After falling behind 21-0 in the first half, the Dolphins outscored Kansas City 14-0 in the final two quarters but could not find the tying score, falling 21-14 to the Chiefs Sunday afternoon at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
Down seven with under three minutes to play, linebacker Bradley Chubb applied pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to force an incompletion on third-and-one and give Miami a final chance to tie the game.
Gains of 25 and 19 yards from running back Raheem Mostert on the first two plays of the following possession moved the ball to the Kansas City 31-yard line, but the Dolphins would get no closer.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 21-of-34 for 193 yards and one touchdown while running back Raheem Mostert ran for 85 yards on 12 carries (7.1 avg.) and added his 11th rushing touchdown of the season.
The Dolphins defense pitched a second-half shutout as the Chiefs failed to score after halftime for just the fourth time in 107 games since the start of the 2017 season. Mahomes' was limited to just 185 passing yards, the seventh-fewest total of his career and the lowest in a game since he passed for 184 yards on Dec. 5, 2021 against Denver.
Kansas City struck first on a 75-yard scoring drive to open the game. The possession was highlighted by completions to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (21 yards) and tight end Noah Gray (25 yards) before Mahomes finished it off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Dolphins offense could not match the quick start and punted on their first four possessions after offensive penalties led to third-and-10, third-and-15, and third-and-20 on three of the drives.
The Dolphins defense, meanwhile, settled into the game and forced three consecutive Kansas City punts after the opening-drive touchdown. But on their fifth possession, the Chiefs offense marched 95 yards down the field in 8:28 of game time to take a 14-0 lead on a 17-yard pass from Mahomes to running back Jerick McKinnon.
Down two touchdowns, Tagovailoa and the offense got the ball back with 2:31 to play in the first half and looked to have found some rhythm. Running back Salvon Ahmed got things started with a nine-yard run before Tagovailoa found Waddle for 14 yards and wide receiver Tyreek Hill for 19 yards.
But with 47 seconds left on second-and-seven from the Kansas City 30-yard line, the drive came to a screeching halt. Tagovailoa found Hill on a screen pass and before he could take a step forward, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie stripped the ball loose. Safety Mike Edwards recovered and returned the ball four yards before throwing a lateral to fellow safety Bryan Cook, who sprinted down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown return.
Miami had one last opportunity to cut into Kansas City's lead but was stymied again and entered the locker room 0-of-5 on third down and facing a 21-0 deficit.
After coming up empty on their first drive of the second half, Tagovailoa and the offense drove 80 yards down the field in eight plays for their first score of the game.
The touchdown came on second-and-five from the Chiefs 31-yard line as wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. outmaneuvered and elevated over McDuffie for the catch.
Following the touchdown, it was the Dolphins defense that forced a big turnover. After nearly causing an interception on a tipped pass the play before, linebacker Bradley Chubb broke through multiple attempted blocks by Chiefs offensive linemen and strip-sacked Mahomes. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler fell on the ball at the Kansas City 27-yard line to give the offense another chance to cut into the lead.
Running back Raheem Mostert found the end zone from 13 yards out to cap off that drive, bringing Miami within seven, 21-14, with 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Dolphins defense forced two punts and allowed just 29 yards on two fourth-quarter possessions by the Chiefs, but the offense could not capitalize.
Hill led all receivers with eight receptions for 62 yards (7.8 avg.). Linebacker Jaelan Phillips recorded a sack for the third consecutive week as Miami's defense allowed just two drives of more than 30 yards.
The Dolphins now head into their bye week and return to Hard Rock Stadium in Week 11 to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on CBS.
