The Top 10 Dolphins Plays at their Bye

8. Jack Jones’ Overtime Interception of Marcus Mariota 

The Dolphins and Washington Commanders went into overtime with the game tied at 13 after a four-quarter rock fight in Spain. Miami elected to defer and kick the ball to Washington, but cornerback Jack Jones didn’t let Marcus Mariota and the Commanders keep it for long. 

On the opening play of overtime, Mariota had time in the pocket and double-pumped with the ball before trying to connect with tight end Zach Ertz over the middle. Jones undercut the five-yard pass attempt for his first interception since joining the Dolphins. 

The game-changing interception kick-started a four-play, 22-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard walk-off field goal by Paterson. 

7. De’Von Achane’s One-Play 49-yard Touchdown Drive vs. The Los Angeles Chargers

Miami’s offense was struggling early against the Chargers. Tagovailoa threw an interception on the second play of the game and was then sacked on third down to end the second drive. 

Searching for a spark, Rasul Douglas punched the ball free from tight end Oronde Gadsden II to force a turnover near midfield. Achane, with center Aaron Brewer leading the way, sprang open on the right side and made a defender miss before trotting into the end zone on a 49-yard play.

Achane leads the NFL with nine carries of at least 20 yards — and spoiler — we haven’t heard the last of him on this list. 

6. Jaylen Waddle Goes 43 Yards To Put Away The Atlanta Falcons

The Dolphins dominated the first half against the Atlanta Falcons, leading 17-3 at the break. The margin for error still seemed slim, especially coming off their second three-game losing streak in the first two months. 

The offense was slowly moving the ball down the field with 41 yards on nine plays before Tagovailoa connected with Waddle on a crossing route over the middle. Four defenders were near Waddle at the time of the catch, but he had enough space to turn on the jets and break free from the pack.

The 43-yard strike brought back memories of the 84-yard touchdown reception Waddle had against the Green Bay Packers in 2022. 

5. Malik Washington 74-Yard Punt Return Against The New England Patriots 

Malik Washington scored the first punt return touchdown of the season when he went to the house in Week 2 against the Patriots. It wasn’t easy, as the former sixth-round pick bobbled the ball and broke away from a defender before spinning out of the pile and breaking free down the left sideline. 

Washington’s touchdown is another example of Miami taking the lead against a good team in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, like the Panthers and Chargers, New England countered shortly after. While Miami held a 27-23 lead, Antonio Gibson took the following kickoff 90 yards as the Patriots took the lead for good. 

4. Darren Waller Fourth-Down Touchdown vs. New York

The Dolphins lost each of their first three games, two of them coming by double digits. Miami was desperate for a playmaker, and luckily Darren Waller was ready to make his season debut in Week 4. 

It was hard to gauge Waller’s impact after he missed all of last season and came out of retirement to join the Dolphins, but his role became pretty obvious after his first reception with the team. 

Miami marched down the field on a 14-play drive before going for it on fourth-and-goal inside the five. Tagovailoa tossed up a jump ball to Waller, who skied over a defender and fought through Sauce Gardner’s tight coverage to salvage the drive with a tough touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. 

3. Chris Rodriguez Stopped on Third-and-Goal 

The game in Madrid was strange, and the Dolphins defense did everything possible to make it ugly. We’ve already discussed Jones’ overtime interception and the impact it had on Miami’s 16-13 overtime win, but the game wouldn’t have ever gotten that far if it wasn’t for a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter.

With the game tied at 13, Washington marched 68 yards in 10 plays to set up a third-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line. The Commanders hoped that Chris Rodriguez could punch it in, but instead, he was met by Tyrel Dodson and Jordyn Brooks before he could break the plane.

The Commanders went for it on fourth, but Zach Ertz slipped, and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground. The turnover on downs is a reminder of how important it is to fight for every yard. 

2. Jordyn Brooks Forces a Josh Allen Fumble

Miami led the Buffalo Bills 16-0 through three quarters, but a touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Keon Coleman cut it to a 10-point game. Tagovailoa then threw an interception — the walls were closing in and the Bills seemed primed for a comeback. 

On third-and-1, Buffalo called a quarterback sneak in which Allen broke free on the left side for a 15-yard gain. Dolphins defenders were equally focused on tackling Allen and poking the ball free. With Jones holding on to Allen, Brooks swung across his body and popped the ball free to squash Buffalo’s momentum.  

1. De’Von Achane 59-yard Touchdown Run Against The Bills

After the Allen fumble, the Dolphins took over with just over seven minutes left, but the game was far from over. The Bills entered the day 6-2 and on a seven-game win streak over Miami, which had already turned the ball over twice.

In only two plays, Achane erased any doubt left in the game. After a three-yard run on first down, he broke free right through the heart of the defense for a 59-yard touchdown to extend Miami’s lead to 23-6. 

The touchdown gave the Dolphins the breathing room they desperately needed against a divisional foe, but it’s also worth noting that Achane iced the game with a 35-yard touchdown run later in the frame. 

Achane, Miami’s offensive MVP through 11 games, finished the day with 174 rushing yards on 22 carries.