Pressure Point: Injury to Achane sours encouraging performance by Dolphins

As if the rebuilding Miami Dolphins weren’t burdened with enough adversity. Five plays into Sunday’s home opener against Kansas City they lost their best player.

After offering scant resistance on back-to-back touchdown drives by the Chiefs, it looked like another rollover for the overmatched Dolphins.

But then for the first time in three games, the NFL’s youngest team showed a backbone and made a game of it until the final minutes.

Unfortunately, star running back De’Von Achane exited with a knee injury on their opening possession. Coach Jeff Hafley delivered a grim prognosis afterward: “To be very honest with you, it does not sound very optimistic at this moment.”

The outcome never seemed in doubt, but the 24-10 final score is somewhat misleading. It was a one-score game with six minutes remaining when the Dolphins failed to convert on fourth-and-5 and turned the ball over near midfield.

It was the first time in three games the outcome remained in question in the fourth quarter.

Hafley says Achane's injury outlook does not sound optimistic, with details still pending

Jeff Hafley: “Yeah, still gathering information, and hopefully I'll have more for you tomorrow. To be very honest with you, it does not sound very optimistic at this moment, but I can't… pic.twitter.com/iojvt3nfOK

— MicNuggets (@micnuggetsnfl) September 27, 2026

Young Dolphins show progress in loss

In some ways, the rookie-laden Dolphins outplayed one of the top teams in the league.

Miami had a sizable advantage in time of possession, 34:21 to 25: 39, ran 18 more plays and had an edge in first downs, 19-18. Total yards were nearly even, 334 to 329 in favor of Kansas City; the Chiefs dominated in yards per play, 6.8 to 4.9.

Notably, the Dolphins were competitive and showed measurable growth.

Granted, it is a small step. Like when the temperature in South Florida stays below 90 for the first time in months, but still mid-80s.

For the Dolphins, there were positive signs to build on. They made some big plays on offense and defense.

“There was a lot of improvement today as opposed to last week,” Hafley said. “A lot of our guys are starting to believe.”

🎥 Jeff Hafley believes the Dolphins are starting to turn a corner following the performance vs. Chiefs:

"For some of those guys that maybe weren't sure if they believed, I think a lot of them now are starting to believe… today was the best that its been." (@MiamiDolphins)… pic.twitter.com/2smCpLZTW0

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) September 27, 2026

Rookies make impact for Dolphins

Among the rookies, standouts were linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and wide receiver Chris Bell.

Rodriguez had a diving interception off a deflection and also planted Kenneth Walker, the NFL’s leading rusher, for a loss.

Bell had his best day as a pro with four receptions for 67 yards, including a 44-yard catch and run off a short in-route.

Left guard Kadyn Proctor had a key block on Ollie Gordon II’s 3-yard touchdown run, and gave the running back a push across the goal line.

That capped a 91-yard drive which spanned 17 plays and consumed 9 ½ minutes. They converted three third downs on the drive.

In what may have been the most impactful moment of the season for the defense so far, they stuffed Walker on third- and fourth-and-1 to stall a Chiefs drive at the Miami 11.

Those were significant positives. But they were tempered by inconsistency—costly penalties and mistakes, both mental and physical.

The game film will be a fertile field for teaching moments. There is so much that needs improvement.

Pass coverage continued to be abysmal. Patrick Mahomes completed 20 of 24 passes with an average of 10.3 yards per pass.

The defense still has not recorded a sack this season. Jordyn Brooks had one in the second quarter, but it was negated by an illegal contact call on rookie safety Michael Taaffe. The penalty gifted the Chiefs a first down at the Miami 9 and a touchdown two plays later.

Chop Robinson finally got to a quarterback, but his hit on Mahomes brought a controversial roughing-the-passer penalty. It sparked outrage from a Dolphins point of view. Especially considering Robinson tried to cushion the landing with his hands.

Meanwhile, there was no penalty called on Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman, who grabbed Achane’s helmet and spun him to the ground on the play that put the Dolphins star’s season in jeopardy.

The #Dolphins have a really good group of young players. And Kadyn Proctor introduced himself with this block (and assist). pic.twitter.com/cQ4LfNp1iM

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2026

QB Willis remains inconsistent

After Achane averaged 5.7 yards on three carries, Gordon managed only 2.4 yards on 17 attempts. Run blocking remains in need of improvement.

The Dolphins outgained the Chiefs on the ground. But scrambles by quarterback Malik Willis accounted for 56 of their 119 yards rushing.

As a passer, Willis continues to be erratic. He hit some key third-down throws, as the Dolphins converted eight of 16 third downs.

His touch on deep throws was mostly off, except for a 42-yard completion to Greg Dulcich between two safeties.

Willis completed 20 of 35 for 210 yards and a 61.1 passer rating. It should be noted that his receivers are struggling to get open, unlike the opposition against the Dolphins defense.

Ultimately, the net result was a predictable loss with encouraging signs that one of these weeks this Dolphins team will find a way to win one.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.