Thousands of Germans plunked down Euros to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins Sunday in Frankfurt.
What did our European friends learn as the Chiefs rode their defense to an important 21-14 victory?
Above all else, that chess elders Steve Spagnuolo and Vic Fangio can be to fast offenses what oil slicks are to the Autobahn.
Coordinated by Spagnuolo, a three-time Super Bowl winner at the position, the Chiefs allowed no points in the first half to the NFL’s offensive leaders in points and yards per play.
The Dolphins of Fangio allowed no points in the second half to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and friends.
Settling the matter, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa muffed a shotgun snap on fourth-and-10 from K.C.’s 31 with a minute left. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, one of three blitzers, recovered the fumble to lift Andy Reid’s team (7-2) into a share of the AFC lead and drop the Dolphins (6-3) to fourth in the conference.
Compared to European football, known by some folks as soccer, the display of America’s game was devoid of flow.
Fifteen yellow flags flew. Refs caucused more than the Bundestag. Thirteen punts — seven by San Diego’s Jake Bailey of the Dolphins — soared toward the canopy roof.
Even so, the 50,000 fans who filled the place on a gray day appeared to stick around to the end.
Chiefs fans moaning the Tomahawk Chop in celebrating victory sounded in Germany as they do in Kansas City — like they’d eaten bad schnitzel.
What else we learned
The Chiefs have indeed put together their best defense since Reid became their head coach in 2013.
But get this: a chunk of the credit goes to star receiver Tyreek Hill.
By trading Hill to Miami two offseasons ago, the Chiefs obtained five draft picks, freed up salary cap space and injected several young playmakers into their defense — particularly the secondary.
Several defensive backs teamed up at Hill’s expense. They held him to less than half his NFL-best totals of 16.2 yards per catch and 126 receiving yards per game. When he caught a quick screen pass, they pried the ball away and ran it back for a TD that made it 21-0.
Trent McDuffie, the Chiefs’ first-round selection in 2022, defended Hill better than most cornerbacks do and caused the fumble, which Cook returned off a handoff from safety Mike Edwards.
Fangio’s fast, physical defenders reprised their coordinator’s bona fides as a master. His unit held Kelce to just three catches for 14 yards.
No, Taylor Swift wasn’t there to see it.
Ultimately, the Dolphins flubbed too many details, leading to their sixth consecutive defeat against a team with a winning record.
A misunderstanding between Tagovailoa and receiver Cedric Wilson, said the QB, contributed to an incompletion that may have preempted a touchdown that would’ve pulled Miami to 21-20 pending the try for one point or two. The ball slipped from Tua’s hand as he tried to throw deep.
“I’ve got to throw a better ball,” said Tua.
On the clinching play that followed, the QB failed to snag a slightly wide snap. “I’ve got to catch the ball,” he said.
The German debut for Mahomes didn’t display him as Mr. Wunderbar by his NFL-best standards. He threw for 185 passing yards, a season-low, and lost a fumble.
The Chiefs, ahead of their Week 10 bye and a Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles, nevertheless distanced themselves from their turnover-filled loss seven days earlier in Denver. Despite not scoring after taking a 21-0 lead into halftime, they improved their chances of earning a first-round bye and playing a sixth consecutive AFC title game at home.
