Dolphins, Week 3 — What Repeats: The Fifth Rusher Stayed Home

The pass rush that sent five or more men at Brock Purdy half the time went the other way against Kansas City. Miami sent five or more pass rushers on three of the Chiefs' 25 dropbacks. That is 12 percent, the lowest rate of the 32 defenses this week; Seattle was next at 14. A week earlier it was 52 percent, third in the league. In Week 1 it was 32, and across last season 33. What came back at it was the fake. Kansas City used play-action on 12 of those 25 dropbacks, 48 percent, the highest share any defense saw this week, and the second week in a row Miami has faced the most play-action in the league, after San Francisco's 52. Patrick Mahomes completed all 12 play-action throws, for a hundred 94 yards. His other 12 went eight for 52. Kelce's 48-yarder on the first snap came off the fake. So did Rice's 34 in the fourth quarter, on the drive that ended it.

The ball this defense allowed was the cleanest in the league, again. 21 of Mahomes's 24 throws were charted catchable, 88 percent, the highest rate any defense allowed this week. Last week it was 21 of 22 against Purdy, also the highest. Last season's opponents managed 77. Three of the 24 were contested, 13 percent, sixteenth of 32, the middle of the league and about level with last season's 12. None of his throws was charted interception-worthy. The interception Miami did get, Rodriguez on a deep ball for Rice at the two-minute mark of the first half, was not a throw the charters marked as one a defender should have had. There were no sacks to chart.

The run defense is the unit that held, and the charting says it held without a trick. Miami showed six or fewer in the box on 10 of Kansas City's 24 designed runs, 42 percent, sixteenth this week and about where it sat last season at 45. Those 24 runs gained 87 yards, 3.6 a run, against 4.6 across last season. Three weeks, three readings under last year's figure: four even, three even, 3.6. The light box did not cost it. Into six or fewer, the Chiefs gained 25 yards on 10 runs. Into seven or more, 62 on 14.

On offense, the throw that repeated is the contested one. 14 of Malik Willis's 36 throws were contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together. That is 39 percent, the second-highest rate of the 32 offenses this week, behind Houston. His first two weeks were 15 17 percent. Last season this offense was at 12. Six of the 14 were caught, for 63 yards; one of them was Dulcich's 42-yarder on the opening series of the third quarter, and the other five gained 21 between them. 23 of the 36 throws were catchable, 64 percent, eighth-lowest of the 32 this week. That is three weeks under last season's 72: 56, 65, 64. Two throws were charted interception-worthy, a rate tied with Indianapolis for eighth-highest this week. The one that was intercepted, fourth and one with two oh three left, short right for Miller, was not one of the two. One drop on 23 catchable balls. No throwaways, for the third game in a row, on an offense that threw 13 away last season.

And here the notebook broke. In each of the first two games Willis had two sacks charted as his own fault. Sunday he was not sacked at all, on 42 dropbacks. He left the pocket on 10 of them, 24 percent, ninth this week, and scrambled six times. The plan around him was close to last week's. Play-action on 13 of 42 dropbacks, 31 percent, sixth this week, near last week's 32 and above last season's 27. Willis completed seven of 11 play-action throws for a hundred eight yards, and 13 of 25 for a hundred two without it. Motion was on 62 of 83 charted plays, 75 percent, the highest rate in the league for the second straight week, after 71, and against 56 across last season. Screens came on six of 42 dropbacks, 14 percent, fourth this week; the six gained 11 yards.

The run game's box swung back, and the yards did not follow it either way. Kansas City showed six or fewer on eight of Miami's 25 designed runs, 32 percent, ninth-lowest this week. Last week the 49ers showed it on 61 percent, in Week 1 the Raiders on 15, and last season's opponents on 48. The 25 runs gained 76 yards, three even a run, ninth-lowest of the 32. Into light boxes, eight runs for 35. Into seven or more, 17 for 41. That is three weeks under last season's 4.8: 2.7, three and a half, three even. Gordon carried 17 of the 25 for 41 and the touchdown. Achane carried three times; the play-by-play lists him injured on the third, an 11-yard run in the first quarter, and he did not touch the ball again.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Gordon, 13 even, 17 carries for 41 and a touchdown, three catches for 14. Willis, 10 even, 20 of 36 for 210 and the interception, nine carries for 56. Bell, four of seven targets for 67, 8.7. Malik Washington, five of 10 for 56, 8.6. Dulcich, five of seven for 55, eight even. For Kansas City, Kenneth Walker scored 20.3 on 18 carries for 70 and a touchdown, +2 catches for three and a second score. Mahomes, 20 of 24 for 246, two touchdowns and the interception, 15.9.

One housekeeping line. This is the last week the yardstick is last season, a different roster with a different quarterback. From next week, this show measures the Dolphins against the Dolphins' own 2026.

For anyone joining, the thread from the top. Miami went seven and 10 a year ago. This season it lost 27 to 13 in Las Vegas, 35 to 13 in San Francisco, and 24 to 10 at home to the Chiefs, and it is oh and three. Last week's notebook held two lines that survived the plan changing around them: the charting on the quarterback, and a run game under last year's yards per carry whatever box it saw. Both held a third time. Two things broke. The two sacks charted on the quarterback each game became none. And the rusher count, which last week's show said had risen rather than reversed, reversed all the way, from half of the opponent's dropbacks to one in eight, on the week the opponent faked a handoff more than anyone in the league. What goes in the notebook now: whether the fifth rusher comes back, and whether the run defense holds a good run game under four yards a carry again. Miami is at the Vikings next.

That's your Dolphins — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Dolphins show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._