The Dolphins were plenty competitive against the Chiefs for much of Sunday afternoon.

But Kansas City’s fourth-down defense proved to be a separator, allowing the club to come away with a 24-10 victory in South Florida.

While Miami was able to sustain drives and gain plenty of yards, the club was 0-of-3 on fourth down with chances to pick up points. The Chiefs also picked up a key takeaway to halt a drive in the second quarter.

With the score at 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Miami elected to go for it on fourth-and-5 from their own 48 with 6:00 left on the clock. But Malik Willis’ pass was incomplete, setting up the Chiefs with good field position.

Kansas City took advantage of it, with Patrick Mahomes connecting with Travis Kelce for an 11-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach with 2:55 left in the contest.

The Dolphins elected to go for it again on fourth down on their ensuing drive, but Chris Jones tipped Willis’ pass, and George Karlaftis came down with it for an interception to effectively end the game, though Harrison Butker missed a 50-yard field goal that would have given the club three more points.

Mahomes was 20-of-24 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The pick went right off Rashee Rice’s hands and was tipped by another defender before Miami came down with the takeaway. Rice ended up leading the Chiefs with 88 yards on seven receptions.

Kelce had two catches for 59 yards with his TD.

On the other side, Willis was 20-of-36 for 210 yards with an interception. He also was the leading rusher with 56 yards on nine attempts.

The Dolphins played most of the game without De’Von Achane, who exited the contest with a knee injury on the first drive.

With the victory, Mahomes has 114 wins in his first 150 starts. That mark is No. 2 all-time behind Tom Brady and ahead of Joe Montana’s 108.

It’s Kansas City’s fifth 3-0 start since Mahomes became the team’s starter in 2018.

The Chiefs will be in Las Vegas next week to take on the division-rival Raiders.

The Dolphins will also be on the road in Week 4, facing the Vikings.