The Miami Dolphins visited the Carolina Panthers in Week 5, with both teams hoping to improve on their 1-3 records to start the 2025 NFL season. Miami also had to answer the question of how the team adapts
following the season-ending injury to wide receiver Tyreek Hill during the second half of the team’s game last week.
Miami opened the game dominating the Panthers, forcing turnovers and scoring at will. Then everything changed, and the Dolphins struggled to do anything offensively. The Miami defense wore down throughout the game and Carolina chipped away to take a lead at 20-17 and 27-24 in the fourth quarter.
This game is likely the one that breaks the Dolphins season. They came out and looked miserably to start the year, but they looked like they were putting it together in Weeks 3 and 4, playing well against the Buffalo Bills then winning against the New York Jets. To start this game as well as they did, then just completely fall apart, this could be the game that ends anything Miami might still think of themselves.
This was unacceptable and embarrassing.
Final Score
Dolphins 24 – 27 Panthers
Game Recap and Reactions
First Quarter
Dolphins first possession
Miami received the opening kickoff after the Panthers won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Dolphins came out firing, even without Hill, picking up 10 yards on a pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle on first down to move out to near midfield. Three plays later, facing a 3rd-and-6, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa waited for tight end Darren Waller to spring free down the seam, connecting for a 34-yard gain. Two runs and a sack later, Miami had backed up 12 yards and had to settle for a field goal.
Miami did not come out shying away from the passing game. On 10 offensive plays, the Dolphins called for passes on eight of them. They need to make sure they are staying balanced throughout the game, but they clearly are not afraid to pass – and without Hill dominating the first read for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ passing game may be more effective than expected.
Dolphins 3-0.
Panthers first possession
Carolina began at the 24-yard line, picking up 29 yards on a 3rd-and-8 pass as quarterback Bryce Young threw to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan down the right side of the field. After Miami was called for a defensive holding penalty, the Panthers were well into Miami territory when running back Rico Dowdle picked up seven yards on a reception. On 2nd-and-7, Young fumbled as linebacker Bradley Chubb pressured him, with the linebacker falling on the ball for the Miami takeaway.
The Dolphins’ struggles with takeaways seem to be over. They still do not have an interception, but that is the fourth fumble recovered in five quarters of football. Now Miami needs to score and start to put this game away early.
Dolphins second possession
Miami opened with the ball at their 42-yard line following the recovery. Running back De’Von Achane started the drive with a run for no gain then a run for two yards, but the story was again the passing game. Miami moved down the field behind Tagovailoa passes to Waddle for 11 yards, tight end Tanner Conner for one yard, Waller for six yards, Waller for 13 yards, and Waddle for 13 yards. Miami rushed a play into the final seconds of the quarter, with wide receiver Malik Washington take a pop pass on a jet sweep, but losing five yards.
Second Quarter
Dolphins second possession (continued)
After the break, the Dolphins made up for the loss with a pass from Tagovailoa to Achane, who managed to toe-tap his way for a score on the right sideline.
Miami is coming out firing on all cylinders today. This is who the Dolphins were supposed to be in Week 1. This is who they need to be all season. There was a scare with Waddle struggling to get up after the 11-yard reception, but he got back into the game and made a play, so it seems like whatever the issue was, he is okay. Tagovailoa is firing the ball with accuracy today.
Dolphins 10-0.
Panthers second possession
Young threw to McMillan for four yards to start the drive, but on their second play, Young overthrew Xavier Legette and Miami safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off the pass to give Miami back the ball.
There we go! No more talk about takeaways being a problem, and no more discussion that the team has no interceptions. Let’s go!
Dolphins third possession
Miami opened at the Panthers’ 49-yard line, then were gifted a free five yards on a defensive offsides on the opening snap. Tagovailoa went back to the air, and back to his favorite target early in the game, with a 21-yard pass to Waller. A run from rookie running back Ollie Gordon II lost two yards, but the Dolphins did not allow it to slow them down, picking up eight yards on a pass to tight end Julian Hill, 13 yards on a pass to Waddle, and four yards and the score on a pass to Waller.
Waller is a beast. He is dominating this game – he looks so much bigger than everyone else on the field and he is able to catch anything anywhere near him. The Dolphins are taking charge of the game, but they have to keep the pressure on the Panthers to put this game away.
Dolphins 17-0.
Panthers third possession
The Panthers needed a spark, and they played like it on the drive. A run from Dowdle for 11 yards started the possession, then, after a five-yard false start penalty, he added 14 yards on another carry. The ground attack continued with Dowdle and running back Trevor Etienne picking up eight more yards on three straight running plays before Young tried passing for the first time on the drive. After an incomplete pass, he was able to find McMillan for 21 yards on a 4th-and-5 play. Two plays later, the two connected again, this time for 12 yards. Carolina ended the drive three plays later with a pass from Young to Legette for a second-yard score.
