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It was just another game with another victory and another record set by the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend.
That’s become part and parcel for the Chiefs throughout the 2023 campaign, and their 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins enabled them to make some unique NFL history.
With their victory, they improved to 7-2 on the season, putting them in a tie with the Baltimore Ravens for the best record in the AFC.
It was also the fourth different country in which the Chiefs have played an NFL contest, with the previous three coming in the United States, Mexico and England.
They are the first team in NFL history to achieve that feat.
Chiefs Offensive struggles Overseas
There’s no debating the Chiefs have some of the biggest football names worldwide, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The two of them are a big reason why the Chiefs brand has become so massive across the globe.
Add to that the reported relationship between Kelce and Taylor Swift, along with the commercials that Andy Reid has featured in, and you’ve got a marketing gold mine.
Kansas City has won each of their three encounters overseas, though it’s rarely their high-powered offensive unit from years past that has made the difference.
Mahomes, Kelce and former receiver Tyreek Hill were electric as a trio in Kansas City when they all played together, though the best offensive display for the Chiefs outside of the US came with Mahomes’ predecessor under centre, Alex Smith.
In their first NFL game outside of the US, Smith threw for two TD passes as the Chiefs scored 45 points in a victory over the Detroit Lions.
Just over four years later, Mahomes threw for fewer than 200 yards (182) with a touchdown and an interception, putting up 24 points to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers.
On Sunday, the Chiefs failed to score in the second half and escaped by only allowing two scores against the high-octane Miami offense.
KC Defense Winning the Day
In all three of the Kansas City victories abroad, their defensive unit has come through in a big way.
On Sunday in Frankfurt, Miami only averaged five yards per play, forcing the #1 NFL offense to punt seven times while conceding fewer than 300 yards (292), significantly less than the Phins are used to.
Miami scored fewer points on Sunday than they had in any of their previous 2023 regular season encounters.
The secondary picked off Matthew Stafford twice at Wembley Stadium in London in 2015, and holding Calvin Johnson to just five catches while the Lions only put up 10 points.
At the high altitude of Estadio Azteca, Kansas City picked off eight-time Pro Bowl QB Philip Rivers four times in 2019 and held the Chargers to 17 points.
Hurrying opposing quarterbacks has been critical to the Chiefs’ defensive success in their three games played abroad, as they’ve registered a combined 11 sacks.
Given how much the Chiefs’ defense has been carrying this team all season and how well they’ve performed outside of the US, perhaps that unit will be getting more endorsements overseas in the future.