Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium welcomed its first-ever NFL game on Sunday, and the Spanish football fans witnessed a finish that matched the stature of the venue.
In a thrilling clash between two 3-7 teams, the Miami Dolphins edged the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime, securing the victory with a 29-yard field goal by Riley Patterson after a battle that stretched beyond regulation.
“It was fun. I think being able to come out all the way out here to Spain, get an opportunity to bring football to places where it hasn’t been before was a really cool moment,” said Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota. “Obviously we would have loved to finish it in a different way but looking at the big picture of it, I think it’s awesome that we are globalizing football and bringing football to places we think need it.”
The first half of Sunday’s matchup unfolded as a grind, with both teams limited to field goal scoring until after halftime.
Washington finally broke through on the opening drive of the third quarter, when Mariota hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel for a 20-yard touchdown increasing the score 13-6.
Washington’s defense followed up with a momentum-shifting stop, shutting down Miami on fourth-and-goal to preserve the lead. However, Miami responded with immense determination in the fourth quarter.
“It doesn’t all come up at the end or in the last seconds, but creating a takeaway on defense when you have a chance to go do that, or missed chances at a touchdown in the low red zone, missed kicks, getting a chance to get a lead and close it out obviously,” said Head Coach Dan Quinn, breaking down the team’s troubles. “That’s the part that stings the most because we gave ourselves finally a chance to put ourselves in the spot to go win.”
Goal-line Grit, Costly Errors Takes Madrid’s First-Ever NFL Game into Overtime
The Dolphins opened the quarter with a 10-play scoring drive and then returned the favor to Washington with a goal-line stop on their next possession. From that point on, the contest only intensified between the two teams.
With the game tied 13-13 and just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Washington opted against an easy field goal, making the decision to convert on fourth-and-one. Mariota made a pass intended for tight end Zach Ertz for a touchdown, but Ertz slipped on his route and the pass fell incomplete.
“We have to be better in that zone,” said Mariota. “I think this offense can score a lot of points,but, if we’re not converting our red zone opportunities, it’s tough.”
The Commanders’ scoring opportunity slipped away, giving Miami the chance to seize control.
Then, the Dolphins quickly pressed their advantage with the game still tied 13-13 and less than two minutes remaining. Their offense reached the goal-line again but were shut down twice by Washington’s defense.
Running backs De’Von Achane and Ollie Gordon were both stopped on back-to-back plays– the former on third down and latter on fourth-and-goal— as the Commanders’ defense delivered one of their red zone performances so far this season.
“I really liked seeing some goal-line stops on defense, that certainly brought some energy. That felt right,” said Quinn.
But it was Washington’s offense and special teams that couldn’t match the resurgence of Miami’s defense. With their primary returner, wide receiver Jaylin Lane suffering a hip injury in the third quarter, cornerback Mike Sainristil stepped in and dropped a key fourth-quarter punt, giving Miami possession at the Washington 42-yard line.
Although the Commanders escaped that threat, their next chance of securing a win before game regulation vanished when Matt Gay missed a 56-yard field goal with just 10 seconds remaining.
“I missed that kick to win the game so it sucks, it’s tough. That’s on me,” said kicker Matt Gay. “We would have won that game if that kick was in. So good snap, good operation from the guys, good protection. I just missed, so that’s on me.”
Overtime Grueling for Washington
On their first offensive snap Mariota targeted Ertz, but Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones picked off the pass for an interception and returned it to the Washington 33-yard line.
“They covered our first couple of options well, and I tried to get backside to Zach (Ertz), a guy undercut and made a play,” said Mariota. “[That was] unfortunate there and [I] give credit to [Dolphins’ cornerback Jack Jones], he made a good play.”
In his fifth start this season, filling in again for the injured Jayden Daniels, Mariota played a solid and composed game finishing 20-of-30 for 213 yards, a touchdown, and recorded 49 rushing yards. However, that interception in overtime proved to be very costly for Washington.
After three solid runs by Achane, Miami sent Patterson out to kick a 29-yard field goal, securing the victory for Miami and handing Washington its sixth straight loss.
“We have to figure out quickly how we can fix this,” said Mariota. “You know we can’t play good on one side of the ball and not play good on the other. We have to find a way to compliment each other…our defense played phenomenal today— held a very good offense to 19 points. So,. we’ve got to do better on offense to be able to convert some of our red zone opportunities.”
Washington’s Reawakening Under Quinn’s Play-Calling
Although the loss wasn’t ideal for Washington, the defense looked revitalized for the first time in five games, with Quinn handling play-calling duties.
The unit recorded first-half sacks from cornerback Johnathan Jones and defensive end Jacob Martin, and added a late one from linebacker Von Miller. Plus, the defense delivered two explosive goal-line stands in the second-half.
“The defense played unbelievable and made some huge stops,” said Mariota.
Commanders Enter Bye Week, What’s Next?
In the end, Miami capitalized on one final mistake from Washington’s offense, and in the Bernabéu’s historic debut as an NFL venue, the Dolphins walked off victorious improving 4-7. Meanwhile, the Commanders dropped to 3-8 heading into a much-needed bye week in Week 12.
The Washington Commanders will be back at Northwest Stadium for a Week 13 Sunday Night Football showdown against AFC opponent, the Denver Broncos. Denver enters the bye week with a 9-2 on the season so far after a 22-19 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m.
“I think I’m just gonna keep battling,” said Quinn. “You know that’s kind of the attitude that I take to say ‘Where do you find the space to get better?’ and like that’s what you dig into. I thought there were strides and that’s what I want to see.”