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.
Final Score
Commanders 13 – 16 Dolphins
Recap and reaction
First Quarter
Dolphins first possession
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.
Commanders first possession
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.
Dolphins second possession
Miami opened with an Achane run for five yards, then a Tagovailoa pass to tight end Greg Dulcich for 14 yards. After offsetting holding penalties negated a 20-yard run from Achane, an odd looking formation with tackle Daniel Brunskill, Gordon, and Achane all in the backfield, resulted in a carry for no gain on a backwards pass from Tagovailoa to Achane. A 15-yard Achane run ended the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Dolphins second possession (continued)
Miami moved quickly after the break, primarily using Achane and Gordon on the ground but picking up 18 yards on a pass to wide receiver Malik Washington as well. They reached the Commanders’ 10-yard line on an eight-yard run from Gordon, but an incomplete pass and a sack of Tagovailoa pushed the Dolphins into a 4th-and-13 from the 21-yard line, leading to another field goal.
Miami is finding success, but they are not finishing right now. They need to tighten up the execution in the redone. The incomplete pass toward tight end Dulcich, the only incomplete pass in the game so far, seemed like the tight end ran a different route than Tagovailoa was expecting. Another field goal is fine, but there has not been much excitement from the Dolphins’ offense yet.
Dolphins 6-3.
Commanders second possession
Washington lost a yard to open the drive with Rodriguez trying to run through the middle of the line of scrimmage. Mariota threw to tight end Zach Ertz for 15 yards on second down, then Rodriguez picked up 17 yards on a run. The pattern repeated with a pass to the tight end for nine yards and rush from the running back for five yards. Two incomplete passes and a sack of Mariota forced a field goal attempt from the Commanders, with the 51-yard kick pushing wide right.
Again, the Commanders are able to find success moving the ball against the Miami defense, but the Dolphins get lucky and force a field goal attempt – and this time it is even better with the kick missing. Miami’s defense needs to make an adjustment quickly.
Dolphins third possession
The Dolphins’ third possession is barely worthy of a note in the recap. A pass to Waddle for seven yards was followed by a two-yard loss from Achane and a 12-yard loss on a sack of Tagovailoa. Miami punted on the three-and-out drive.
Ouch. That was just ugly.
Commanders third possession
The Commanders began at their six-yard line, then immediately lost a yard on a run from running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Washington was bailed out by a horrible defensive pass interference penalty on Miami cornerback Jack Jones, who did not impede wide receiver Deebo Samuel and the pass was completely uncatchable, moving them out to the 20-yard line. Washington continued to mix the pass and the run, moving down into the redone as they also allowed the clock to run. On 3rd-and-8 from the Miami 15-yard line, the Commanders appeared to gain four yards on a pass to Samuel, but an offensive pass interference penalty called against Samuel backed up Washington. On the subsequent 3rd-and-18, Samuel caught a screen pass, turning it into a 13-yard gain. The Commanders settled for a field goal.
The defense is relying on luck to make stops at the moment. The Commanders are simply beating Miami in everything they want to do. The Dolphins are getting lucky that a sack or a penalty comes at exactly the moment Washington could strike for the endzone, leading to a field goal attempt. They have also gotten lucky in Washington missing a field goal. Someone needs to snap some aggressiveness into the defense.
Tied 6-6.
Halftime Reactions
So much was made of this being a battle between the two quarterbacks from Hawaii, with Mariota and Tagovailoa taking center stage. At this point, I feel sorry for anyone in Hawaii who started watching this game at 4:30 a.m., as you could take a nap and not miss much in this first half. Miami has to find the spark that led to the win against the Buffalo Bills last week.
Third Quarter
Commanders fourth possession
Starting with the ball in the second half, the Commanders ended the field-goal fest with a six-play frive that took just 3:36 off the clock. Running back Chase Edmonds returned the kickoff to the Washington 41-yard line, then Mariota and Rodriguez took over, moving down the field in chunks, including two runs from Rodriguez for 12 yards each. The drive ended with a 20-yard pass from Mariota to Samuel for the touchdown.
Well, the needed changes to the defense did not appear on the first drive. Washington ran over them on the way to the score – both figuratively and literally. Samuel just powered through the tackle attempts to land in the endzone.
Commanders 13-6
Dolphins fourth possession
Miami looked to answer, starting with a 31-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Waddle followed by a 14-yard pass from Tagovailoa to tight end Julian Hill. Already at the Commanders’ 20-yard line, Miami turned to the run game, with Achane picking up two yards on two carries and Gordon adding 11 on three attempts. On 4th-and-Goal from the two-yard line, Tagovailoa attempted a pass to Waddle in the front of the endzone, but linebacker Bobby Wagner made a diving pass breakup to force the turnover on downs.
The call to go for it was correct, but Miami cannot be giving up points like that. The good news is, Washington is 98 yards away from the endzone. The bad news is, the Dolphins’ defense has not proven they can stop the Commanders yet.
Commanders fifth possession
Starting at the two-yard line, a false start penalty on the first play moved Washington back to the one-yard line. After a run for two yards and an incomplete pass, Mariota connected with running back Jeremy McNichols on a screen pass that turned into a first down. The drive stalled out there, however, with the Commanders punting three plays later.
The defense made a stop, with a couple of false start penalties assisting them, to get the ball back for the offense with good field position.
