The Miami Dolphins left Sunday’s game against Kansas City fearing they had lost more than a single contest.

Star running back De’Von Achane went down on the opening drive and may be gone for the season after an awkward tackle that the officials chose not to flag.

Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman grabbed Achane by the facemask and twisted him to the turf. The play produced no penalty, even as Achane stayed down with what the team later described as a knee injury. Miami ruled him out for the remainder of the afternoon.

He finished with three carries for 17 yards, a modest start that now looks like the last snapshot of his 2026 campaign if the early medical picture holds.

Coach Jeff Hafley offered little comfort afterward.

“Still gathering information and hopefully I’ll have more information for you,” Hafley said. “To be very honest with you, it does not sound very optimistic at this moment. But I can’t give you any other details until I have them.”

Achane is scheduled for an MRI on Monday to confirm the initial diagnosis.

The timing is brutal for a Dolphins offense that has leaned on Achane’s speed and receiving skill. Losing him on the first series of a nationally watched game against a perennial contender immediately reshapes Miami’s plans at running back and in the passing game out of the backfield.

Teams often talk about next-man-up culture after injuries, but replacing a back of Achane’s explosiveness is never a simple substitution.

The rest of the room will have to absorb more carries and more defensive attention, and the coaching staff will have to decide how much of Achane’s unique role can be split among remaining players without becoming predictable.

The non-call on the facemask will fuel debate in the hours after the game.

Gilman’s grab and the twisting motion that followed are the kind of sequence that usually draws a flag, especially when a skill player’s lower body is leveraged in an unnatural way.

Officials missed it, and the result may be a long-term absence rather than a first-down penalty and a reset. That does not change the medical reality Miami now faces.

Until the MRI results arrive, the Dolphins are left with Hafley’s blunt assessment and a star running back whose season may have ended before the first quarter was complete.

Monday’s scan will determine whether the pessimism is confirmed or whether there is a narrower path back. For now, the picture from the sideline is grim, and a team already searching for consistency has another hole to fill.