Sunday, September 21, 2014

Week 3 picks: Chiefs at Dolphins

BY EDITOR

Publisher Nick St. Denis, associate editor Dan Begnoche and senior writer Sean Donovan pick the Miami Dolphins' AFC battle with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sean's take:
It's early, but the Chiefs may be starting to feel desperate to keep their playoff hopes from sinking even further. In order to avoid falling to 0-3, Kansas City unloads their playbook and gets out to a fast start, and their outside pass rushers make life miserable for Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins passing game. Mike Wallace is exactly the player you'd want facing a team with a terrible safety situation, but Tannehill's continued inability to deliver a catchable deep ball prevents Miami from taking advantage.
Prediction: Chiefs 31, Dolphins 21

Dan's take:
This game could have been a really interesting ground battle, that's if each side's top running backs were 100 percent. With Moreno sidelined and Charles a question mark, expect the passing game to be much more of a factor than usual, which plays into Miami's hands. If Tannehill can stay clean and connect on some deep throws, this should be an easy victory for him and a rabid 'Phins defense. If the third-year back struggles, however, all bets are off, with Smith more than capable of stringing together some positive drives.
Prediction: Dolphins 17, Chiefs 13

Nick's take:
Tannehill will connect with Wallace on a deep ball for a touchdown, and Lamar Miller takes the reigns behind an offensive line that has been better than advertised through two games. Defensively, the Dolphins are again stout against the run with the bonus of not having to face a healthy Jamaal Charles. It's not pretty, but Miami does enough to avoid its first losing record of the season.
Prediction: Dolphins 20, Chiefs 17

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