The sixth seed The Miami Dolphins will play the third-seeded Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. central time.
This season, Miami’s pass defense has been in the middle of the pack. They allow the 14th most receptions, 18th most receiving yards, 8th most receiving touchdowns, 14th most interceptions, and 21st most first-down receptions.
The Dolphins will be without one of their Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks for this game.
The Miami Dolphins waived its four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins
Xavien Howard has been ruled out of Miami’s Wild Card game against Kansas City.
Howard was injured on the first drive of their Week 17 game against Baltimore. On January 2, head coach Mike McDaniel had this to say about Howard’s injury.
“The good news on [Howard] is that it doesn’t look like it will require surgery, which is what we found out today,” McDaniel said. “So that was good, and because of that, it’s kind of a week-to-week measure.” We’ll have to wait and watch how he reacts. Feet in that position are really difficult. Each person is unique, so we’ll go with caution and press and assess.”
Howard did not play in the team’s regular-season finale versus Buffalo.
Howard did not attend practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
How did Howard fare this year?
Howard was having another productive season in the NFL. He finished the season with 45 tackles, one interception, and 12 pass deflections. He went 39/63 for 419 yards, one score, and an 80.1 passer rating in covering.
Who will take his place?
![100+] Xavien Howard Wallpapers | Wallpapers.com](https://wallpapers.com/images/featured/xavien-howard-b9u1890gub4t3kwf.jpg)
In Howard’s absence, Eli Apple is slated to start at cornerback. Apple is in his eighth season with the NFL. In his career, he has 381 tackles, six interceptions, and 60 pass deflections while appearing in 98 games and starting 82.
This season, Apple has appeared in ten games, starting four, and has 46 tackles, one interception, and nine pass deflections. He completed 36/57 passes for 494 yards, two touchdowns, with a passer rating of 95.2 in covering.
How effective is Kansas City’s offense?
Kansas City’s offensive has been underwhelming (in comparison to past seasons). They are 15th in points, 9th in yards, 6th in receiving yards, 8th in receiving touchdowns, and 5th in first-down completions.
Drops are the primary weakness of Kansas City’s receiving corps. Kansas City has the most drops in the league (44), as well as the highest drop rate (6.9%).
Will the Miami Dolphins be able to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ shaky receiving corps on Saturday night?
