By Jeremy
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t play a flawless game Sunday afternoon, but when the fourth quarter arrived, they looked every bit like an undefeated team.
Kansas City pulled away late for a 24-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins, improving to 3-0 behind an efficient performance from Patrick Mahomes, two touchdowns from Kenneth Walker III and another timely finish by Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
Mahomes completed 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Rashee Rice remained his most reliable wide receiver, catching seven passes for a team-high 88 yards.
Walker provided the scoring punch. The veteran running back reached the end zone on a 10-yard run before scoring again on a five-yard shovel pass from Mahomes. Walker finished with 70 rushing yards and continued to give Kansas City the dependable backfield presence it has been looking for.
Chiefs deliver when the game is on the line
The decisive stretch came with Kansas City protecting a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
Miami faced fourth-and-5 near midfield with an opportunity to extend the game. The Chiefs’ defense denied the Dolphins, turning the ball back over to Mahomes with a chance to put the game away.
He did exactly that.
Mahomes connected with Rice for consecutive gains of 34 and 15 yards, quickly moving the Chiefs into scoring position. He then found Travis Kelce for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:55 remaining, extending Kansas City’s lead to 24-10.
The defense supplied the exclamation point on Miami’s next possession. Chris Jones tipped a fourth-down pass at the line of scrimmage, and George Karlaftis intercepted it to secure the victory.
Kansas City forced two turnovers, stopped Miami on all three of its fourth-down attempts and did not allow a point in the final quarter. L’Jarius Sneed also delivered a major takeaway by forcing and recovering a fumble.
Encouraging injury and roster news
The Chiefs did not report any new injuries immediately following the game, which is especially important with an AFC West matchup approaching.
Left tackle Josh Simmons remained unavailable because of his back injury, while safety Chamarri Conner missed his third consecutive game with a knee issue.
There were also two encouraging roster developments. Rookie defensive tackle Bryson Eason made his Chiefs debut, and cornerback Mansoor Delane returned from his shoulder injury. Delane contributed an important breakup on fourth down after being used only as an emergency option the previous week.
What comes next
Kansas City will visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 4:25 p.m. ET.
The Chiefs will enter the divisional matchup undefeated and encouraged by their ability to close out another competitive game. Still, the offense has areas to address after producing several stalled red-zone possessions and committing eight penalties against Miami.
Those mistakes could prove more costly in a division game. But at 3-0, the Chiefs have once again demonstrated that they can overcome uneven stretches and make the decisive plays when the outcome is hanging in the balance.
That remains one of the clearest differences between Kansas City and the teams trying to catch it.