After starting the season 0-3, the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t have asked for a better October as they have re-emerged as legitimate contenders in the AFC West divisional race. Wins against the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings did little to build confidence in this team, but their convincing win against the Oakland Raiders followed by a much-needed victory on Monday night has Kansas City’s morale soaring and fan optimism stronger than ever.
The same could be said for the Miami Dolphins, as most of their fans are endorsing the “Suck for Luck” campaign. Miami had a great shot to win on the road in what would have been nearly as big of an upset as the Rams’ win over the Saints, but while they still remain winless, the Dolphins can build off of an encouraging game.
Neither of these teams are slouches on defense, so expect that a physical game will determine the outcome of this one. Here are three matchups to look out for in a game that, a month ago, looked like it would have been the ultimate “Suck for Luck” contest.
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1) Tamba Hali vs. Cameron Wake
For those who love watching elite pass rushers, this game holds all the excitement you could ask for as two of the game’s best will be featured in this one. Either player is capable of having a 10-pressure day and the competition for most pressure in this game figures to be a good one. Tamba Hali (+17.3) has knocked the quarterback down five times in the past two games, and he has a great chance to build on those numbers in this one. Though the majority of his snaps came at right outside linebacker, Hali rushes from both sides and could find success on either side this week. Dolphins left tackle Jake Long (-2.7) still hasn’t quite returned to form and has given up pressure in every game this season, while right tackle Marc Colombo (-17.2) is one of the worst starters at his position in the league.
Cameron Wake (+16.4) will have plenty of opportunities as well. Chiefs right tackle Barry Richardson (-20.6) is not in the lineup for his pass protection. To be honest, he hasn’t exactly excelled at much, and he was given a -9.9 overall grade thanks mainly to some awful work in the run game against the Chargers. He needs a rebound game in a big way, but that’s no concern of Wake’s and it’s hard to envision him being able to fend off the tenacious pass rusher for a whole game.
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2) Can Reggie Bush finally string together solid performances?
Reggie Bush (-7.2) is no stranger to good games, the problem is that they happen very rarely for him and are usually sandwiched between some poor performances. After rushing for over 100 yards and forcing five missed tackles on route to +1.9 grade (his first positive one of the year) last week, will Bush revert to norm or finally be able to string together some good games? As of Thursday morning, Daniel Thomas’ status for this game is uncertain, so the Dolphins will have to rely on Bush to be able to play well again or take their chances throwing at a secondary that picked off six passes two weeks ago. Each of the Chiefs’ starters on their front seven have a positive cumulative grade in run defense, so he could be in for some negative-yardage runs if he tries to bounce runs outside too often as the Chiefs have the speed at linebacker to contain him as well. In particular, super-athletic inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (+14.7) could be a force on those outside runs. Johnson has graded in the green in every game this season.
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3) Brandon Marshall vs. Brandon Flowers
The Battle of the Brandons took a year off in 2010, but it’s back in full force in 2011 as the Dolphins play the Chiefs for the first time since Marshall was traded to Miami. Marshall will be surprised just how much Flowers has improved since they last met. While it was Marshall who emerged as one of the best players at his position when they last met in 2009, Flowers (+6.9) has since earned a reputation as a shutdown corner while Marshall has struggled with drops and sometimes disappearing in games. How could you not look forward to seeing these two go at it again? Marshall and Flowers are two of the most physical players in the league at their respective positions and it’s a sure bet there will be a lot of contact inside of five yards in this one. The Chiefs don’t move cornerbacks, so Marshall will only see Flowers when he’s on the right side of the field, but never fear, the Battle of the Brandons isn’t a two-man ordeal. Brandon Carr (+2.2) will also get a crack at shutting down his former division rival.
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