Unbothered by the frigid weather, the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Miami Dolphins with a 26-7 victory in the NFL Wild Card Saturday. With this win, the Chiefs have secured their spot in the divisional round.
Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes showcased his prowess, throwing for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, wide receiver Rashee Rice had a breakout postseason with eight catches for 130 yards and a score.
In turn, the Dolphins struggled, managing just 264 yards. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa managed 199 passing yards and one touchdown, while wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught six receptions for 62 yards.
Miami’s season finally ended in the Wild Card weekend after closing the regular season with a 36-34 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Their performance was hindered by injuries, including the sidelined cornerback Jalen Ramsey and running back De’Von Achane, among many others.
Mahomes lead Chiefs’ offense
The Chiefs still outperformed the Dolphins despite settling for field goals and controlled the game by limiting their opponent’s offense. Mahomes led the offense effectively, while the defense played a pivotal role.
Facing challenges, including a blocking-in-the-back penalty nullifying a touchdown, the Chiefs maintained their lead. The Dolphins struggled, with Hill’s 53-yard touchdown catch being their lone highlight. Tagovailoa also faced difficulties, completing just 6 of 11 passes in the first half.
The Dolphins’ offensive struggles persisted in the second half, sealed by an RTP penalty that cost them a chance at a comeback. Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco’s subsequent score solidified the Chiefs’ victory.
As the Chiefs advance to the divisional round, the possibility of a road playoff game looms, depending on the outcome of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills matchup. Mahomes, in his seventh NFL season, is yet to play a true road game in the playoffs.
Fourth-coldest game in NFL history
The match, taking place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, kicked off at 8:00 a.m. ET and was exclusively streamed on Peacock.
The game on Saturday was deemed the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, with a temperature of -4 degrees and a wind chill of -27 degrees. The coldest game recorded occurred back in 1967, nicknamed “Ice Bowl,” when the Green Bay Packers faced the Dallas Cowboys at -13 degrees with a wind chill of -48 degrees.
A notable instance of the extreme cold occurred in the third quarter when Mahomes, attempting a run, collided with Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott. This resulted in a shard of his helmet being dislodged.
Despite the Chiefs ultimately securing a comfortable victory, the incident was peculiar. The cold appeared to have legitimately caused the plastic of Mahomes’ helmet to crack, leaving a clear hole beside his forehead.
Upon observing Mahomes’ equipment issue, officials briefly paused play, allowing Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to retrieve a backup helmet for his QB without charging a timeout.
Post-game, Mahomes revealed that the issue with the backup helmet stemmed from the cold freezing the padding inside.
“We have to talk about where we store the backup helmet because it was frozen. I couldn’t get it on,” Mahomes said. “We were able to warm it up a little.”
It’s worth noting that the helmet fracture may not have been solely due to the cold. As detailed by The Athletic’s Tashan Reed before the season, Mahomes was wearing a “soft-shell” VICIS helmet designed with “local deformation,” essentially a crumple zone to absorb impact, a feature distinct from the typical full-helmet movement.