Roster News and Injury Latest
Kickoff for Dolphins-Chiefs is less than 48 hours away. Head Coach Brian Flores revealed Miami's final injury report during his Friday press conference.
Running back Salvon Ahmed and left guard Ereck Flowers will both miss the game Sunday. Linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts will be listed as questionable. Earlier this week, cornerback Jamal Perry was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Safety Nate Holley was elevated to the active roster on Wednesday as a COVID-19 replacement for Sunday's game.
For the visiting Chiefs: linebacker Damien Wilson is out for Sunday's game.
The rest of the Dolphins-Chiefs Week 14 injury report can be found here.
Just Another Week
Kansas City's trip to South Florida marks the first time that the Dolphins will host a team with at least 11 wins since the 2016 season finale vs. the New England Patriots. That, however, doesn't change the team's mindset or approach to this week's practice.
"I know everybody outside of the building is excited about the game, and we're excited about the game too – it's a good challenge for us, and a good challenge for them as well – but you've got to take it week to week," Dolphins safety Bobby McCain said. "This is our week's preparation. We know they are a good team, we know they've got really good players, and so do we. I'm looking at we have a job to do. Everybody knows we have to play well and the goal is to come out with a 'W.'"
"We practice at the same time every day, we meet at the same time every day," Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones said. "We know what the challenge is, but it's nothing to get yourself overworked at. Just do what we're coached to do, stay on our X's and O's and then we'll be okay."
"We're just going to treat this like we treat any other game, week-in-and-week-out," Dolphins defensive end Shaq Lawson said. "Each game we play and we prepare for is the most important game of the season, so this is no bigger than the other games we've had the last 12-13 weeks."
"We treat them like any other team," Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said. "They're honestly a really good team. We have a great game plan and we've got to be ready for them."
Tua Wins Rookie of the Week
The rookie signal-caller hit career-highs in completions (26) and passing yards (296) in the 19-7 win over Cincinnati to capture Week 13 Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors. It's the first time winning the award for Tagovailoa and the first time for a Dolphins rookie this season.
Players Talk Matchups
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes – 2018 NFL MVP, 2019 Super Bowl MVP
"He's unorthodox," Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker said. "He throws the ball different ways and he gets it out however he has to get it out. There's no set way with him. He just gets the job done. He's definitely fun to watch and I'm definitely excited for this Sunday to go up against him and basically have that challenge of slowing him down and slowing all the guys they have down. I'm definitely excited."
"He's very elusive," Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. "He's very good at reading the pocket and getting out of the pocket. We've just got to make sure we're on top of things and we do what we can."
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill – Third in the NFL with 1,079 receiving yards, tied for first with 13 touchdowns
"He's got a special gear and they've got a couple guys on that offense who can really run," Jones said. "You've got to understand how he's used on a weekly basis and truly try your best to limit his impact on the game. He's going to get some – there's no question about that – but our job defensively is to limit that as much as we can.
Tight end Travis Kelce – Only TE in NFL history with five 1,000-yard seasons
"The way he runs his routes are like receivers," Dolphins safety Eric Rowe said. "He'll stem leverages, he'll push you outside, cut you inside to go back outside. He does a lot of stuff. Obviously with that, I have to approach it differently."
Game Notes
Rowe has a career-high nine passes defensed this season, tied for third among NFL safeties. He's allowing just 5.2 yards per target in coverage (Per Pro Football Focus), the lowest among safeties with at least 20 pass targets.
Ogbah's eight sacks this season are tied for eighth in the NFL. His five quarterback hits last week are tied for fourth-most by any NFL player in a single game this season. Per PFF metrics, Ogbah's 53 quarterback pressures are fourth-most among edge defenders and his 24 run stops (tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage) are 14th-most at the position.
Kicker Jason Sanders' 87.3 career field goal percentage (69-of-79) is the best in team history (minimum 50 attempts). He's 28-for-29 this season (96.6 percent) and hasn't missed an extra point in 27 attempts.
Punter Matt Haack's 21 punts downed inside the 20-yard-line are tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. His 40.4 career net punt average is the best in team history.
Wide receiver Jakeem Grant's 327 punt return yards lead the NFL. His 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Week 8 win over the Rams is the longest in team history and his five career special teams return touchdowns are a team record.
Cornerback Xavien Howard's eight interceptions lead the NFL. He's one of two cornerbacks in team history with multiple seasons with at least seven interceptions (Sam Madison) and he's just two interceptions off the franchise record (10, Dick Westmoreland in 1967).
Mike Gesicki is fourth among tight ends in receiving with 537 yards. His 13.8 yards per reception are third in the NFL at the position (minimum 15 receptions). His nine touchdown receptions over the last 18 games are third-most by a tight end over that span.
Shaq Lawson and DeVante Parker charitable contributions
Friday, Lawson donated $10,000 to help fund The Resource Room, a non-profit organization that provides free afterschool enrichment for K-12 and other programing to the youth in Miami. Lawson's donation will contribute to multiple programs, one of which is their flagship program called Raising Black Leaders.
"I was the same kid getting help," Lawson said. "I told myself if I had I had an opportunity to make it and give back, I want to do the same things because those people put me in a position to be successful."
Earlier this week, we detailed DeVante Parker's charitable contributions to Starlight Children's Hospital to provide patients with more comfortable gowns. Friday, the NFL's Twitter account shared more photos from the event.
