The winless Kansas City Chiefs hope to curtail the effects of injuries and offseason roster defections as they travel to Miami to take on the 1-1 Dolphins. After surging into the playoffs last season behind new head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have dropped their first two games and looked feeble in the process.
Chiefs vs. Dolphins 2014: Time, TV schedule, radio and how to watch online
Alex Smith and the flailing Chiefs try for their first win in Miami.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The K.C. offensive line, which lost three starters during the offseason, will be without another following Jeff Allen's season-ending bicep tear. They'll likely also have to make due without star running back Jamaal Charles who suffered a high-ankle sprain during Kansas City's Week 2 tilt in Denver.
The Dolphins have split their first two games, upsetting the New England Patriots to open up the regular season while being routed by the Buffalo Bills 29-10 last week. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill hasn't taken the next step in his development yet, but he's flashed on big plays to top receiver Mike Wallace. The duo didn't eviscerate secondaries often in 2013, but they're making up for lost time this season.
Here are your media details for Sunday’s matchup:
How to watch
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami
When: 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday
TV: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Nuts and bolts
In large part due to the struggles of the offensive line, Chiefs running backs have failed to deliver their customary big plays against their first two opponents. Jamaal Charles is averaging a career low 2.6 yards per carry while second-year back Knile Davis leads the backfield with a pedestrian 3.6. Subtract Alex Smith's 78 yards -- the result of scrambles on broken plays rather than designed runs -- and Kansas City sits at under 3.3 yard per attempt, an unthinkable rate considering Charles' place as the NFL's all-time leader in that very metric.
Comparably, the Dolphins have fared much better in the ground game, averaging 4.6 yards per rush. Headlining the group is free agent addition Knowshon Moreno at 5.5. Unfortunately, Moreno suffered a dislocated elbow last week and will miss time. The Dolphins signed Daniel Thomas to fill out the backfield, but the majority of the load will go to Lamar Smith. He too has run efficiently, but his fumbling problems from last year haven't subsided. He has already put the ball on the ground once this year.
Further reading
For more on the Chiefs, check out Arrowhead Pride. For Dolphins coverage, head on over to The Phinsider.
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