MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes arrived in South Florida this weekend and noticed a fun coincidence. He was back in the same hotel room he stayed in when he won his first Super Bowl title.

“You feel that on the field and seeing the stadium where you won your first Super Bowl,” Mahomes said. “It was cool to be back here.”

The Chiefs didn't win any trophies on Sunday, but they got to 3-0. And that was good enough.

Kenneth Walker III had a touchdown catch and rushed for a score, and Mahomes threw for 246 yards and two TDs to help the Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 24-10.

“Obviously we didn’t play to our standard that we would hold for ourselves,” Mahomes said. “But I thought we found a way to come together at the end of the game.”

The Chiefs entered averaging more than 450 yards and 32 points but struggled to pull away from the winless Dolphins, who were missing arguably their best player for much of the game after Pro Bowler De'Von Achane left with a knee injury on the opening drive.

Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said the team was still gathering information on the extent of Achane's injury, but added it did not “sound optimistic.”

Mahomes completed 20 of 24 passes with an interception. He threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Walker, and his 11-yard TD pass to Travis Kelce put the game out of reach.

Mahomes found Kelce in the end zone with 2:55 left to put the Chiefs up by two scores after Kansas City stopped the Dolphins on fourth down at Miami's 48. The Chiefs intercepted Malik Willis on the ensuing drive, and Mahomes moved Kansas City into scoring position before Harrison Butker missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt.

Rashee Rice led the Chiefs in receiving with seven catches for 88 yards, including receptions of 15 and 34 yards on Kansas City's last scoring drive.

“We knew it’d be four quarters of football, and that’s what it took,” coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve got plenty of things to work on, but it’s great to be 3-0. There were some real good things we could take out of it, and there’s some things we can definitely work on going forward.”

Kelce opened the game with a 48-yard catch-and-run but didn't have another catch — or target — until the fourth-quarter score. Walker was held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season with 18 carries for 70 yards.

“We're not going to be mad about winning,” Mahomes said, adding the team's youth played a factor in some of Sunday's lulls. “We won the football game. You think about last season — we were losing some of these games.”

The Dolphins (0-3) pulled within 14-10 on a nine-play scoring drive in the third quarter highlighted by tight end Greg Dulcich's 42-yard catch and capped by Riley Patterson's 37-yard field goal.

Willis was 20 of 36 for 210 yards with the interception and a lost fumble. He also rushed for 56 yards.

Ollie Gordon had 17 carries for 41 yards and a 3-yard TD. The Dolphins turned to the third-stringer after Achane suffered the knee injury on an 11-yard run on Miami's first drive. Backup Jaylen Wright (stinger) was inactive.

Kansas City scored touchdowns on its first two drives, and it looked like Miami's defense was in for another long afternoon, one week after allowing San Francisco to score touchdowns on its first five possessions.

The Dolphins' young defense settled in, though. Miami forced a turnover on downs on Kansas City's third drive, and rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez came up with a diving interception of Mahomes before halftime.

“It's never as good as it was, never as bad as it was until you watch the tape, but I'm pleased with that,” Rodriguez said. “I'm pleased with the intensity. I'm pleased with the physicality of this defense and of this team. And I believe in everybody. ... Now, we have to get better at the football part of it.”

Injuries

Dolphins: Gordon left late in the third quarter because of cramping but returned.

Up next

Chiefs: At Las Vegas next Sunday.

Dolphins: At Minnesota next Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here