Good drive from Carolina. Miami needs to answer now. The defense had a couple of oppotunities to shut down this drive, but they let the Panthers have some hope. Can the Miami offense end those chances quickly?
Dolphins 17-7.
Dolphins fourth possession
Miami gained possession with 3:18 remaining in the half, running two plays and picking up five yards before the two-minute warning. After the break, Tagovailoa looked to pass, but the Panthers swarmed through the line and sacked him, leading to a punt.
Ouch. The Dolphins needed to respond there, and they could not do anything. Just a miserable three-and-out possession. Now it will be on the defense to make sure this does not become a double-up opportunity for the Panthers.
Panthers fourth possession
Carolina, despite having just 1:47 on the clock, looked to the ground game to gash Miami. Dowdle opened the drive with a 25-yard run, then wide receiver Jimmy Horn took an end-around for five yards. An illegal formation penalty backed up the Panthers, but Dowdle caught a pass for 13 yards then ran for seven yards to keep the ball moving foward for the Panthers. After Etienne picked up six yards, a false start moved Carolina back again. Young then threw to Dowdle for 11 yards, moving the ball to the Miami 19-yard line with 24 seconds remaining. After a couple more plays, some timeouts from the Dolphins, and a false start penalty, the Panthers were able to kick a field goal as time ran out.
Not sure what is happening right now. The defense has just been run over and they do not have an answer for a Panthers team they looked like they were going to boatrace out of this game. Carolina could tie up the game with the opening possession of the second half.
Halftime Reactions
This started off almost as well as it could have for the Dolphins, only for it to quickly shift to the Panthers punching Miami in mouth. The Dolphins should be absolutely dominating this game, but instead, the Panthers are hanging around and have chance to tie it up on the first possession of the second half.
Waller is a beast. Miami’s offense does not look like it is missing Hill – though they need to figure out what happened on that three-and-out possession and not allow that to happen again. This should be a high-scoring, one-sided game with how Miami was playing. They have to get back to that in the second half.
Third quarter
Panthers fifth possession
Carolina opened with ball and immediately gashed Miami. Dowdle took a pitch right and turned it into a 53-yard run down the sideline before Fitzpatrick was able to chase him down and make the tackle. After a delay of game penalty on the Panthers, the Miami defense held the Panthers to no gain on a run, forced an incomplete pass, and linebacker Jaelan Phillips sacked Young for a nine-yard loss. The Panthers settled for a field goal.
Giving up the run was ridiculous, but the defense answered and forced the field goal. They cannot continue to allow those big runs, however. The defense is not playing up to their potential, but hopefully the Phillips sack will be enough to get them going.
Dolphins fifth possession
Miami answered the Panthers’ scoring drive with a three-and-out. A loss of three yards looked like it was erased with a 19-yard pass to Waddle, but a holding penalty on the Dolphins negated the gain. Tagovailoa threw to Conner for 15 yards on 2nd-and-23, then was forced to scramble for five yards on 3rd-and-8, leading to the punt.
Not good enough. Miami cannot put away the Panthers, and now they may find themselves having to play from behind despite their early game domination. What happened to suddenly shut down everything Miami is trying to do? They better figure it out quickly.
Panthers sixth possession
The Panthers picked up 11 yards on the first play as Young threw to tight end James Mitchell, but the drive stalled there and Carolina punted on 4th-and-7.
Miami got lucky. Cornerback Jack Jones should have been called for defensive pass interference on the third play of the drive, a penalty that would have moved the Panthers halfway down the field, but the flag was picked up. Miami forced a punt – but they needed the refs to help them do it.
Dolphins sixth possession
Washington took a short pass in the flat on first down and turned it into an eight-yard gain. Achane then converted for the first down on a three-yard run. A two-yard run and two incomplete passes finished the drive, however, and Miami was again forced to punt.
Is this the same game we were watching in the first quarter? What has happened to this team? They are being completely outplayed in every aspect right now. If someone does not wake up and make a play, what looked like a dominating, blowout win is going to be a brawl to the finish line.
Panthers seventh possession
Carolina opened with the ball at their own two-yard line after Miami perfectly downed the punt. A Dowdle run for two yards gave the Panthers a little breathing room, with Young throwing to tight end Tommy Trimble for seven yards to bring up 3rd-and-1. Young then found wide receiver Brycen Tremayne for a nine-yard gain and a first down. An end-around to Horn added five yards before a three-yard run from Dowdle set up 3rd-and-2. The Dolphins got pressure on Young, starting with Phillips then from defensive tackle Zach Sieler, before linebacker Jordyn Brooks pulled the quarterback down for the sack. Carolina punted.
