MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-8) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-6)
GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Arrowhead Stadium. TV: CBS, Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Jenny Dell (field reporter).
SERIES HISTORY: 27th regular-season meeting. Series tied, 13-13. Kansas City won the last meeting, 34-15, in 2014 in Miami. QB Alex Smith had three touchdowns and RB Knile Davis rushed for 132 yards playing for injured RB Jamaal Charles.
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KEYS TO THE GAME: The Chiefs enter the game needing to win one of their final two to clinch the AFC West.
To do that, they'll need to continue to rely on running back Kareem Hunt. The rookie had four 100-yard games as Kansas City won its first five games of the season. But Hunt didn't reach that plateau again over the next seven weeks as the Chiefs watched their 5-0 start turn into a 6-6 record.
In wins over the Raiders and Chargers the past two weeks, Hunt has amassed 271 yards rushing and has scored three times to help the Chiefs take back control of the division.
Hunt punishes teams who don't load the box with safeties. But the Dolphins safeties won't be able to lean on linebackers to contain Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.
Kansas City interceptions leader Marcus Peters will try to slow Miami wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Last week, the Chiefs held the Chargers' Keenan Allen to 54 yards on five catches.
While the Dolphins' postseason hopes are faint, Landry will have extra motivation: The two-time Pro Bowler, who has 98 catches through 14 games, will become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Miami quarterback Jay Cutler will have to protect the ball against the turnover-minded Chiefs. Cutler's 14 interceptions are tied for second most in the league.
Another factor that could work against the Dolphins: frigid temperatures. Miami lost 24-16 last week in Buffalo, where the temperature was 22 degrees. Game-time temperature at Arrowhead Stadium will be 28, according to the forecast.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Chiefs TE Travis Kelce vs Dolphins' pass defense. Look for Miami to use Pro Bowl S Reshad Jones as much as possible here for his athleticism and sure tackling skills. The Chiefs, however, will look to get matchups vs. WLB Kiki Alonso, who has been lacking in pass coverage all season. There's potential for big yards by Kelce, whose 79 receptions leads all NFL tight ends.
--Dolphins QB Jay Cutler vs. Chiefs' pass defense. Cutler was awful last week at Buffalo, throwing three interceptions. He must pick up the pieces from his worst showing of the season against a vulnerable defense. The Chiefs are 28th in total defense (368.6 yards per game) and 26th (245.7) against the pass, but LB Justin Houston (9.5 sacks) and CB Marcus Peters (five interceptions) are playmakers.
FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Doubtful: QB Matt Moore (foot), RB Damien Williams (shoulder)
--Questionable: DE Andre Branch (knee), DE Terrence Fede (knee), S T.J. McDonald (shoulder), WR DeVante Parker (ankle), CB Cordrea Tankersley (ankle), S Michael Thomas (knee)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
--Questionable: LB Justin Houston (illness)
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Chiefs LB Reggie Ragland. The emergence of Ragland late in the season injected some run-stopping prowess into the Chiefs' defense. Kansas City allowed 131 rushing yards per game in the first nine contests. Since Ragland took over as the principle Mike linebacker in Week 9, the Chiefs have allowed just 108.2 rushing yards per game. The defense held Oakland and the Los Angeles Chargers under 100 yards the last two weeks, the first time the Chiefs posted back-to-back games with fewer than 100 rushing yards since 2015.
FAST FACTS: Miami QB Jay Cutler has 1,143 yards passing, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in his past four games against the Chiefs. ... RB Kenyan Drake aims for a fourth game in a row with 100 yards from scrimmage. ... WR Jarvis Landry ranks second in the NFL with 98 catches. ... CB Xavien Howard had his first career sack last week. ... S Reshad Jones is tied for the lead among NFL safeties with 99 tackles. ... Chiefs QB Alex Smith passed for three touchdowns and no interceptions in his only career game against Miami. ... RB Kareem Hunt ranks second in the NFL with 1,201 yards rushing. ... WR/PR Tyreek Hill had 88 yards receiving, including a 64-yard touchdown, last week. ... TE Travis Kelce leads all NFL TEs with 79 catches and ranks second with 991 yards. ... CB Marcus Peters had two interceptions and a forced fumble last week. Since entering the league in 2015, he has 19 interceptions, most in the NFL. ... DE Chris Jones aims for a third straight game with a sack.
PREDICTION: After two big wins over division rivals, Kansas City appears to have rediscovered its early-season momentum.
OUR PICK: Chiefs, 26-13.
--Ched Whitney
