Chiefs 24, Dolphins 10: Walker Twice, Then Kelce Closes It

September 27, 2026 - Miami Gardens - The home opener lasted 17 plays and still ended with Miami chasing. Kenneth Walker III had already walked in from 10 yards. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 24-10 at Hard Rock Stadium and left 3-0. Miami is 0-3.

Patrick Mahomes completed 20 of 24 for 246 yards and two scores. He threw one interception. The Chiefs say he passed Joe Montana for 20th on the career touchdown list at 247. Andy Reid called it four quarters of football against a club that flies around. It was, until the last realistic Miami drive died on fourth down.

Walker finished with 18 carries for 70, two catches for 3, and both Kansas City scores before the Kelce finish. Rashee Rice caught seven for 88. Travis Kelce had two for 59 and the 11-yard closer.

14-7, then nine empty Miami drives

Mahomes needed six plays and 67 yards. Walker plowed the last 10. 7-0.

Miami answered with its longest opening drive of the season, 17 plays and 91 yards. Malik Willis spread it to five receivers and ran with De'Von Achane and Ollie Gordon II. The Dolphins list 46 rushing yards on that series. Achane hurt himself on the possession and did not return. Gordon punched in from 3. 7-7. Achane's day stopped at 3 carries for 17.

Kansas City went 10 plays and 65. Mahomes found Walker from 5. 14-7. Jordyn Brooks had five tackles on that series, per the Dolphins, and finished with 10.

Then the game went quiet. Both clubs turned it over on downs. Willis hit rookie Chris Bell for 44. The next snap was a fumble. Jacob Rodriguez intercepted Mahomes on the answer. Halftime stayed 14-7. The Chiefs write that Miami still drove into Kansas City territory on five straight possessions after the first Dolphins touchdown and came away with three points the rest of the afternoon.

Fourth down at midfield, then Kelce

Miami received the second half. Willis hit Greg Dulcich for 42 and Gordon for 19. Riley Patterson made 37. 14-10.

Harrison Butker answered from 34 after the Chiefs went 80. 17-10, early in the fourth. Miami converted two thirds, then faced fourth-and-5 at midfield with about six minutes left. Nohl Williams broke up the pass. Mahomes found Rice for 34, then Kelce from 11. 24-10.

Willis's next fourth-and-1 became an interception. Butker missed from 50, wide left. It did not matter. Kansas City was already two scores clear.

Willis went 20 of 36 for 210 and ran 9 times for 56. He threw one pick and lost a fumble. Gordon carried 17 times for 41 and the touchdown, plus 3 catches for 14. Bell led Miami with 4 for 67. Dulcich had 5 for 55. Rodriguez added 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and the interception. Chris Jones said the start was not the standard and the win still counted.

Mahomes was 11 of 12 for 183 yards and a score off play-action, per the Chiefs. That is the version Kansas City wanted. The middle of the game was the other version: failed fourth downs, a pick, and a 50-yard miss after the lead was already two scores.

Hard Rock was 86 degrees with a 5 mph wind in the nflverse game file. It played hotter than the final. Miami kept the ball. Kansas City kept the points. Gordon finished as the Dolphins' lead back because Achane never came back. Brooks and Rodriguez were the home defensive tape. It was not enough to get a second touchdown.

Reid reported a clean injury report for Kansas City. Miami visits Minnesota on Oct. 4. The Chiefs go to Las Vegas the same afternoon. Two 3-0 AFC West clubs will share a field. The Dolphins are still looking for a first win and a healthy Achane.

Walker has multiple touchdowns in two of three games in a Kansas City backfield that used to belong to someone else. Mahomes still completed 83 percent. The Dolphins still had a 17-play answer and a fourth-down chance at midfield in the fourth. Williams broke it up. Kelce finished it. That is the whole road win: early Walker, a long stall, one stop, one throw. Miami's home opener stayed within a score until that sequence. Then it was 24-10 and an 0-3 start that already includes a Super Bowl rematch loss in San Francisco.

AthX Engine on a 3-0 road win

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 3 lines in. Bolton's tackle day lands at 40.00, the top total in this game. Rodriguez is 36.50 on the pick and three tackles for loss. Walker is 31.25. Mahomes is 29.93. Kansas City's team line is 75.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a 3-0 Chiefs club that needed a fourth-down stop to look like itself. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Mahomes, Walker, Kelce, Achane, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: Chiefs.com, Dolphins.com, ESPN Week 3 scoreboard. AthX Engine Week 3 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*