Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passes during an NFL game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.(AP Photo/Doug Murray)
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers moved the New York Jets into position, Anders Carlson kicked a 42-yard field goal and the Miami Dolphins’ slim NFL playoff chances were all but dead with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
But the Dolphins came out of the AFC East contest with a 32-26 overtime victory and a 6-7 record that’s two games out of a playoff spot with four weeks left in the regular season.
Wide receiver Malik Washington’s 45-yard kickoff return after Carlson’s field goal gave Miami a chance, and even though Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed only 2-of-5 passes in the waning seconds, those extra 20 yards gave Jason Sanders the opportunity to make a 52-yard field goal to tie the game at 26-26 with seven seconds left in regulation.
“What helped with that was our special teams — the return by Malik Washington,” Tagovailoa said. “Great job by him. Great job by those guys on special teams. And they gave us an opportunity to go down and, hopefully, tie the game up so that we could go into overtime. The mindset was just that. Just get a field goal. Get into field-goal range for Jason to kick the ball. And there you go.”
In overtime, the Dolphins won the coin toss, and Tagovailoa completed six straight passes to end the extra period without the Jets getting a chance with the football.
“When we went in there it was just: We’re not ending this with a field goal,” Tagovailoa said. “We’re ending this with a touchdown, and that’s what it was.”
The six completions picked up 67 yards, with a 10-yard touchdown toss to tight end Jonnu Smith ending the game.
“A win means a lot,” Tagovailoa said. “It means a lot because we have no room for error to lose another game. And so we control our own destiny by focusing on the next opponent, and we’ve got to find ways to win all of our games down here in the back end of this stretch.”
In their first meeting as AFC East rivals, Tagovailoa and Rodgers posted similar stats in a closely contested game.
Rodgers completed 27-of-39 passes for 339 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 104.5 passing-efficiency rating.
Tagovailoa completed 33-of-47 passes for 331 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 104.1 passing-efficiency rating.
Tagovailoa became the first player in NFL history with at least 40 passes, multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions in three consecutive games in the same season.
Miami converted only one of its nine third-down snaps in the game. But the Dolphins were 2-of-2 on fourth down, and one of those conversions might have been as season-saving for Miami as Washington’s kickoff return and Sanders’ final-play field goal.
Trailing 23-15, the Dolphins took possession at their 40-yard line with 13:23 left in the fourth quarter. The game-tying touchdown drive that followed – aided by a 23-yard defensive pass interference penalty — included Miami’s only third-down conversion – an 18-yard completion from Tagovailoa to wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the New York 42-yard on a third-and-10 snap.
On fourth-and-goal at the Jets 4, the former Alabama All-American found Hill in the end zone with 9:04 to play. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle caught the 2-point conversion pass that tied the score.
“I probably wouldn’t want to share some of the things we were saying just to get everybody going,” Tagovailoa said about the fourth-quarter drive. “But just know we were getting after everyone inside the huddle to make sure that you’re blocking the way you need to block, you’re running the routes where you need to be, you need to be in the right spots, just all of that. And I thought it was super cool that on the fourth down, you’ve got to find your best player, give it to your best player, and that’s what happened. Then we came back to our next best player on a 2-point drive.”
The Dolphins play the Houston Texans at noon CST Dec. 15 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Miami then completes its regular season against the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Jets.
The Dolphins are trying to catch the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. Those teams have 8-5 record.
The Broncos have games remaining against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens have games remaining against the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Texans and Browns.
