The game was supposed to be played in Kansas City. That would have given the Chiefs an obvious advantage.
So who has the edge between the Dolphins and Chiefs with the contest exported to Germany?
Appearing on Friday’s PFT Live, in a display of modern technology that linked Frankfurt and Texas and West Virginia and Connecticut in real time, Peter King said he had noticed Chiefs fans outnumbering Dolphins fans to the tune of 200-1. If that ratio applies in the venue today, that will make it feel like a lot like a home game for the Chiefs.
On the other hand, Dolphins might have created an edge for themselves by going to Germany early. We’ve seen the first team to London do better than the straggler this year. Will that continue with the Chiefs waiting to go to Germany?
Then there’s the edge that comes from Kansas City’s experience in a big game. King has said that last year’s Germany game felt like a conference championship. The Chiefs have played in five straight of those. The Dolphins are still getting their sea legs when it comes to playing big games away from Miami.
Even if the Dolphins lose today, the experience will help them if/when they get to the playoffs. If the key players stay healthy, it will indeed be when not if.
However it plays out, these are two of the best teams in the NFL. And it’s the biggest game that the NFL has sent beyond American borders, by far.
Fans in London have to be a little salty after all the frogs they’ve kissed since the process began in 2007. Germany is a late arrival, and it has gotten the best game yet this year, and possibly the second-best game ever moved overseas in 2022, when the Bucs played the Seahawks.