While losing 24–10 is certainly a decisive defeat, many Miami Dolphins fans likely expected a much worse outcome against the Kansas City Chiefs. Regardless, this marks another frustrating loss, and the situation is compounded by the news that the Dolphins’ standout best player, De’Von Achane, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. While sidelining Achane during a rebuilding season may be pragmatic, I worry the new front office will struggle to properly evaluate Malik Willis without enough quality playmakers around him to show his true capabilities.
Following yesterday’s game against the Chiefs we asked the following question:
Below are some of your thoughts on this game and the state of our Miami Dolphins-
**ImRightYoureWrong** was already fearing what we now know.
> Achane feared to have a serious knee injury Get better son, there’s always next year......
**Csouza** breaks down the different things they saw across the roster as far as growth or lack there of.
> My overall thoughts:
>
> Offensive Line- Showed a lot of improvement in pass protection. Saw some good communication in passing off stunts as well. Only consistent pressure is when KC blitzed.
>
> Run blocking can still use some work, but that also might be reflective of Gordon not being the most intuitive back
>
> Willis- Unfortunately, as a Florida Gators fan, he is starting to remind me of Anthony Richardson. Great athleticism and arm, but the mechanics fall apart leading to inaccuracy. This is something that can be worked on, but hard to break bad habits when you’re used to letting your arm make up for issues.
>
> DL- Showed some improvement from previous games. After getting gashed in the first half, the yards were harder for Walker in the second with multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Some pressure, but nothing consistent enough to actually effect a qb like Mahomes.
>
> DB- They are all young and inexperienced. The zone defense is simply not working. There is a lack of communication and players are not passed off the way they should be leading to all of these wide open players. I understand the philosophy of keeping everyone in front and forcing the team to work their way down the field; however, this is failing the team. The line gives too much time to the quarterback. This team needs to be more man to man. That plays to the strengths of our cbs, rather than embracing a philosophy that is doomed to failure. Good coaching adapts to the players you have, rather than forces them into a system.
**StanleyDoyle1** has several legit concerns and also some signs of hope.
> The comments after the game indicate that we are grading on a curve in a class of 1, given that just about everyone is straining to point out that a few players did well today.
>
> But I am concerned for a few reasons, none of which relate to the loss this game:
**surfla8** believes things are headed in the right direction.
> Just one takeaway:
>
> It should be apparent at this point that the team is improving.
>
> With money and a few good picks, 2027 could be watchable.
**Zen4Phins** sees week over week improvment.
> Defense did well against the run. 6 tfl and 5 qb hits. Willis was flinging the ball, held it less and no sacks allowed. Rodriguez was awesome. Special teams tackling was good again. Coleman looked sharp on returns.
>
> Thought we could’ve tried a long fg, gonna need a few of those. Pass coverage was spotty. Dropped a few passes today. Still too many penalties.
>
> Overall thought they looked good. I’ve been drinking aqua, orange, white, blue, and sometimes black kool aid for years and this year has a different taste. Each week feels like a slightly better taste than last.
**IWLU272** points to a mistake that has stuck with me as well. I don’t understand that gamble at that point of hte game.
> Hafley should be called out, especially by himself, for the decision to go for it on 4th and 6 from their own 47 yd line with 6:00 left in the game. They had 2 timeouts left plus the 2 minute warning and were down by 7 points. Punt the ball and pin them deep. By not punting the ball, he told his defense that he has zero confidence in them. Of course they did not get the first down and KC took over at Miami’s 47 and the rest is history. Really a bone headed call by Hafley, IMO.
**MIAMI235** is not associating the injury with the new deal or are they?
> Good thing we gave that big contract for the 127 yards Achane got so far.
>
> REALLY good player, but how many times have we seen the payday contract, quickly followed by a big injury.
