The Miami Dolphins were dominant in all three phases of the game in their return to Hard Rock Stadium, defeating the Carolina Panthers 33-10. Miami's special teams made a quick impact, with Duke Riley blocking a Carolina punt that was recovered by Justin Coleman for a quick score. The Panthers quickly answered back with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Cam Newton to tie the game at 7-7.
In the second quarter, the Dolphins defense stepped up as they forced Newton to throw an interception on back-to-back possessions, first to Jevon Holland and then to Xavien Howard.
Following the second interception by Newton, Tua Tagovailoa connected with Jaylen Waddle on a 9-yard touchdown completion to give the Dolphins a 14-7 lead. That score by Waddle was his first touchdown reception at Hard Rock Stadium.
Later in the quarter, Myles Gaskin rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on a direct snap to give the Dolphins a 21-7 lead.
After a fumble caused on a bad snap by Austin Reiter, that put the Panthers in position to score a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. The Dolphins led 21-10 at the half.
In the second half, Gaskin scored his second touchdown on the day on a 3-yard direct snap, extending their lead to 27-7.
| Stat | Panthers | Dolphins |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 198 | 315 |
| Rushing Yards | 64 | 111 |
| Passing Yards | 134 | 204 |
| 3rd and 4th Down Conv. | 6-17 | 8-16 |
| First Downs | 10 | 22 |
| Penalties | 7/61 | 5/35 |
| TOP | 22:26 | 37:34 |
In the 4th quarter, Jason Sanders connected on field goals from 33 and 46 yards to close out Miami's scoring for the day. Defensively, the Dolphins were stellar as they recorded a whopping five sacks and three interceptions. Rookie Jaelan Phillips led all defensive players with three sacks.
On the day, Tagovailoa went 27 of 31 for 230 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Gaskin led all running backs with 16 carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Jaylen Waddle recorded nine receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown. Waddle also surpassed 100 yards receiving for the first time in career and is now just 124 yards award from breaking the Dolphins all-time rookie record for receiving yards and needs just eight more receptions to hold the Dolphins all-time rookie record for receptions.
The Miami Dolphins now are on a four-game win streak and ended the month of November undefeated. The Dolphins look to keep things going as they prepare for a week 13 matchup against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on December 5th. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM and tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com.
