Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs; A look at history

The Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs have an interesting history for two teams who are not in the same division. Dating all the way back to the days of Don Shula and Hank Stram, Miami and K.C. have given NFL fans something to cheer about.

Throughout the teams histories there have been interesting games and trades. Miami shipped corners Patrick Surtain to the Chiefs and watched Sean Smith sign with them as a free agent and Branden Albert signed a free agent deal with Miami. Miami traded for Trent Green. There have been rumors over the years of the teams working out deals for running backs, quarterbacks, and defenders.

It’s on the field however that has been the most fun. Miami and K.C. still hold the record for the longest game in NFL history dating back to the early 70’s when a playoff game went into a second over time period. A game Miami would win.

In the last ten meetings the teams have not been even. Miami has won seven of the last ten including two of three at Arrowhead. The most recent game was played in 2014 a game Miami lost 34-15 at home. In 2011 Miami beat K.C. in K.C. Overall the teams have played 26 games and each have won 13 contests so this weekends match-up will break that tie, unless of course they actually tie.

This years Chiefs are rolling with a rookie running back who is on the short list for AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year. Kareem Hunt taken in round three has made Chiefs fans forget about Jamaal Charles.

For my 2017 Miami Dolphins preview guide, I reached out to a Chiefs blogger from Arrowhead Addict for some early predictions on their season. Here is some of those early opinion.

When talking about the strength of the Chiefs entering the season, Matt Connor who we spoke with earlier this week, you can read that here, had this to say about his Chiefs.

"The Chiefs have one of the deepest teams in the NFL with impact players on both sides of the ball and every level of the defense. There’s a reason they swept the AFC West last season, perhaps the most difficult division in the NFL (Broncos, Raiders, Chargers). The Chiefs defense is the starting point for any talk of strengths. Marcus Peters is a lockdown corner at age 24. Eric Berry is arguably the best safety in the NFL. Justin Houston was named to the NFL Top 100 again despite playing a handful of games. Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson are both still strong performers despite their age. Even young players in the front 7 like Dee Ford (who added 10 sacks last year) and DT Chris Jones are likely to break through to be household names."

Peters is a complete cornerback. Where the Chiefs line him up this week will be interesting because while Kenny Stills is a deep threat, he can be covered by another corner and safety help can take away that deep threat. On the other hand DeVante Parker hardly has shown enough to warrant top corner coverage. So do they put him on a slot receiver? Landry is explosive but he isn’t a yardage machine.

When asked about the Chiefs weaknesses, Connor had this to say and it proved to be correct.

"The Chiefs also play not to lose, so a dominant offense who can break the Chiefs defense once or twice in a game for a big score can be enough to send the entire offense reeling."

This is a vital key to the success Miami can or may not have against the Chiefs. Putting the Chiefs behind early takes away their game plan. A more run oriented offense. Making the Chiefs one-dimensional puts the Dolphins at an advantage given their ability to force bad throws with constant pressure. The Chiefs will try to counter that pressure with swing passes and running back screens.