The Miami Dolphins faced the New Orleans Saints in a pivotal Week 16 matchup at the Caesars Superdome, winning their seventh straight game by the score of 20-3 on Monday Night Football.
After punting on their opening offensive possession, the Dolphins defense wasted no time getting the scoring going with a 28-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Nik Needham created off a tipped pass from Andrew Van Ginkel that was thrown by Saints rookie quarterback Ian Book. Following that score the Jason Sanders converted on a 48-yard field goal to give the Dolphins a 10-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Saints scored on a 38-yard field goal attempt by Brett Maher to cut the Dolphins lead to 10-3. Miami had the opportunity to score in the final seconds of the first half but came up short on a missed 59-yard field goal attempt by Jason Sanders to head into halftime with a 10-3 lead.
In the second half, the Dolphins defense picked up where they left off forcing the Saints to punt following a three and out on their opening second half possession. On the next drive, Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception to Marshon Lattimore on a pass intended for Mack Hollins.
On the following defensive possession, the Dolphins defense recorded two sacks which gave the offense the opportunity to put points on the board.
On the next drive, Tagovailoa rebounded from the interception and led the team on a 9-play 84-yard drive which featured a big 40 yard completion to Mack Hollins. The drive was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown reception by Jaylen Waddle from Tagovailoa to give the Dolphins the 17-3 lead.
| Stat | Saints | Dolphins |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 228 | 379 |
| Rushing Yards | 102 | 183 |
| Passing Yards | 126 | 196 |
| 3rd and 4th Down Conv. | 3-12 | 7-15 |
| First Downs | 16 | 23 |
| Penalties | 3/32 | 5/45 |
| TOP | 25:38 | 34:22 |
In the final frame, the Dolphins scored again on a 34-yard field goal by Jason Sanders to extend the lead to 20-3. Brandon Jones intercepted Book to close the page on the Saints. This was the first win for the Dolphins against the Saints since 2005 and the 43rd all-time Monday Night Football victory in franchise history.
On the night, Tagovailoa went 19 of 26 for 198 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Waddle led all receivers with 10 receptions from 92 yards and one touchdown. Waddle is now the Miami Dolphins record holder for rookie receiving yards in a season with 941 yards. He also tied Jerry Rice's rookie record for receptions on a Monday Night Football game.
Defensively, the Dolphins had 8 sacks. Emmanuel Ogbah led all defensive players with two sacks. The Dolphins defense did not allow the Saints to convert a single third down the entire game.
Miami is now on a seven-game win streak for the first time since 1985 and now sit in the seventh seed of the playoff standings with two games remaining in the regular season. No team in NFL history has had a seven-game losing streak followed by a seven-game win streak until this season. The Dolphins now prepare for a week 17 matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on January 2nd. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.
