Here’s one thing we know about this playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs: it’s cold.
Not just regular cold. Frigid cold. Penguins wearing parkas cold. Not a great environment for human football players to perform their best.
And each team needs some level of best to make it to the next round. The Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa to show up and be the top tier quarterback he’s capable of being. They need Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert, who have been sidelined with injuries, to perform well in concert with Tyreek Hill, who also needs to have a big game.
The Chiefs need to cut down on the drops and mistakes, especially from their receivers (which was also true in the regular season). The Chiefs also need tight end Travis Kelce to become a stud again, a level of play that has eluded him lately.
It will be hard for any of this to happen in the bitter cold. Until the NFL can control the weather (they’ve probably been working on that for years in a secret lab), the players and coaches will have to make it work.
Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and highlights from NFL Wild Card Saturday.
Live26 updates
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Mahomes gets pressured and throws it away. Chiefs settle for a 28-yard field goal from Harrison Butker to go up 10-0.
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First quarter ends with the Chiefs up 7-0 and facing a 3rd-and-6 at the Dolphins’ 10-yard line. Big play coming up to open the second quarter.
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Chiefs win the challenge. First down in the red zone.
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Andy Reid drops the challenge flag, here we go.
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And now Rashee Rice falls just short on third down. Chiefs line up to go for it, then call timeout as the play clock ticks down. Replay is showing that a challenge on the spot would probably go well for the Chiefs.
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OOF. Mahomes finds a wide-open Travis Kelce 10 yards in front of the end zone but the pass slips right between his hands.
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Dolphins CB Eli Apple is down with an injury. Not what an already shorthanded defense needed in a 7-0 hole.
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Isiah Pacheco is still running angry. He’s up to 51 yards on six rushes. Tackling him at -4 degrees doesn’t look fun.
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INTERCEPTION
Tua Tagovailoa sails a pass too high and it reaches Mike Edwards in the Kansas City secondary. Chiefs take over at their own 42. They have definitely looked more comfortable in this weather so far.
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Tua Tagovailoa just matched his longest run of the year, at nine yards. The Chiefs bit on a fake toss and left him enough room for a first down.
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Mahomes had Mecole Hardman open and way deep, but the wind was not his friend there. It falls just incomplete and the Chiefs are punting right back.
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Dolphins open with a three-and-out, with two ineffective runs, a false start and a shallow pass that finishes well short. Chiefs will get good field position with the ball on their own 43-yard line.
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Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
