AFC contending Miami Dolphins in Germany. How will this game shake out?

Also, winning this game could play into eventual playoff seedings. Both teams figure to be in the hunt for the AFC's top seed entering the postseason. A win here could be a tiebreaker if one were necessary.

This was an important game even before last week's loss. Now, there is much more at stake than another check in the win column. How do our writers predict this week's game will go?

Tyler Brown
Kansas City is going to need a huge game from its depleted linebacking core with Miami's running game this week, but the pass rush will be the real x-factor, as Tua does not seem to handle pressure well. When Tua has all day, that is when he finds Waddle and Tyreek deep. The Dolphins' defense is nothing special and I expect the Chiefs' offense to rebound resoundingly this week. This is a huge game for the end-of-the-year standings, and I expect the Chiefs to pull it out in an offensive shootout in Germany.
Chiefs 31, Dolphins 27

Price Carter
I think the performance of the Broncos game might help keep the Dolphins game close. The Chiefs' defense played well even after being given numerous short fields by the offense. Willie Gay's health will be a major part of the game as the Miami offense puts linebackers through so much eye candy. The Chiefs' defense can only hold down this offense for so much and WE KNOW Tyreek Hill is getting his. The Dolphins' defense has struggled this year but should provide some resistance for the Chiefs offense. It's going to come down to players besides Travis Kelce winning on offense. When on the Rams last year Jalen Ramsey did a pretty good job on Kelce, I expect them to use that strategy. I don't think the Chiefs have quite what it takes to keep up with them at this point.
Dolphins 30, Chiefs 27

Matt Conner
Feels like Petty Mahomes might show up for this one after so much bulletin board material from Tyreek over the last 18 months. The Chiefs know that the climbing will be much tougher after the bye, especially if they've lost two in a row going into it. The Fins, meanwhile, have the easiest schedule for the next six weeks or so after the bye. Chiefs 28, Dolphins 18

Anthony Hatton
When the NFL moved this game to Germany, the Chiefs lost home-field advantage in a crucial AFC matchup with playoff-seeding implications. It is a little difficult to see Kansas City's offense shaking off the offensive woes that have plagued them all season. Their defense, without Nick Bolton, will do the best they can to slow down a Miami offense that is oriented around old friend Tyreek Hill. Unfortunately, I think that Kansas City's "struggles" continue for another week and fall 2 weeks in a row for the first time since the beginning of the 2021 season. Dolphins 27, Chiefs 22

Jacob Milham
The Germany factor is a big variable when looking at this game. The Dolphins only average 24.3 points per game on the road, while averaging a whopping 43.5 at home. Those are inflated from their 70-point showing against the Broncos, but that is still a notable difference. The Chiefs have an eight-point drop in average scoring on the road, anchored by their nine-point game last week. Jet lag, new routine, whatever you want to call it, I think the venue affects Miami more than Kansas City.
Chiefs 24, Dolphins 21

Gregory Morse
I’m curious to see how the Tyreek Hill revenge game plays out in Germany. I’m legit worried. Hill is having an MVP campaign and may break the single-season receiving record. The Chiefense is good, but are they that good? And for the first time in years, I’m not confident the Chiefs offense can keep up in a shoot-out. The grim prediction here.
Dolphins 30, Chiefs 21

Charles Robinson
The biggest question that we've all been asking this week is not how the Chiefs will handle the Dolphins or if the travel will impact the team's performance. The real question is: Who are the real Chiefs? Kansas City looked like they got their swagger back in Week 7 against the Chargers, then looked like the Monstars stole their abilities altogether in Week 8 against Denver. Which team shows up this week? This is the first time I've done this as a contributor to Arrowhead Addict, but I feel that an international game following a performance where extensive improvements and adjustments are needed is going to spell trouble for K.C. across the pond.
Dolphins 27, Chiefs 24

Stacy Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs will look to rebound after an embarrassing loss to the division rival Denver Broncos last Sunday. This week, they make a trip across the pond to square off with another team vying for the top seed in the AFC — the 6-2 Miami Dolphins. This football team always tends to play to the level of its competition. Remember the 2022 season when the Chiefs laid an egg to the Indianapolis Colts, but later boat-raced the San Francisco 49ers? I expect a similar outing this week. Somehow, Patrick Mahomes will return to MVP form and the offense will play its best game of the season. The Dolphins have some questions in the secondary. Look for the Chiefs to expose them. You also have to wonder if Miami has just taken advantage of a favorable schedule to this point. At any rate, the defense will hold up better than some might expect.
Chiefs 34, Dolphins 24

Lucas Strozinsky
A lot of the media will be counting out the Chiefs in this game and after the embarrassing effort against Denver, you can't really blame them. I suspect that part of the blame lies on them peeking ahead to this matchup. Knowing how personal this game is on both sides, expect the Chiefs to come out swinging in Frankfurt.
Chiefs 34, Dolphins 30