**Mattylady** seems pleased with the improvement overall.
> Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Expected a higher scoring game from the chiefs,Miami D,held them pretty good until the fourth quarter. Probably their best game so far,except for the dumb penalties on both sides of the ball,had TD,negated due to a penalty, a big 4th down stop onKC,which gave them another opportunity to score and kC did.Clean up those penalties, and Ollie looked great,hopefully Archane won’t be out for long,nothing serious I hope.
**Spok507** is another who has seen some steady improvement.
> This team, while young and inexperienced, has managed to improve with each game. This was not an easy win for the Chiefs. They got stopped on 4th down, had another turnover, and the defense held them back quite a few times. I wish Haf would’ve trusted them to maybe make another stop instead of going on 4th down at midfield with 6 minutes and two TOs left. Jacob Rodriguez is a stud. We have no secondary, but the line and linebackers are good. It’d be nice to find a pass rush outside of Chop, tho.
>
> The offense, even without Achane and Douglas, looked improved. They moved the ball and the play calling was a lot more inventive than before. There were mistakes, but correctable ones that will change with experience. Ollie Gordon, Bell, Washington and Uchich really stepped up. All in all, they were competetive and managed to stay in the game for 3 quarters. Eliminate the bogus shift call that took a TD away, and this might have ended differently. I’m optimistic they can keep improving. The Vikings, despite being 3-0, don’t look very good— especially with Kyler Murray playing. We should look better against them.
**Left Shark** sees a team that is learning to win.
> I see progress from week to week. Which is all/what I expect for this season. They need to learn how to win and they are slowly getting there, IMO.
**Reid\_305** is impressed with some of the newest faces in town.
> I was pretty impressed by Taafe today tbh. I know he drew a flag, but overall I liked what I saw in run support today. He was smart (for the most part) and physical. He’s ascending.
>
> Proctor helping muscle Ollie Gordon into the end zone was a thing of beauty. The left side of the line has real potential to be elite. That’s exciting.
>
> Bell answered the call and stepped up big time today. Some better thrown balls and I think Kevin Coleman’s presence is felt too (Willis underthrew a TD to him). Could be the foundation of something real in the WR room...these rooks are coming on.
>
> Oh...JRod had a really nice game overall. The interception was legit, as was his TFL against Walker when they met in the hole. I’ve been very impressed by how sound his tackling is when he’s square with an opponent. He rarely misses. Nice to see against the #1 rusher in the league.
**dedstrk** says just keep on keeping on so long as the improvement continues.
> I agree with Left Shark. The only thing I care about this season is progress. They have gotten better every game so far. Which isn’t many games but still. Achane getting hurt is terrible for this season for sure. The game was competitive until close to the end. The Dolphins were much better than I expected them to be. Keep it going.
**Pod of Dolphins** points to something we are all coming to realize.
> I was just reading that Rodriguez is the first rookie with five tackles, three for loss and a INT in a single game since Lavonte David in 2012. This kid is very special.
**Bill Moody** also sees some improvement but questions the new coaching staff’s half-time adjustments.
> The first half was a solid performance... kind of a running theme. We either have a coach that is telling them at half-time, “Great job guys, now take the 2nd half off so we can get that #1 pick”, or we have a coach that is being out coached after half-time. Considering we played against Shanahan and Reid, I’m not gonna care too much about it. Growing pains.
>
> Overall, the team looked like they played with a bit more intensity and discipline. There were a couple flags that could have gone either way, but they didn’t... and we got penalized. That’s how it goes sometimes. I’d call it improving. Bell looks like he’s picking things up, and Chop made an appearance or two. Rodriguez, that interception was a thing of beauty. We are 0-3, right on track.
**NeenerWhacker** saw some positives.
> Thought the offensive line played their best game this season.
>
> Guys didn’t seem to quit, even when Achane went down.
>
> Minus the opening drive, defense played a pretty good game.
Well there seems to be at least a broader agreement that the team overall is getting better week to week despite some questionable coaching decisions here and there. As always we thank each of you who took the time to join in and answer our Phinsider Question Of The Day.
See More:
* [Miami Dolphins Discussion](/miami-dolphins-discussion)