Miami Dolphins Lose Andrew Luck Lottery Against Kansas City Chiefs

The NFL's Miami Dolphins will lose the opportunity to draft Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft when they defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. While it will be anything but a clash of the titans, the two franchises are very comparable which should set up a dogfight at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City is sitting on a mediocre 4-3 record, but they have been living on the edge during most of their victories. The Chiefs rank ninth in rushing but near the bottom of the league in passing. Meanwhile their defense lives in the bottom half of the league in stopping its opponents.

Though the Chiefs have been successful considering the major losses of Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry, Kansas City isn't as good as its record reflects.

While the Dolphins haven't won a game yet this year, they aren't as bad as their record reflects. Yes, they need a serious influx of talent, but Miami can hang their hat on a couple of strengths.

Where Kansas City hopes to find offense behind its ground game, Miami's defensive strength is stopping the run, allowing only 109 yards per game. If the Dolphins can stop the Chiefs from running the ball, Kansas City's offense should struggle to score points with its absentee air attack.

Miami is doing well on the ground on offense, ranking 12th in the league. Add that to a bottom tier passing game, and this makes for an interesting matchup as both offenses are nearly identical.

Where the difference lies between the teams is in Kansas City's below-average defense. Though the Dolphins don't have much on offense, they have more than Kansas City has on defense. Without a passing game or a defense that is strong in one particular area, the Chiefs will lose this game by the slightest margins.

Look for the Dolphins to establish their ground game with a short passing game.  If they can patiently work the ball down the field, they'll win Sunday's game when the Chiefs fail to produce anything on offense.

The takeaway is Miami slipping a spot in the draft, solidifying the Indianapolis Colts' position as the worst team in the NFL. Then again, Miami fans have already shown a willingness to trade up for Andrew Luck with the second pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.