Dolphins fifth possession
An incomplete pass toward Waddle started the drive, but Miami was able to overcome it with a three-yard run from Achane and a 13-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Washington. After a Gordon run for six yards, Washington caught another pass and wove through the defense for 11 yards. The Dolphins attempted to draw the Commanders offsides as the clock ran down to the end of the quarter, and it appeared to work, but the referees determined the quarter ended before the penalty.
Fourth Quarter
Dolphins fifth possession (continued)
Miami restarted with a pop pass to Achane, who backed up into what looked like a big loss, only for the running back to somehow turn it into a nine-yard gain. Achane then converted the first down on a three-yard run. After an incomplete pass, Achane caught a screen pass and picked up seven yards. On 3rd-and-Goal from the one, Gordon powered through for the touchdown.
It was not the prettiest drive Miami has had this year, but they were finally able to end it with a touchdown. The highlight of the drive will be on the Achane nine-yard gain, but it will be more on the fake of a high snap Tagovailoa made after giving the ball to the running back. Just an overly exaggerated attempt to confuse the defense. Tied ball game. Time for the defense to make another stand so the offense can retake the lead and, hopefully, put this game away.
Tied 13-13.
Commanders sixth possession
A 10-yard run from Croskey-Merritt started the drive, but Miami was able to force a 3rd-and-8 immediately following. The pressure reached Mariota, who turned it into a 44-yard gain as he scrambled out of danger and down the right sideline. After a first down conversion over the next three plays, Washington had a 1st-and-Goal from the five. Back-to-back runs pushed the Commanders to the one-yard line on 3rd-and-Goal, where Miami was able to stuff another run for no gain. On 4th-and-Goal, the Commanders were forced to take a timeout to avoid a delay of the game after a late substitution. After the stoppage, Mariota looked toward Ertz who slipped as the pass was being thrown and the Commanders turned the ball over on downs.
That was the definition of bend but do not break defense. Wow. If Ertz did not slip, that was probably a touchdown. Great job from the front seven who stood up to stop every run at the goal line. Now, Miami has the ball at the one-yard line. They cannot make a mistake here. The game is there to be taken. Can they take it?
Dolphins sixth possession
Starting at their one-yard line, Miami began the drive with a 20-yard run from Gordon to break Miami out of the danger area. A three-yard loss from Achane and a dropped pass by Waddle set up 3rd-and-13. The Dolphins attempted a screen pass, but no one was out in front of Achane, so Tagovailoa held the ball, then scrambled away momentarily before being sacked to set up a punt.
A great start to get away from the goal line, but other than that, it was ugly. The Waddle drop was bad – the ball hit him perfectly and he just could not bring it in.
Dolphins seventh possession
Washington muffed the punt, with the Dolphins recovering the loose ball and starting a new drive at the Commanders’ 42-yard line. Gordon picked up a yard on first down, then Achane gained 12 yards on the second play. After a five-yard run from Achane, the Commanders called their second timeout of the half. An 18-yard run from Achane gave Miami 1st-and-Goal, with a one-yard run on the first attempt leading to Washington’s final timeout. Achane took the toss on 2nd-and-Goal, appeared to be in trouble in the backfield, but cut through everyone to get to the one-yard line. After the two-minute warning, on 3rd-and-Goal, the Dolphins gave the ball back to Achane, but he was stopped for no gain. Miami elected to go for it on 4th-and-1, only to have Gordon stuffed and no points scored.
Come on. There is a ton of time on the clock, so electing not to take the field goal made some sense, but that play never had a chance. The Commanders absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage and Gordon had no where to go. This is painful now.
Commanders seventh possession
Starting at the three-yard line, Washington jumped out to the 31 with a 28-yard pass to Samuel. A one-yard run led to Miami using its first timeout. A three-yard pass to Ertz led to the second timeout before Mariota threw to wide receiver Jacoby Jones for a 25-yard gain. A run of two yards and an incomplete pass set up 3rd-and-8 from the Miami 38-yard line. After an incomplete pass, the Commanders missed the 56-yard field goal to give Miami a chance.
Wow, what a roller coaster. Miami looked in good position with Washington starting at the three, only to have the Commanders break out with some big plays. Then it looked like it was over as the Commanders moved into field goal range, only to give the Dolphins another chance with the ball. Insane, but can Miami pull off a miracle?
Dolphins eighth possession
A short pass attempt near the sideline targeting Waddle fell incomplete as the throw was behind the receiver and Waddle could not bring it in. With four seconds left, Tagovailoa threw to Achane, who looked to lateral the ball but had no open options and had to try to force his way downfield; he was tackled after a 22-yard gain with no time remaining on the clock.
On to overtime. Damn. Just needed to get within field goal range there, but with no timeouts, it was going to be tough.
Overtime
Commanders eighth possession
Miami won the toss and elected to kick. Mariota looked to throw on first down, with cornerback Jack Jones intercepting the ball.
There we go. Miami should sneak out of Spain with the win as long as they do not screw anything up here.
Dolphins ninth possession
Achane gained 10 yards on the first down play from the Commanders’ 33-yard line. Achane picked up four yards on the next play as Miami continued to work conservatively toward what could be a game-winning score. The Dolphins called a timeout as the play clock wound down, before Achane added another eight yards and a Miami first down. The Dolphins elected to kick the game winning field goal on the next play.
There we go! It was not pretty, but it counts the same in the record. Wow they did not make this easy on the fans.
Dolphins 16-13.
