The Miami Dolphins host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday as the NFL schedule moves into Week 3. The Dolphins come into this game 0-2 on the year as they try to turn a rebuilding team into one that can compete each week. The Chiefs enter the weekend 2-0 and looking like a team that will be in contention to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. This could be an ugly game from a Dolphins’ fan perspective.
But how ugly? To get a better idea of who the Chiefs are this season and who Miami will be facing on Sunday, I had a chance to talk to Maurice Easton from SB Nation’s Chiefs site, Arrowhead Pride. Easton was kind enough to answer my Chiefs questions, including a look at what the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy means for the team, Patrick Mahomes finding his form, and a surprise breakout player.
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Thanks to Easton for taking the time to answer my questions. You can check out my answers to his Dolphins questions on Arrowhead Pride.
1. Eric Bieniemy returns to the Chiefs as their offensive coordinator this season after spending a year each with the Washington Commanders, UCLA and the Chicago Bears. What have you seen that is different from his 2018-2022 stint as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator? What has been the biggest change from Matt Nagy’s offense to Bieniemy’s system—or is it status quo since Andy Reid is the play caller?
What Eric Bieniemy brings to the Chiefs’ offense is accountability and discipline. He is a motivator by nature. He will get in a player’s face when that player makes a mistake, but he will also be just as animated when someone does a great job. He is always going to make sure the players understand what they need to improve. It is almost like having your dad as your coach, if that makes sense.
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That is what separates him from Matt Nagy. From the outside looking in, Nagy appeared much more laid-back and relaxed in his approach. Bieniemy brings that fired-up, get-in-your-face style of motivation.
Andy Reid is still the play caller, so I do not think this is a completely different offense schematically. However, Bieniemy is a former running back who is not afraid to lean on the running game. Beyond the scheme, the biggest difference is the level of accountability he brings to every player in the offense.
2. The Dolphins’ offense this year must go through running back De’Von Achane if they are going to have any success moving the ball. While the focus with Achane is the ground game, he is a good receiver who can do damage once he has the ball in his hands through the air as well. The Chiefs are a top-10 team against the run early this year, giving up just 90 yards per game on the ground. How would you design Miami’s offensive attack to ensure Achane can find success in this game?
De’Von Achane is an amazing running back and, in my opinion, one of the five best in the NFL. In the running game, I would look at what Indianapolis did against Kansas City with its outside-zone and stretch concepts. Those plays could help Miami get Achane to the edge, where his speed can really become a problem.
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The passing game might offer Miami an even greater opportunity. Achane is such a dangerous receiving back that the Dolphins should use motion and different formations to create one-on-one matchups between him and the Chiefs’ linebackers. If Miami can consistently get Achane isolated against a linebacker in coverage and give him room to operate, he is going to win that matchup more often than not. That would be my primary plan for attacking this Kansas City defense.
3. From the outside looking in, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is looking more and more like prime Mahomes as he starts trusting the repaired ACL in his knee. Is that a fair assessment? Is there something you are seeing that tells you he is not all the way back yet?
That is a fair assessment. Mahomes looked much more settled in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. He appeared to trust both his knee and the pass protection more, and we started to see more of the Mahomes that everyone is accustomed to watching.
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I would not say he is completely back yet. That is something that will take time, but I expect him to improve every week as the knee gets stronger and continues responding positively. There are still some plays on which the old Mahomes might have taken a chance or extended the action, but right now he appears to be protecting himself and avoiding unnecessary hits.
He is not quite all the way back, but his confidence in the knee is clearly growing. I think we will continue to see more of the old Mahomes as the season progresses.
4. Miami’s defense—like the team as a whole—is incredibly young and prone to making mistakes, especially when it comes to communication in the secondary. We have seen multiple times already this year where two defenders cover the same player, leaving another receiver wide open. You are the coach tasked with helping simplify the game and make the Dolphins’ defense grow. If you were giving advice on the number one area Miami’s defenders have to execute this week to have any success against the Chiefs, what would it be?
Young defenses often struggle with zone assignments and the communication required to pass receivers from one defender to another. I would simplify those responsibilities and trust Miami’s defenders to play more man-to-man coverage with clear assignments: Here is your man—cover him.
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The Chiefs’ wide receivers have struggled at times against man coverage, so that could also work in Miami’s favor. The challenge is that the Dolphins must generate pressure without blitzing. If Miami can play tight man coverage while consistently pressuring Mahomes with four rushers, that is probably its best chance of slowing down the Chiefs.
Miami cannot afford coverage busts against Andy Reid and Mahomes. Keeping the assignments simple and winning up front without sending extra defenders would give this young defense its best opportunity to succeed.
5. Is there a player who has fired out of the gates at the start of the season who has been the biggest surprise for Chiefs fans? Is there someone who is unexpectedly struggling early this year?
Nohl Williams has been a pleasant surprise. I would not call his success completely unexpected because many Chiefs fans believed he could become a good cornerback. However, the way he has played on the outside through the first two weeks has been impressive. With Mansoor Delane dealing with an injury, Williams has stepped into a larger role and has done an excellent job of locking down his side of the field.
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As for someone who has started slowly, Chris Jones has been much quieter than Chiefs fans are accustomed to seeing. I would not say he has played poorly, but he has not produced the game-wrecking performances we normally expect from him. Jones has also been dealing with a calf injury, so that is probably contributing to his lack of production. For now, I would attribute it more to the injury than to his age or any serious decline in his ability.
