Miami Dolphins might be uniquely positioned to succeed against Chiefs passing game | Opinion
The Kansas City Chiefs have an exigent problem with their passing game. And perhaps the Miami Dolphins can take advantage.
The problem is Kansas City star receiver Tyreek Hill has developed a habit of stopping short of the goal line before scoring a touchdown and doing a back flip into the end zone for the score. Hill has done this in games against Tampa Bay and last week against Denver.
And coach Andy Reid has a problem with it.
“It’s nice that he can do backflips,” Reid said on Kansas City’s Sports Radio 810. “But I want him to do them in the end zone.”
Breaking: Chiefs passing game is in disarray!
Fine, maybe not so much. But can you blame a man for trying to uncover a weakness in KC’s passing game? Because I’m not alone.
The Miami Dolphins, who face the Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, have been looking all week for a way to slow, if not stop, the Chiefs passing game. It’s not easy, the Miami Herald has learned.
But guess what? The Dolphins are perhaps uniquely positioned to do what no other opponent has done versus that circus act of a passing attack.
▪ Because no other NFL team has the highest-paid cornerback duo in the NFL.
▪ Because no other team has the NFL’s interception leader, who is also in the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
▪ And because the Dolphins have held opposing quarterbacks to a 83.1 passer rating this year, which is the third best mark in the NFL. And its the best mark for any team the Chiefs have faced this season.
So, it’s on.
And it must start with cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones.
Ever since the Dolphins added Jones as an unrestricted free agent in March, the conversation has been about these two being elite together.
Jones, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract, is Miami’s highest paid player this season. Howard, who signed a five-year, $75.25 million contract extension in 2019, is Miami’s second-highest paid player this season.
(Although he was the highest paid cornerback when he signed, Jones is now the NFL’s fifth-highest paid at his position. Howard is sixth.)
So time to get a return on that investment.
“X and I, our main goal is to play good, solid football every single game,” Jones said Thursday. “We want turnovers, we want to put hands on receivers, we want to stay patient at the line of scrimmage. Regardless of who we’re playing against it’s always the same thing. That’s what we wish to accomplish and we’ve done a pretty good job to this point.
“But December football is where it really counts. This is where teams really separate themselves. So we both have to step up and really perform these next couple of weeks, in these next few games.”
Yes, Howard and Jones need help. They won’t be out there alone and won’t be asked to do it alone.
The Dolphins need a good pass rush. The communication on the back end, directed by safety Bobby McCain, needs to be on point.
And all that is necessary because, yes, the Chiefs are a problem.
Kansas City’s passing game this season has had six games in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes has completed 70 percent of his passes or better — including the game against the Buffalo Bills where he completed 80.8 percent.
The Chiefs passing game has enjoyed seven games in which it has produced over 300 yards, including the last five games in a row.
The Chiefs average 314.4 passing yards per game and that’s No. 1 in the NFL.
And to all that, the Dolphins answer has been a cool, calm resolve to simply play their game.
That applies to Jones and Howard, who so far has been making his case for multiple postseason honors.
“The way I’m getting a pick damn near every week, just keep that going,” Howard said this week. “I’m really not focused on — I wouldn’t say like making history or something like that. I’m just playing day-in and day-out and really just trying to put my team in the best situation to win. It’s not really on my behalf of being selfish. It’s a whole team effort.
“When everything starts getting together and people start making plays, it helps the team out. That’s what my main focus is on, not really just Defensive Player of the Year or making history.”
Jones made the point that reacting to this game as something other than just another game might be detrimental to the Dolphins.
“We know the challenges but it’s not to get overworked at,” Jones said. “We do what we’re supposed to do, take care of our Xs and Os, and we’ll be OK. That’s how football is. If you get yourself all riled up, you start to do things outside of your character.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 2:51 PM.
