Pros and cons of Chiefs facing Dolphins in wild-card round

The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins in a wild-card round playoff matchup this Saturday night.  These two teams met back in Week 9 of the regular season, a game that was played internationally in Frankfurt, Germany. The Chiefs got off to a quick 21-0 lead but were shut out in the second […]

Nick Roesch NFL Trending News Writer
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) carries the ball against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during an NFL International Series game at Deutsche Bank Park.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins in a wild-card round playoff matchup this Saturday night. 

These two teams met back in Week 9 of the regular season, a game that was played internationally in Frankfurt, Germany. The Chiefs got off to a quick 21-0 lead but were shut out in the second half as the Dolphins rallied back. Kansas City's defense held tough, however, holding on for a 21-14 victory.

At that point in the season, it appeared that the Chiefs and Dolphins could be the two teams fighting for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but that didn't come to fruition for either franchise. The Chiefs lost four out of their next eight games but were able to finish the season with a little momentum by winning their final two. Miami lost three of its final five games to close out the season.

While both teams have their strengths, they also have more question marks than they'd like as they prepare for a Super Bowl run. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of the Chiefs' playoff matchup with the Dolphins.

Pro: K.C.'s championship experience

The Chiefs have won two of the last four Super Bowls and 10 postseason games overall during that span. The Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000. The two times these teams met in the playoffs (1991 and 1994), Miami came out on top. 

Con: The Dolphins' offense is more high-powered than the Chiefs' offense

K.C.'s offense hasn't hummed as well as it has each of the last several years. Miami's offense finished the season first in yards and second in scoring. They're expected to get back RB Raheem Mostert and WR Jaylen Waddle this week after they missed the regular season finale due to injury.

Pro: Miami is beat up

The Dolphins have suffered a lot of key injuries this season, especially on defense. They'll be missing five defensive starters who played in the Week 9 game in Germany (Xavien Howard, Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Jerome Baker, and Andrew Van Ginkel). They will be limping into this game, while the Chiefs are very healthy heading into the playoffs. 

Con: A motivated Tyreek Hill

The biggest storyline of this game will be Hill's return to K.C. Not only will he be motivated to stick it to his former team, but he'll be out for revenge after being held in check by the Chiefs' secondary earlier this year. Nobody knows better how Hill can take over a game. 

Pro: This game will be played in fridged winter conditions

The forecast in K.C. during this game currently calls for a low of zero degrees with heavy wind gusts. Miami has never won a playoff game when the temperature is 46 degrees or lower, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 0-4 in games when the temperature is that low.

Con: The Chiefs have already beaten Miami this year

This may seem like it could be a pro, but it is difficult to beat a team twice in one year. The Dolphins made some nice adjustments in their second-half comeback in Week 9 and will be motivated to avenge their loss.