Call the minister, buy the casket, and reserve the hall for the wake; it’s time to bury the Washington Commanders’ 2025 season.
Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
At least the fans in Madrid got their money’s worth.
A crowd of over 78,000 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium watched the Commanders and Miami Dolphins pack 60 minutes worth of twists and turns into the last three minutes of regulation, amazingly with no points scored to take the game into overtime. And in the end, the Commanders (3-8) did what they have done almost every year for the last 33 years: come up short when the situation is big.
Miami tied the score at 13 with 12 and a half minutes left in the game. Quarterback Marcus Mariota put together an 11-play 6:39 drive to the Miami 2-yard line. On fourth down and goal, the Commanders decided to go for the touchdown instead of kicking a short field goal. Tight end Zach Ertz beat his man but slipped and wasn’t able to make the catch in the end zone, giving Miami a chance at a game-winning drive.
Washington’s defense, however, was able to force a punt, something that has been a rare occurrence the last few weeks.
The Dolphins punted, but Mike Sainristil, filling in for an injured Jaylin Lane, fumbled the ball at the Commanders’ 40-yard line, and Miami recovered. The Dolphins drove to the Washington one-yard line, but on fourth and goal with 1:44 left in the game, head coach Mike McDaniel inexplicably passed up his own easy field goal attempt to try and score a touchdown.
The defense responded as Eddie Goldman and Frankie Luvu stopped Ollie Gordon, giving Washington yet another lifeline.
The offense drove the ball to the Dolphins’ 38, but with 10 seconds left in regulation, Matt Gay missed a 56-yard field goal. He also missed a 51-yard attempt in the first half. The Commanders got the ball first in overtime, with a chance to put points on the board and pressure on a Miami offense that had been held in check all afternoon.
That’s when the Commanders committed their final, fatal mistake.
Mariotta threw an interception on a pass intended for Ertz to Jack Jones on Washington’s first play in overtime. It took Miami just four plays for Jake Bailey to kick a 22-yard field goal to win the game 16-13. Washington goes into its bye week largely irrelevant this season. The front office and coaching staff need to decide whether it’s worth bringing quarterback Jayden Daniels back this year or if he should be shut down until the offseason. They also must decide who on the roster needs to stay and who needs to go.
The Commanders only have 34 players under contract in 2026 and only two picks in the top 100 of the 2026 draft. A season that looked so promising just two months ago has given way to a murky future.
Post Game Notes:
Marcus Mariota finished 20 of 30 for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 49 yards… The defense recorded three sacks for the first tie since week 8… Deebo Samuel caught seven passes for 74 yards and one touchdown… Washington is off week 12 and plays Denver at Northwest Stadium on November 30th.
Bob Matthews is a 33 year veteran broadcast journalist, spending the last 29 years of his career in Virginia. Bob has covered both news and sports stories and for the last three seasons, the Washington Commanders. He looks forward to continuing to provide coverage to Sportsjourney.com both on the website and through his podcast, The Bob Matthews Show.
Leave a Reply