The Miami Dolphins (11-6, 10-7 ATS, 9-8 O/U) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (11-6, 9-8 ATS, 5-12 O/U) in the AFC Wildcard game on Saturday night. The Dolphins went 11-6, earning the #6 seed. The Chiefs also posted an 11-6 mark and are the #3 seed. These squads met in Germany on November 5th in a game the Chiefs won by a 21-14 score.
The Miami Dolphins appeared as if they were going to host a playoff game in the opening round but struggled late in the season, losing out on the division and ending up with the #6 seed. Miami was poised to win the division with a 9-3 mark but went just 2-3 in their last five games. Part of the struggles are due to a slew of injuries. They were pummeled 56-19 by the Ravens on December 31st and were 2.5-point dogs in a 21-14 home loss to the Bills last week. That loss cost Miami the division. The Dolphins have covered the spread in two of their last five games.
Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t as sharp late in the season, chucking four picks in his last two games. The 25-year-old QB has reached 300 passing yards on five occasions this season and has collected 4624 passing yards and a 29:14 TD to INT ratio. He posted 193 passing yards against the Chiefs in November.
Raheem Mo stert has missed the last two games with a knee injury. Mike McDaniel is optimistic he will be able to play. The 31-year-old RB has recorded less than 50 rushing yards in three of his last four games and has accrued 1012 rushing yards on the year. He earned 85 rushing yards in the meeting against the Chiefs. Tyreek Hill is up against his old team in this one. The 29-year-old WR is enjoying a dominating season. He leads the NFL with 1799 receiving yards. Hill is dealing with a quad injury but is expected to play. Jaylen Waddle is considered questionable but should also be ready to play. The Miami offense has cooled down, scoring 22 or fewer points in three straight bouts.
.@cheetah makin' it look easyyyy
??: #BUFvsMIA on @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/4xTRBxhkDC
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 8, 2024
The Dolphins defense has been decent. They held the Cowboys to only 20 points on the 24th. They struggled against the Ravens’ potent offense on the 31st but rebounded by holding the Bills to 21 points despite allowing 473 total yards last week. Bradley Chubb, who leads the squad in sacks, is on the IR. The pass defense is ranked 15th while the rush defense is 8th.
Miami is scoring an average of 29.2 points on the year, good for second. They are conceding an average of 23 points, placing them 22nd in the NFL.