Week 9 - Dolphin vs KC in Germany

A Week 9 international showdown between the top two teams in the AFC seems like a perfect scenario for the NFL, with the game scheduled for the stand-alone Sunday morning timeslot. Both teams are 6-2 heading into the game, with the Dolphins having beaten the New England Patriots (-3)
How do the oddsmakers see this game? According to the DraftKings Sportsbook opening lines, the Chiefs are just 2.5-point favorites early in the week. The point total for the game is set at 51. Miami is +124 on the money line, while Kansas City is -110.

This will be one of the top matchups on the schedule for Week 9. Can Miami end the analysis that they can only win against lower-tier teams? Will the Chiefs bounce back after losing to the Broncos? This will be a must-watch game on Sunday morning.

Of course, the other storyline surrounding the Chiefs this year is the apparent relationship between tight end Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift. Swift could make an appearance in Germany as her Eras Tour has nor resumed - but she does re-open the tour in South America a few days after this game. That might be too much travel and could interrupt any rehearsals she has. It would be a surprise if she were to make the trip to Germany just to turn around and head to Argentina.

 

Light rain expected with wind at 16mph. Kelce can go off. All we need to do is shut everyone else down. They have played the Bears, Jags, Broncos twice, Jets, Chargers, Vikings and Lions. They lost to the Lions and barely beat the Jags. Who have THEY played?

 

The Miami Dolphins are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a battle of AFC heavyweights this Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, and that means it will be Tyreek Hill’s first time facing his former team. The game between the Dolphins and the Chiefs will decide the lead in the AFC, but Tyreek Hill is treating it as any other matchup.

“I’m ready, man. It’s just another game,” Hill said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “I’m just excited to play against my old brothers. It’s just like if you’re in high school and move to a different city, it’s still ball. At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and do what I’ve been doing all year, and that’s have fun, help lead this team and create opportunities for whoever. I’m still going to be the same old Cheetah, baby.”

This matchup brings a lot of excitement. It will be a standalone game that takes place at 9:30 a.m. ET. It will be interesting to see how Hill fares against his former team.

Hill is on track for a historic season. He already has 1014 yards in just eight games, according to Pro Football Reference after stating that his goal was to reach 2000 in the offseason. He is well on his way if he keeps performing the way he is now.

This matchup should be an exciting one, and it is one that will shape the playoff picture in the AFC as we head into the second half of the NFL season. A win would be a statement for the Dolphins.

 

The Miami Dolphins landed in Frankfurt, Germany ahead of their Week 9 tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:24 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The Chiefs, however, won't leave for Germany until Thursday afternoon.

“We leave on Thursday," Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed during media availability on Monday. "We try to get our work done here, and then get over there and still get ourselves time to get in line. It’s a bit different that way. But there’s is an excitement to it, too. Going over there and playing and get to play a good football team.”
There is a bit of a preconceived notion that arriving early ahead of an international game allows players to adjust to the timezone changes. It's why many Chiefs fans initially felt the Dolphins' early arrival would give them an advantage in Week 9. They asked, "Why are the Chiefs leaving so late?"

Ultimately, there is a lot that goes into the decision for each team. Kansas City made theirs based on both experience and scientific evidence.

“Everybody kind of does it a little different," Reid explained. "We did this a couple years ago when we went to London. I’ve done it before with other teams. (Leaving late in the week) worked, so I kind of stuck by it. We will see how it goes. I’m not sure there’s any right or wrong way, teams have done it different ways. I’ve just had success doing it this way. “

Reid has a tendency to be a creature of habit, so it's not surprising to see him sticking with his guns. The team left roughly at the same time for their London game back in 2015, and Alex Smith led the Chiefs to a dominant 45-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. There's also plenty of scientific data that backs up the Chiefs' strategy, ranging from the opinions of professional soccer players to the findings of Olympic coaches and athletes.

Patrick Mahomes' trainer, Bobby Stroupe, even shared some research on the topic on Twitter (X). He also graciously provided a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) on the information that reads:

1. 7 days is best. Usually not an option for NFL.
2. 3&5 days before present problems for reasons sighted in research.
3. Arrival 2 days before comp works great IF players stay on US time with their schedules.

Kansas City is treating this choice meticulously. They're considering every possible detail to put their players in the best position to win. They certainly need to do that after the team's disappointing Week 8 loss to the Broncos and with the No. 1 seed in the AFC potentially on the line in Week 9.

 

The Chiefs and Dolphins will play each other in Frankfurt, Germany this Sunday and that means a lot of discussion about Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill facing his former team for the first time.

Hill was traded to Miami for five draft picks — 2022 first-, second-, and fourth-round picks as well as 2023 fourth- and sixth-round picks — in the 2022 offseason. The loss of Hill did not stop the Chiefs from winning the Super Bowl last year and moving on from Patrick Mahomes did not mute Hill’s production as he posted 119 catches for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns since joining the Dolphins.

The Chiefs are 6-2 this season and Hill is on pace to set a new record for receiving yards, so Year Two post-trade is off to a good start on both fronts. That’s why Chiefs owner Clark Hunt called the deal a win-win on Tuesday.

“I think that was a trade that worked out well for both parties,” Hunt said, via KSHB. “Obviously, Tyreek’s an incredible player and has done very well in his time with the Dolphins but I also think it benefited the Chiefs. The draft compensation that we received, a lot of that draft capital was used to improve our defense, and I think this year we are seeing that it did indeed work out well. We’ve got a number of really talented young defensive players, many of whom were part of that trade.”

Whether through the original picks or trades involving them, the Chiefs have picked up cornerback Trent McDuffie, wide receiver Skyy Moore, offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, wide receiver Rashee Rice, defensive tackle Keondre Coburn, and a 2024 fifth-round pick. Those players have had varying levels of success with McDuffie and Moore playing key roles on the title team.

Sunday’s result won’t change much in the big-picture analysis of the trade, but it could help set the stage for a playoff rematch that would continue the long history between the Chiefs and Hill.

 

That’s funny