Okay, the defense actually did their job and now Miami’s offense needs to put up some points. This has gone on long enough. Great team sack on the final offensive play – multiple players creating pressure and great coverage downfield. Well done.
Dolphins seventh possession
Miami ran out the clock on the third quarter with a run from Achane that lost two yards.
Fourth Quarter
Dolphins seventh possession (continued)
Tagovailoa threw to Washington in the flat for a two-yard loss on second down, setting up a 3rd-and-14. The pressure got to Tagovailoa, who was forced to dump the ball to Hill for a seven-yard gain, picking up only half of what they needed. A three-and-out punt is not going to get it done for Miami.
This has just become ridiculous at this point. The offense cannot do anything. They went from scoring at will, to picking up yards but not scoring, to not moving the ball, to now going backwards. They cannot continue to rely on the defense to hold onto a four-point lead.
Panthers eighth possession
An incomplete pass and a pass to Horn for four yards set up a 3rd-and-6 for the Panthers. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler made it into the backfield on the play, just missing a sack as Young juked away, but linebacker Matthew Judon kept up the pressure and forced the incomplete pass. Carolina punted on the three-and-out.
The defense is trying to hold on to this win for the team. The offense needs to take the pressure off of them. This is just not acceptable at this point.
Dolphins eighth possession
Miami opened the drive with a 17-yard pass to Waddle, giving the team a first down and moving the ball out to the 42-yard line. The next two plays featured a pass to Hill for two yards and a pass to Achane for a single yard. On 3rd-and-7, after a Panthers timeout, Carolina created pressure with a perfectly designed blitz and Tagovailoa threw deep toward Waddle, but the receiver could not come up with the catch. Miami punted.
It is technically better than a three-and-out, given there were four plays, but that is about all that can be said about that possession.
Panthers ninth possession
Carolina opened with a one-yard run from Dowdle, with defensive tackle Matthew Butler called for illegal use of hands to give the Panthers five yards and a free first down. After a four-yard pass from Young to Dowdle, the running back gained 43 yards on a run. After a five-yard run from Dowdle, linebacker Chop Robinson pressured Young into an incomplete pass, but the referees called Robinson for a hip-drop tackle. Jack Jones was then called for holding on the next play, giving the Panthers a 1st-and-Goal from the Miami nine-yard line. A Dowdle run, a Young cramble, and a Dowdle run ate up the remaining yardage and gave the Panthers the lead for the first time on the day.
Miami led this game 17-0 and the party had started. The Panthers shut it down. What will the offense do now?
Panthers 20-17
Dolphins ninth possession
Miami, playing from behind for the first time on the day, opened with a pass to Achane for seven yards after Washington returned the kick 40 yards. A second-straight pass to Achane gained an additional four yards and moved the ball into Carolina territory. Tagovailoa then wound up and bombed the ball to Waddle for the 46-yard touchdown to retake the lead for Miami.
Well that was a response. They should not have had to do that, but it regains some of the momentum for Miami and regains the lead. Now the defense has to hold on.
Dolphins 24-20.
Panthers tenth possession
A 16-yard run from Dowdle with an additional five yards for a defensive holding moved the Panthers from their 17-yard line to the 38, a gash Miami’s defense cannot afford to be giving up at this point. Young then found Legette for a 24-yard gain before Etienne added five yards. Two incomplete passes brought up 4th-and-5, only to have Horn catch a pass for 17 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Mitchell Evens caught a four-yard pass for the score and the Panthers reclaimed the lead.
The defense is exhausted, and they played like it on that drive. Carolina simply took it to Miami and the Dolphins could not stop them. Miami now has 1:59 remaining in the game to figure out whatever has been ailing them and put this game away. They cannot lose a game they dominated at the start. If they want to have any chance at turning around a miserable 1-3 start, winning this game is critical.
Dolphins tenth possession
The drive opened with an incomplete pass targeting Waddle, then a second as Tagovailoa overthrew a wide-open Waddle on a pass that could have been intercepted. On 3rd-and-10, Tagovailoa was sacked. Miami punted after the three-and-out with just 1:03 remaining.
What the hell was that? Just embarrassing. That is the best that can be said about that possession, and really, this entire game outside of the first quarter.
Panthers eleventh possession
Dowdle picked up three yards on the first play, with Miami immediately calling a timeout. On 2nd-and-7, Carolina again gave the ball to Dowdle, with a timeout coming after the two-yard gain. With 55 seconds remaining, Carolina threw a deep out route, with the ball falling incomplete, but Jack Jones was called for pass interference. The first down gave Carolina the ability to run out the clock.
Embarrassing. That game as a whole was a disappointment and just cannot happen.
