At least it was over quickly.
The Miami Dolphins essentially put the game away with less than six minutes gone in the first quarter when Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill to give the Dolphins a 7-0 lead.
No one in the sellout crowd at Fed Ex Field thought the game would be close before it started, everyone was convinced after that play.
“Well, probably the biggest disappointment more than anything else is, we gave up two explosives that we technically should have not,” head coach Ron Rivera said in his post-game press conference. “We should have been in a better position than we were and we didn’t do that.”
It was a contrast in organizations headed in the opposite direction. The Dolphins are headed to the playoffs with a chance to show they can compete for a championship; the Commanders are headed closer to the top of the 2024 NFL draft with each passing week.
A week after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, and with head coach Ron Rivera calling the signals, Washington’s defense gave up 31 points in the first half, surrendered 247 total yards, and appeared outmatched on almost every play.
“(We’re) Just not a very good defense, can’t stop the run, can't stop the pass,” said defensive end Jonathan Allen after the game.
Washington tried disrupting Hill at the line of scrimmage early on, having defensive backs Q’uan Martin, Benjamin St. Juste or Kendall Fuller play tight one-one-on-one coverage on him. Hill blew past Martin for his first touchdown and Fuller on his second.
St. Juste fared no better, getting flagged for a pass interference penalty trying to keep Jalen Waddle from hauling in a long pass at the Commanders 16-yard line that led to Miami’s third offensive touchdown of the half.
“We got to keep going,” said safety Kam Curl. “There’s no magic words or special potion, we got to keep going. Don't quit.”
Howell contributed to the long first half throwing a screen pass right into the arms of Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle who returned it for a touchdown.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Howell said. “We’ve got to do things better offensively, and you know, it starts with me. I got to play better football, and we just got to continue to try to get better.” “Obviously, we’re getting towards the end here this season, but we still got a lot to play for. We’re going to keep giving it everything we got. But now it starts with me. I’ve got to play better and try to get everybody involved and, you know, get into more of a rhythm,” he said.
Miami took a 31-7 lead into halftime and kept the hammer down to start the third quarter. Tagovailoa led the Dolphins on a nine-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a four-yard touchdown run by De’Von Achane.
Howell would bring the offense down the field on its own nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive; he ran the
final 13 yards into the end zone and threw a two-point conversion pass to tight end Logan Thomas but the damage was already done.
Miami ran out a good portion of the fourth quarter on a 13-play drive that featured 12 runs and just one pass from backup quarterback Mike White.
The loss means Ron Rivera’s administration will end its fourth season with a non-winning record. Last year’s mark of 8-8-1 is the high water mark so far. Rivera has preached patience and growth since arriving in Washington in 2020, but that message may be wearing thin.
“I’ve been dealing with this for 7 years,” Allen said. “I’m tired of trying to build character. My character is built well enough. I’m trying to win.”
“Honestly, I’d say it sounds like words. We keep saying that, but … it’s too late for growth right now,” running back Antonio Gibson said. “But, like I said, we can finish off the season strong and go into next year with growth. But it’s too late for that right now.”
The final insult of the day came after the game was over. As players were giving postgame interviews to reporters, the fire alarm inside the locker room went off.