Chiefs remain undefeated, Dolphins sweat on Achane injury

Fans of the Miami Dolphins would have rathered do just about anything else than sit down to watch their team take on the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon, in what was expected to be nothing short of a bloodbath.

The Dolphins had gotten off to a predictably poor start to the season, suffering a pair of defeats by a combined 36 points. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ year couldn’t have begun much better, winning back-to-back games at Arrowhead Stadium, with Patrick Mahomes at his MVP-winning best upon returning from a torn ACL.

The very first play was a sign of what most thought was coming, as Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a 48-yard gain to set the Chiefs up in the redzone immediately. Not long later, Kenneth Walker III was in the end zone and Kansas City led 7-0 as a huge victory loomed.

Despite losing their most notable offensive weapon early on in their first offensive drive, the Dolphins had no trouble putting together a 17-play drive in response and capping it off with a touchdown on the ground, as Ollie Gordon III plowed into the end zone to level the scores.

The away team dug deep into their bag in pursuit of retaking the lead. Some red zone creativity saw Mahomes flick a shovel pass through to Walker III, who walked into the end zone untouched for his second score of the afternoon.

In what seemed to be a theme across the league in the early slate, the teams managed to trade failed 4th down conversions, with Kansas City’s failure to convert keeping Miami in the game. A 3rd successive turnover happened in the game shortly thereafter, as Malik Willis coughed up possession with a fumble out of no where.

Fortune somehow fell the way of the Dolphins when a crazy play saw Mahomes picked off through a tip-drill interception by Jacob Rodriguez, keeping the home side in the game at halftime, though hanging by a thread.

De’Von Achane was ruled out at halftime with what has since been reported as a serious knee injury – a devastating blow for Miami’s star running back.

The Dolphins had their chances throughout the second half as Kansas City were unable to put the game to bed. A failed 4th down attempt at midfield with the Chiefs leading by 7 points ultimately proved the game’s most crucial play.

After taking back possession with under 6 minutes to play, Mahomes and his team didn’t need much extra help this time, as the quarterback initially linked up with Rashee Rice for 34 yards before connecting with Kelce for the game-sealing score.

George Karlaftis capped off his team’s outstanding defensive performance with an interception, and despite being far from perfect, the Chiefs escaped Miami with a fairly dominant 24-10 win, in command from the outset.

The full extent of Achane’s injury remains to be determined, but it seems highly unlikely he will feature in the remainder of 2026. Dolphins fans are already in for a difficult season, but losing their lead back would make things a whole lot worse. Fingers crossed that the scans return positive news.

Touchdowns
Kansas City: Walker III 2, Kelce
Miami: Gordon II

Top Performers
Kansas City: Mahomes, Walker III, Rice, Karlaftis
Miami: Rodriguez, Zieler

Injuries
Kansas City: Worthy (leg)
Miami: Achane (knee)

Crowd: TBC at Hard Rock Stadium