It was a duel between two hot-shot younger quarterbacks all day.
Then, it got here right down to defensive stops and the performs Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields didn’t make on the finish to resolve issues in a shootout between the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears.
As Tagovailoa and Fields matched one another stride for stride — Tagovailoa by way of the air and Fields with a file efficiency on the bottom — the defenses that appeared like they couldn’t cease both quarterback lastly stood robust. The Dolphins held on late to edge the Bears, 35-32, on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Subject.
It has been a season of threes within the first 9 video games for Miami (6-3). The crew is now on a three-game profitable streak, which it additionally began the yr with, and had a three-game shedding streak sandwiched within the center.
Tagovailoa completed 21 of 30 for 302 yards and three touchdowns, following up what many known as the most effective sport of his profession the week prior in a win at Detroit. Miami is now 6-0 this season in video games Tagovailoa begins and finishes and has received 12 of the previous 13 such instances relationship again to final season.
Fields, the second-year Bears signal-caller, had a whopping 178 yards speeding and a protracted rating on the bottom, plus 123 yards passing with three touchdowns by way of the air. Fields’ speeding whole was an NFL file for a quarterback in a regular-season sport.
“These guys have been going at it,” Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill mentioned. “I didn’t know Justin Fields was that quick.”
The mix of Hill and Jaylen Waddle got here by way of as soon as once more for Miami. Hill had seven catches for 143 yards, and Waddle went for 85 yards on his 5 receptions. Every scored a landing.
“The complexity of what they’re seeing, guys motioning, guys shifting, shifting,” Tagovailoa mentioned of how he persistently had the 2 open all through Sunday.
The Dolphins, main by the ultimate of 35-32, had an almost pricey sequence within the fourth quarter the place they burned two timeouts forward of third-and-2 after which fourth-and-1 and turned the ball over on downs. Tagovailoa threw incomplete into the bottom with tight finish Durham Smythe open for the conversion within the flat.
“That doesn’t imply I’m a riverboat kind man and that I’m simply going to try this on a regular basis,” mentioned coach Mike McDaniel of one other resolution to go for a fourth down with a discipline purpose out there to him, which he mentioned had the Chicago wind think about. “On this explicit scenario, had we been going the alternative finish, we in all probability would have kicked it.”
The Miami protection, although, in spite of everything the difficulty it had getting Fields down, got here up with a vital sack of Fields from Melvin Ingram to result in a cease.
“Tremendous clutch,” Jaelan Phillips mentioned of Ingram’s sack that backed Chicago up 5 yards on first-and-10. “It doesn’t get extra clutch than that.”
Tagovailoa then misfired once more on an important third-and-11 the place Waddle had separation on Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, however he underthrew it, permitting Johnson to give you the deflection.
On Chicago’s last probability, Fields threw to Equanimeous St. Brown on fourth down, however they couldn’t join. Linebacker Duke Riley had a sack earlier within the sequence. It was kneel-downs from there for Tagovailoa.
After failing to increase their lead on the finish of the half as a consequence of some questionable clock administration and a missed discipline purpose, the Dolphins breezed proper by way of the Chicago protection on the opening possession of the second half.
Chunk performs of twenty-two yards on a go to Hill, Jeff Wilson Jr. runs of 28 and seven yards and, lastly, an 18-yard landing from Tagovailoa to Waddle bought Miami into the top zone in 4 performs and 75 yards.
However the Bears responded shortly with Fields flashing his distinctive open-field operating potential for a 61-yard landing, the longest quarterback run in Chicago’s lengthy historical past. The Bears made it a 3-point sport, 28-25, early within the third quarter after the profitable two-point conversion that adopted.
Wilson Jr., the brand new Miami operating again, scored his first landing in his new colours with 6:02 remaining within the third quarter, diving for the top zone for a 10-yard receiving rating. Chicago once more answered with tight finish Cole Kmet’s second receiving landing, a 4-yard rating.
The Dolphins’ lone first-half possession that didn’t end in factors got here when kicker Jason Sanders hooked a 29-yard discipline purpose try extensive left earlier than halftime.
Miami scored touchdowns on the bottom, by way of the air and on particular groups within the first half.
Phillips blocked a Chicago punt together with his chest, and fellow exterior linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel took it 25 yards into the top zone for a landing. Tagovailoa discovered Hill on a fast out for a 3-yard landing, and Raheem Mostert punched in a 1-yard speeding rating.
“Execution. We dialed that up in apply and executed it,” Phillips mentioned of the particular groups rating. “I bought there a bit of faster than I anticipated, so it labored out properly.”
Added Van Ginkel: “First off, Jaelan was laying on prime of it, so I used to be praying that he would roll over and thank God he did. I simply noticed it proper in entrance of me, scoop and rating.”
Mostert’s landing on Miami’s first offensive sequence was assisted by a 32-yard defensive go interference that Hill drew in opposition to Chicago’s Kindle Vildor. The Dolphins additionally dedicated a protracted go interference on their first defensive sequence with Keion Crossen known as for a 28-yard penalty overlaying new Bears receiver Chase Claypool, however Chicago settled for a discipline purpose.
The Bears had main receiver Darnell Mooney beat Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard for a 16-yard landing late within the first half, and early within the second quarter, Kmet scored his first landing, 18 yards on a throw to the flat. Howard later had an interception wiped away by offsetting penalties, holding on either side.
The Dolphins, after back-to-back highway video games within the NFC North, now keep house by way of the top of November. They've the Cleveland Browns (3-5) subsequent, adopted by their bye week and the Houston Texans (1-6) on Nov. 27.
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