Explained: Why Kansas City Chiefs & Miami Dolphins Haven’t Crossed Paths in NFL Since December 2020?

Upcoming Week 9 is going to be exciting! Two Super Bowl-worthy contenders are going to face each other after a hiatus of 3 years. It will be Mahomes vs. Tua, as the 2x SB MVP seeks to defeat any other claimants to his title. Since 1966, the two teams have faced off only 31 times with the Dolphins leading 16-15. With upcoming Sunday Night Football, will the Chiefs set the score even and make it 16-16?

But why have the Dolphins and Chiefs faced each other on the gridiron only 31 times in 57 years? That’s almost once every two years. What’s more, before 2008, they used to play against each other almost every year, but after 2008, it reduced to once every three years.

The catch is in the numbers

The NFL has 32 teams and each team plays 17 matches. The powers that be have to ensure that every team gets to play every other team every few years. The schedule is structured in such a way that divisional rivals play each other twice every year (one home and one away), so the Broncos and Chiefs which belong to the AFC West have played a total of 128 games. Miami Dolphins being in the AFC East division get to play the Chiefs much less often.

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Chiefs vs. Dolphins doesn’t pass the rivalry check

Unlike the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears who have a famous rivalry, Miami and Kansas City are pretty chill. When Aaron Rodgers was with the Packers, it was a treat to see him shout “I own you!” at the Bears every time the Packers defeated them. But Tua and Mahomes? No bad blood between them. The NFL Schedule Gods also take rivalries into consideration to make the season more interesting, and hence the two play each other much less frequently.

Dolphins have only recently started capturing attention

The Dolphins this year are a force to be reckoned with. But that was not before. Their record in 2022 and 2021 was 9-8, in 2020 10-6 and in 2019 it was 5-11. Their last playoff appearance was in 2015. But now, with Mike McDaniel on the scene, he’s bringing the best out of Tua and his band of merry men. 8 games down and the Dolphins are 6-2 and at the top of their division. So, maybe we’ll get to see more of Dolphins vs. Chiefs.

NFL has to listen to the fans as well

Over the years, attendance for Chiefs vs. Dolphins games has been low. And since the revenue of the NFL depends on how many people attend games from the stadiums or how popular certain games are, they schedule less interesting games less frequently. But now with Tua rising as a serious contender for the MVP title, Dolphins fans will certainly be excited for this game. This matchup will give fans a fair idea of who is the better QB in direct combat: Patrick Mahomes or Tua Tagovailoa.

All eyes on Dolphins vs. Chiefs

Now with the resurgent Dolphins boasting one of the strongest offenses in the league, fans are ready for Sunday Night Football. The Dolphins face off against the Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, on November, with kick-off at 9:30 a.m. ET.

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