The Chiefs and Dolphins are preparing to meet on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, in a matchup of two 6-2 teams.
It will be the first time Kansas City is facing Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill since it traded him early last year.
Hill has become a focal point of a Dolphins offense that leads the NFL in rushing, passing, total offense and scoring. Hill was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
Kansas City will try to stop him with the league's second-ranked pass defense.
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The game is being played at Deutsche Bank Park at 9 a.m. ET Sunday and can be seen on NFL Network.
DOLPHINS PLAYER TO WATCH
Hill was drafted by the Chiefs in 2016, when few other teams were willing to give him a chance after off-the-field problems in college. He made the Pro Bowl all six years in Kansas City, along with three All-Pro teams, while setting a slew of franchise records.
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Now, he's piling up yards at a record-setting pace in Miami after the Chiefs traded him early last year for a package of draft picks rather than give him an expensive long-term contract.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH
QB Patrick Mahomes was battling the flu last week in Denver and wound up having one of the worst games of his career. He was 24 of 38 for 241 yards with no touchdowns and two picks, giving him a quarterback rating of 59.2 — the second worst of his career — as the Chiefs lost to the Broncos.
KEY MATCHUP
The Dolphins defense against TE Travis Kelce, who has led the Chiefs in receiving each of the past seven games. He has at least one catch in 151 straight games, moving past Ozzie Newsome for the second-longest streak by a tight end in NFL history. Kelce continues to trail DeAndre Hopkins by two games for the longest active streak in the league.
KEY INJURIES
LT Terron Armstead (knee) is eligible to come off IR after practicing this week. OL Rob Hunt (hamstring), FS Brandon Jones (concussion), RB Raheem Mostert (ankle) and TE Durham Smythe (ankle) missed practice this week. Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) and LB Willie Gay Jr. (bruised back) missed practice.
The Dolphins got All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey back last week, which is already a huge boost for Miami's secondary, and it appears Xavien Howard is trending toward playing this week. Howard was limited in practice on Wednesday but told reporters he feels great and is ready to play.
If Howard does play Sunday, it would be the first time the Dolphins get to see Ramsey and Howard on the field together, something the two have been waiting for, along with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
"If we can get that done that would be good. That's what we've been shooting for," Fangio said Thursday. "We knew it was going to take awhile with Jalen's injury, but through Jalen's fast recovery and beating the odds, it's happening earlier."
SERIES NOTES
The Chiefs and Dolphins have only played 31 times despite the series going back to Nov. 13, 1966, the first season for expansion Miami in the AFL. The Chiefs won the first six matchups before the Dolphins dominated the 1980s. Kansas City has won the past three games, two on the road. Miami's most recent win came on Nov. 6, 2011, at Arrowhead Stadium.
Dolphins lead the Chiefs 16-15 all time.
STATS AND STUFF
The Dolphins are trying to start 7-2 for the first time since 2000. … Miami has not defeated a defending Super Bowl champion since beating New England on Dec. 29, 2019. … Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is 12-1 against teams with a Super Bowl-winning coach. His lone loss was to Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Dec. 13, 2020. … Miami has 3,626 yards of offense, the third most through eight games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. … Three of the Dolphins' 10 highest-yardage games in franchise history have occurred this season. … The Dolphins lead the league in plays of 10-plus yards (133), 20-plus yards (46) and 50-plus (eight) this season. … The Chiefs lead the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 10. The Dolphins are third with 12. … The Dolphins have not led the league in rushing since their 1972 perfect season. … Tagovailoa leads the NFL in yards passing with 2,416. Mahomes is third with 2,258. … Reid is 3-0 against the Dolphins since taking over in Kansas City. … Reid can tie Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram for the most wins in franchise history with his 124th on Sunday. … Mahomes will be making his 89th start, moving past Trent Green for the second most in Chiefs history. Len Dawson started 158 from 1962-75. … Kelce has 54 catches, giving him 10 straight seasons with at least 50. That is the longest active streak in the NFL and the second longest among Chiefs, trailing only Tony Gonzalez's 11-year run from 1998-08. … Kelce needs 14 yards receiving to pass Gonzalez (10,940) for most yards receiving in Chiefs history. … Kelce needs two TD receptions to pass Jason Witten (74) for fifth most by a tight end. … Chiefs K Harrison Butker is 18 for 18 on field-goal attempts and perfect on 19 PATs this season.
Sara Cardona reported from Germany.
