The Miami Dolphins preseason opener against the Chicago Bears featured a battle of two promising young quarterbacks, and Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields did not disappoint.
Fields had the upper hand, albeit in more extended action, and he led the Bears to a 20-13 victory at Soldier Field.
But Tagovailoa put together an impressive performance for Miami, completing 8 of 11 passes for 99 yards in a little more than a quarter of action.
More than mere numbers, though, Tagovailoa looked in command of the offense and had a couple of really impressive completions in tight coverage — to tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver Mack Hollins.
Tagovailoa also had a 50-yard completion to Gesicki in the first quarter that eventually led to a first-and-goal situation, though the Dolphins ultimately settled for a field goal on the drive.
The one flaw on Tagovailoa's performance was an interception at the goal line in the second quarter when he threw late down the middle to tight end Adam Shaheen.
It was backup Jacoby Brissett who produced the only touchdown of the day for Miami, as he completed five consecutive passes for 61 yards in a brilliant two-minute drive.
The touchdown score came on a 23-yard pass to Salvon Ahmed, who also led the Dolphins in rushing with 40 yards on six carries.
The Dolphins also got a 35-yard field goal by Jason Sanders set up by a 34-yard punt return by Jakeem Grant, one of four punt return of at least 20 yards for Miami — two by Grant, one by rookie Jaylen Waddle and the other by Malcolm Perry.
The Dolphins led 13-0 after Brissett's touchdown pass with 45 seconds left in the first half and the Bears still were looking for their initial first down of the game.
That's when Fields went to work.
First, he led a 45-yard drive that ended with Cairo Santos' 53-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Fields then led the Bears on two touchdown drives to start the second half, scoring on an 8-yard scramble and then finding tight end Jesse James wide open behind the Miami defense for a 30-yard score.
The rookie from Ohio State finished 14-for-22 passing for 142 yards and 33 rushing yards.
Along with the interception, the Dolphins committed a second turnover in the second half when tight end Chris Myarick fumbled after catching a pass from quarterback Reid Sinnett.
The Bears added to their lead with a 44-yard field goal by Brian Johnson with 4:18 left after a 51-yard run by Artavis Pierce.
The Dolphins' last chance to come back ended when Sinnett was pressure into an incompletion on fourth-and-6 from their 44-yard line just before the two-minute warning.
Chicago clinched the victory when Ryan Nall had a 39-yard run on third down on the ensuing drive.
The Dolphins' next preseason game will be Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium.
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