Unfortunately, the season has ended for the Miami Dolphins, but not with Confetti.
The Dolphins took their talents to Kansas City, Missouri, to play in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history at minus -4 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs iced the Dolphins.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards, found Rashee Rice eight times for 130 yards and a touchdown, and made several valiant runs for crucial first downs. The Chiefs’ defense shut down a highly-ranked Miami offense in a 26-9 victory in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
“Guys came with that attitude, that mentality,” Mahomes said. “We knew it was going to be cold; we were preaching, let’s come with that fire and get after it and see what happens.”
Mahomes has a 12-3 career playoff record (2nd most thru 15 starts, Tom Brady 13-2).
“He continued to work every day to get better and better,” Mahomes added on wide receiver Rice. “A lot of young players want to take it off; he asked all the right questions. He went to school in Texas, and I knew he was a dog.”
Rice had the most receiving yards by a Chiefs rookie in post-season history with 130 yards.
“I have the guys around me that prepared,” Rice said. “Being able to come out here and continue the journey. We were not worried about the weather. We love the game, we love to win, and that is what we came to do.”
Harrison Butker added four field goals for the reigning Super Bowl champs.
Pop star Taylor Swift attended to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift was in a suit wearing a custom-made Kelce jacket.
The Dolphins end the season at 11-7.
When the Hard Knocks cameras arrived at Miami Gardens, the injury-depleted Dolphins were not the same team that led the NFL in yards.
Tua Tagovailoa was pressured consistently in his playoff debut by the NFL’s second-ranked defense.
“It is a team sport; we did not come together the way we wanted to offensively. It showed tonight as a leader of that offense. It started with practices. That is how we should of got things going was in practice,” Tagovailoa said. “With communication knowing where we should be going in this loud environment, those miscues led to the delay of games; those miscues led to we can’t change the protection, it was communication errors.”
Tagovailoa finished with 199 yards passing, one touchdown, and an interception. He has thrown five interceptions in the last eight quarters.
“There has been a lot of ups and downs. A lot of guys that started the season with us were unable to finish it,” Tagovailoa added. “A lot of ups and downs with the injuries, but as a team, we never want to use any of those things as an excuse.”
The Dolphins had the AFC East in their hands, and then it slipped away in December. They had a three-game lead in the division with five games to play; they are the third team since 1970 to be in that position and did not win the division.
It was the coldest game played in Dolphins history. The previous record was 10 degrees in a Dolphins victory in Kansas City on Dec. 21, 2008. The last time they won at Arrowhead Stadium was Nov. 6, 2011, and they have not won a playoff game since Dec. 30, 2000.
“The thing about this team and team sport is that we had goals that were not accomplished tonight,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “One of the reasons it hurt so bad is because nobody on this team harbored all of the excuses. All the variables regarding injuries and the weather we came here to win and didn’t happen.”
It is the Dolphins’ 11th straight loss when game-time temps are 40 degrees or less, finishing with 264 yards of total offense in the game.
Tyreek Hill had a 53-yard touchdown catch on his return to Kansas City. He finished with five receptions for 62 yards.
“Being back on this field brought back so many memories. It was fun to be a part of this game,” Hill said. “The cold was not fun, stepping back on the field, being on the other side of the ball, just seeing how things are, it was fun.”
Dolphins were 1 for 12 on third down.
“It’s tough, especially with the type of team that we have. There are high expectations of everyone. We hold ourselves to a standard,” Hill added. “We were expecting to be a really good team this year. We were not expecting a first-round exit. The message in the locker room was simple. When you workout, take this loss with you. Remember this feeling. It is not fun.”
The Chiefs’ defense quieted the Miami Dolphins’ offense.
The Chiefs were mentally tough enough to embrace this atmosphere. There was zero doubt the Chiefs embraced it and attacked the conditions from the start on offense and throughout the game on defense.
The Dolphins are a different team outside of Hard Rock Stadium. They are fast outside and fast at the running back position. They visited the Chiefs to play on the hard surface in cold weather. Chiefs look just as fast as Miami.
There are so many questions going into the offseason for the Dolphins, and all of them will be on film from this season. Dolphins cannot beat good teams this season. The win over the Dallas Cowboys was a 2-point win after a Jason Sanders game-winning field goal. There are legitimate concerns about the offensive play calling in big games.
Additional questions will arise about Tagovailoa and his ability to win big games. At times, playing small in the most significant moments, he has yet to perform. He is going into a moment in his career where the discussion for an extension is on the table. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel will need to answer these questions on whether Tagovailoa is the future of the Dolphins’ franchise.
The Chiefs established the run very well. Mahomes took his chances against a depleted team without corner Xavien Howard, safety Jevon Holland, and linebacker Jerome Baker, to name a few. Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mixed the calls up and blitz; however, Mahomes is impressive against the blitz, leading to the Chiefs’ success against the defense moments in the game. Credit to the Dolphins’ defense holding the Chiefs to four field goals at the end, the Dolphins could not do anything on offense.
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