The Phinsider
The first regular-season game in NFL history in Madrid, Spain has come to an end with a Miami overtime victory. In a game marred by penalties, turnovers, and failed fourth-down attempts, Miami improved to 4-7 on the season while Washington fell to 3-8.
Nothing in the game was pretty. Both teams struggled to execute, but in the end, Miami did enough to come away with the win. There are questions to be answered, but for the first time this year, the Dolphins have won back-to-back games.
Commanders 13 – 16 Dolphins
The Commanders won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Miami’s offense the ball first. The Dolphins opened the drive with three big plays: an 11-yard run from running back De’Von Achane, a 14-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and a 23-yard run from Achane. Head coach Mike McDaniel called a timeout after the run from Achane, and Miami seemed to lose their momentum. They only picked up nine yards on the next three plays, then were penalized for a delay of game on a play when running back Ollie Gordon would have powered forward for a first down. Miami settled for a field goal.
Great start. I’m not sure why the timeout was called, but McDaniel clearly did not like what he was seeing. Not so great second half to the drive. A touchdown there would have felt so much different from the field goal. The pressure is on the defense now to make a stop and allow the offense to make up for stalling out.
Dolphins 3-0.
The Commanders’ opening drive mirrored Miami’s first possession. Quarterback Marcus Mariota opened the possession with a nine-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Moore, followed by two runs from running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr., for a combined 11 yards. The drive continued in much the same manner, including a Mariota pass to tight end Coloson Yankoff for four yards on a 4th-and-1 from the Commanders’ 46-yard line. The Commanders used a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty in the middle of the possession, then benefitted from back-to-back penalties on the Dolphins, with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick called for an illegal low block and linebacker Tyrel Dodson flagged for defensive pass interference. Ultimately reaching the Miami three-yard line, a false start penalty on fourth down pushed Washington back and they settled for a field goal.
The Commanders smacked the Dolphins defense on the ground and through the air on the opening drive. Miami’s defense had stepped up in recent weeks, but they looked overmatched on this possession. They need to clean up the penalties and not allow Mariota to look like an MVP candidate. The Commanders’ quarterback was five-for-five for 37 yards on the drive.
Tied 3-3.
Miami opened with an Achane run for five yards, then a Tagovailoa pass to...
