As part of their Week 9 venture, the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs are traveling to Frankfurt, Germany where they will play at Deutsche Bank Park as part of the 2023 NFL International Series.
Dolphins in Germany
This is the first time the NFL has held games in Frankfurt, and the first time the Dolphins have played in Germany. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in Munich. The last international game the Dolphins played was in 2021 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the London series that happens annually. In their entire franchise history, they’ve played in five games in London.
This year’s matchup with the Dolphins and Chiefs is going to be an AFC showdown as both teams enter Week 9 with a 6-2 record on the season.
As the Dolphins website mentions, there are a number of events for Dolphins fans heading to Germany including a bar takeover in Frankfurt and NFL FanFest on Saturday. The game is set to begin on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 9:30AM EST on NFL Network.
Chiefs Looking to Come back from Loss
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to come back from a rather embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos, and don’t really have much time between now and the matchup between the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs have been able to hold a six-game winning streak between their two losses, whereas Miami’s offense has been a destructive force holding a 6-2 record as well.
This is also the first time that Tyreek Hill will face his old team. Hill was a former wide receiver for the Chiefs for the first six seasons of his career until he was traded to the Dolphins in March of 2022.
Hill said that he’s looking forward to Sunday’s matchup.
“I’m ready, man,” Hill said. “It’s just another game. Like I said, I’m just excited to play against my old brothers. It’s just like if you’re in high school and move to a different city. It’s still ball. At the end of the day, my job is to go out the and do what I’ve been doing all year: That’s have fun, help beat this team, create opportunities for whoever. So, I’m still gonna be the same old Cheetah, baby.”
This game is going to be super important for both teams. From an offensive perspective, this is an opportunity for the Chiefs to come back from their loss against Denver, seeing as they turned the ball over five times and just couldn’t seem to get things going their way.
But they’re also facing one of the most powerful offenses in the league in the Dolphins. They’re coming off an exciting win against the New England Patriots where Hill surpassed 1,000 yards in just eight games.
The Chiefs are going against a team that’s ranked first in scoring (33.9), yards (453.3), yards per play (7.3), rushing (151.8), yards per carry (5.9), passing (301.5), yards per pass (8.7), EPA per play (.186), and Rush EPA (.042), while they only rank first in sacks per pass attempt (3.2%).
The Dolphins also received some good news about Terron Armstead who’s missed six of Miami’s eight games this season. He is scheduled to practice this week in Germany with the team, and potentially has a chance to play in the game against Kansas City, according to coach Mike McDaniel.
“I can say this,” McDaniel said regarding Armstead. “We’ll probably be evaluating Terron Armstead’s performance in another country other than the United States this week.”
Safety Jevon Holland (concussion protocol) and cornerback Xavien Howard (groin) remain undecided for Sunday’s game.
Kansas City seems to be doing fine, but are looking for players to step it up a little bit as some like Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have been struggling since joining the team.
The Chiefs’ defense is ranked better in many categories compared to Miami. But, their quarterbacks also aren’t too far away from one another either. Tua Tagovailoa is first in passng (302), touchdowns (18), and passer rating (108.8), while Mahomes is third for passing (282.3), fifth in touchdowns (15), and has the most interceptions.
Just an hour before the trade deadline, the Chiefs signed Darius Harris from the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad, adding a little more depth to their linebacker lineup; Nick Bolton is on injured reserve after having wrist surgery and can return in December, and then Willie Gay Jr. left the game against the Broncos with a tailbone injury. This will be Harris’ second stint with the Chiefs, as he played with them in 2022.
This is arguably one of the best games taking place this weekend, but it’s not on American grounds. This is the third game in the NFL International Series that features two teams entering the game with winning records, and two of NFL’s hottest teams right now.
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