(Photo : Jamie Squire/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 13: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs appears to be like to go through the second half in opposition to the Miami Dolphins within the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Kansas City Chiefs demonstrated their prowess as one of many premier groups within the league by decisively overpowering the visiting Miami Dolphins with a commanding 26-7 victory of their 2023-24 NFL playoffs Wild Card matchup on Saturday, January 13, on the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes concluded the sport with a powerful efficiency, amassing 262 yards and contributing a landing to safe the victory
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3 Biggest Factors in Kansas City Chiefs’ Wild Card Win vs Miami Dolphins
1. Chiefs’ unimaginable protection
Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s technique disrupted the Dolphins’ rhythm, securing a robust efficiency for the Chiefs on the defensive facet of the ball.
Despite the Dolphins boasting formidable huge receivers similar to Tyreke Hill and Jaylen Waddle, their offensive success is rooted within the working recreation, that includes working backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
With the exception of giving up a landing to former Chiefs participant Hill, the protection managed the Dolphins all through the complete recreation. They successfully stifled the working backs, creating difficult passing conditions.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggled to discover a rhythm and constantly made subpar throws all through the night time.
2. Freezing chilly temparatures
The wild-card playoff recreation noticed bone-chilling temperatures, plummeting to minus-4 levels Fahrenheit (minus-20 Celsius), coupled with wind gusts reaching as much as 27 mph, leading to a punishing wind chill of minus-27 levels.
This excessive climate shattered the earlier file for the coldest recreation in Arrowhead Stadium historical past, surpassing the earlier mark of 1 diploma set in a 1983 recreation in opposition to the Denver Broncos and matched in 2016 in opposition to the Tennessee Titans.
The matchup in the end ranked because the fourth coldest recreation in NFL historical past. The excessive chilly even led to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s mustache freezing over through the course of the sport.
The Chiefs had completely ready for the freezing climate circumstances that night time.
“Guys came with that attitude, that mentality – we knew it was going to be cold. All week we were preaching, ‘Let’s come in there with that fire and just get after it and see what happens,'” Patrick Mahomes mentioned after the sport.
Accustomed to enjoying in hotter circumstances, the frigid temperature definitely posed a distraction for Miami, notably affecting quarterback Tagovailoa.
The 25-year-old signal-caller managed to finish solely 20 of 39 passes, totaling 199 yards. His efficiency included a landing go together with one interception.
3. Chiefs’ superior expertise
There is a major distinction in postseason expertise between the 2 groups. The Dolphins have reached the playoffs solely thrice within the final 15 seasons, with their final playoff victory courting again to 2000.
In distinction, the Chiefs, who’re the reigning Super Bowl champions, aren’t any strangers to the brilliant lights, making three appearances within the title recreation since 2019 and securing victories in two of them.
The recreation was additionally Tagovailoa’s first playoff look, as he missed the Dolphins’ lone playoff recreation within the Wild Card spherical final yr in opposition to the Buffalo Bills after coming into concussion protocol.
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