Chiefs handle frigid conditions to outlast Dolphins in AFC wild-card matchup:

By Larry Holder, Nate Taylor, Zak Keefer and Richard Deitsch

The Kansas City Chiefs survived the Arctic temperatures Saturday and advanced to play another week as they pushed past the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in an AFC wild-card matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City will learn its AFC divisional-round opponent once the conference’s wild-card round ends Monday.

The temperature at kickoff stood at minus 4, which was the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, via NBC, and a wind chill factor of minus 27. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs handled the conditions better than the Dolphins.

Mahomes connected primarily with rookie wideout Rashee Rice to the tune of eight receptions for 130 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown catch. The Chiefs QB threw for 262 yards with a 83.6 passer rating.

Kicker Harrison Butker added four field goals before tailback Isiah Pacheco closed out Miami with a 3-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins ended their season with consecutive losses to the top three seeds in the AFC: Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, Buffalo Bills in Week 18, Chiefs in the wild-card round. Miami’s once-potent offense continued its late-season downward trend. Tyreek Hill scored the Dolphins’ lone TD on a 53-yard reception in the second quarter.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 20-of-39 passing for 199 yards with one TD and one interception, resulting in a 63.9 passer rating

In an odd moment, Mahomes’ helmet cracked after taking a hit during a quarterback scramble during the third quarter. A piece of the front of the it flew off onto the field. The quarterback continued to play briefly with a hole in the front of his helmet before officials stopped play to allow Mahomes to swap out the damaged helmet without using a timeout.

Mahomes back being Mahomes

Mahomes, throughout his seven-year career, has built a strong reputation for playing his best in January and February. Since he became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018, each January has started the same: a playoff run that began inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Saturday’s game, though, featured a few new details — the coldest game of his career, his quarterback-specific VICIS helmet being cracked and a rookie receiver who produced a breakout performance in his postseason debut. But Mahomes was Mahomes, the league’s most-talented quarterback. He had another stellar performance, especially when the Dolphins blitzed over and over again. His accuracy, even in windy conditions, was excellent. He chose the correct times when to scramble and he finished with only one negative play, an intentional grounding penalty. — Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat writer

Rice comes up big

One of the weirdest parts of the Chiefs’ season is the collection of receivers. The six-player group — Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Richie James and Rice — dropped 25 catchable passes in the regular season, the most by any receiver group since the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars. But the…