Dolphins rout Commanders 45-15, reach 9-3 for first time since 2001

Tyreek Hill wasn’t surprised to see just one defender covering him. After catching a 78-yard touchdown pass, he was plenty thankful.

“I just appreciate it,” he said. “Thanks for not respecting me, I guess.”

Tyreek Hill on his connection with Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s success

Hill had two touchdowns among his five catches for 157 yards, during the Miami Dolphins 45-15 rout of the Washington Commanders on Sunday to pad their lead atop the AFC East and get to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.

A year after losing five in a row once the calendar flipped to December, Tua Tagovailoa & Co. are determined to avoid another late-season swoon. This was a good start.

“Everyone is locked in,” said Tagovailoa, who was 18-of-24 for 280 yards and the TD passes of 78 and 60 yards to Hill. “Everyone knows that we can do something special this year, and no one on our team is trying to waste that opportunity.”

De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six games with a knee injury. Raheem Mostert also had a rushing TD for Miami’s league-leading offense that put up 406 yards.

Tagovailoa was also turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games.

“To be that aggressive while having that burden of frustration was exactly what you hope for from your starting quarterback,” coach Mike McDaniel said.

In extending their winning streak to three, the Dolphins even got scoring from their defense, thanks to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 33-yard pick-six of Sam Howell late in the first quarter. They also sacked Howell three times in the first game without Jaelan Phillips, who’s out for the season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Miami’s last game at the New York Jets.

“I don’t think they wanted anything to do with letting Jaelan down,” McDaniel said. “I think they did enough to make Jaelan smile.”

Washington (4-9) had no answer for Hill in the first game with coach Ron Rivera calling the defensive plays following his…

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Publish date : 2023-12-03 23:13:25

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