Hogs Haven
The NFL’s first game in Madrid featured two teams who were 3-7 and had fallen on some bad luck. However, each of these teams was on a different streak. Washington had lost five straight – mostly in embarrassing fashion, while Miami had won three of their last four, most recently beating Buffalo 30-13.
Surprisingly, this was a defensive battle that featured a few goal line stands and limited big plays down the field. Ultimately, missed opportunities doomed the Commanders yet again, this time on the leg of one Matt Gay – who missed two field goals; one to win the game towards the end of regulation. Even though Washington lost 16-13 in overtime, there were some positives on the defensive side of the ball to take away from this contest.
Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes.
Deebo Samuel: Deebo finally looked healthy again after dealing with a nagging heel injury for a few weeks. The explosion we saw early in the season was back and he made the most of his team-leading seven receptions, turning those into 74 yards and a touchdown.
Eddie Goldman: Goldman was the only defensive lineman that stood out during the game. He had five total tackles, two for a loss, and none was bigger than his stuff at the goal line to prevent a Dolphins touchdown.
Brandon Coleman: I love giving a shout-out to offensive lineman, and sometimes it’s tough before getting to watch the All-22 to really see the impact they had in the game. However, Brandon Coleman was a stand-out in the heavy packages opening holes for the running backs. Kudos to him for showing great effort.
Jordan Magee: Magee flashed in the open field showing speed to the football (something we haven’t see from our linebacking corps much this season) and the ability to break down and make a tackle on the shifty Achane. He had five tackles, four of them solo.
Dan Quinn: I know he is playing short-handed, but with Quinn calling the defense, it looked like a NIGHT AND DAY difference from the HORRIBLE scheme Joe Whitt was calling on a weekly basis. And before you say anything about the Dolphins, don’t forget, this is the team who just hung 30 on Buffalo the week before and one who has won three of their last four games.
