That was tough. The New Orleans Saints followed up one of their worst first halves of the year with one of their most entertaining second halves in Week 13’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, rallying back to give themselves a shot at an upset late in regulation. Here are the highlights from a game that dropped the Saints to 2-10.

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Saints’ last-minute ‘Tush Push’ doesn’t go the distance

That was ugly. The Saints were stonewalled on fourth-and-short deep in Miami territory to try and keep their hopes alive. The Dolphins defense got underneath them and took advantage of the leverage mismatch to stop Tyler Shough short of a first down. That’s the game, but it ended up being more entertaining than we expected. Final: Dolphins 21, Saints 17

Saints try an onside kick, and manage to recover it

Charlie Smyth executed the onside kick perfectly, sending the ball between each team’s coverage unit and towards the New Orleans sideline, where Devaughn Vele hustled to recover it. And after a lengthy review, it was found that the ball deflected off a Dolphins player’s calf before Vele caught it. New Orleans ball.

Devaughn Vele steps up and gets both toes down for Saints TD

Wow. Devaughn Vele has impressive body control for such a big target, managing to get both feet down in the end zone for a crucial touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. He’s beginning to look like the player we thought the Saints were getting when they traded for him. It’s just a shame that Tyler Shough’s pass on the two-point try didn’t get out in front of Vele and was intercepted. Minkah Fitzpatrick returned it all the way across the field for two points, making it a four-point game. Dolphins 21, Saints 17

Saints get a fourth down stop with a Kool-Aid McKinstry TFL

The Dolphins got gutsy on fourth-and-short, but they went with a strange decision to run Ollie Gordon instead of De’Von Achane. And credit to Kool-Aid McKinstry for cutting into the backfield and getting a huge stop late in the game.

New Saints kicker Charlie Smyth booms a 56-yard field goal

Way to make a first impression. Smyth, an inexperienced kicker from Ireland, spent two years on the practice squad but won a competition at practice to replace Blake Grupe. And his first career field goal was a doozy from 56 yards out. But he hit it without breaking a sweat. Dolphins 19, Saints 11

Chase Young sacks Tua Tagovailoa to force another Dolphins FG

Good effort on third and long. Chase Young won his battle in the trenches and got into Tagovailoa’s blind spot to dive and bring him down. That set up a chip-shot field goal to keep the game in reach. Dolphins 19, Saints 8

Tyler Shough throws a TD pass, and then scores a two-point run

If there’s one thing Tyler Shough does well, it’s throwing on the run. He worked his way through traffic to find Chris Olave wide open in the end zone, having torched Rasul Douglas (who intercepted Shough early in the game) for a too-easy touchdown. Then Shough rolled out and into the end zone to score on the two-point conversion, cutting into Miami’s lead. Dolphins 16, Saints 8

Dolphins extend their lead, Tyler Shough throws an ugly INT

That isn’t how you want to respond to another Miami field goal. The Saints finally drove into Miami territory but Tyler Shough threw an interception to Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas, which set up one more Miami field goal try before halftime. That sent us into the break with New Orleans trailing by more than two touchdowns on a day when they struggled to even move the ball. Dolphins 16, Saints 0

Dolphins, Saints trade takeaways to start second quarter

An odd protection setup left wide receiver Devaughn Vele trying to block a blitzing Minkah Fitzpatrick off the edge, and the Dolphins safety got through to strip the ball away from Tyler Shough at the New Orleans 42-yard line. Then Tua Tagovailoa heaved a pass to the end zone, throwing into double coverage, and Kool-Aid McKinstry came down with it for a Saints touchback. That put the New Orleans offense back out there at their own 20-yard line. It’s just a shame they couldn’t do anything with the turn of events.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan gets his second sack of the day

Whew. Jordan worked his way through the offensive line again, sacking Tagovailoa for the second time in the first quarter. That put him at 128 career sacks, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson for 17th all-time. It’s also Jordan’s latest season with 6.5 or more sacks, tying him with John Randle for the seventh-most seasons in NFL history. He’s putting up a fight against Father Time. The Dolphins had to settle for a field goal, putting them up by two scores. Dolphins 10, Saints 0

Dolphins strike first with a De’Von Achane TD run

Ouch. The Saints won the opening coin toss, opted to start the game on defense, and gave up a six-play scoring drive to start the game. De’Von Achane found a seam on the outside and outran everyone to the end zone on a 29-yard sprint. Dolphins 7, Saints 0

Cameron Jordan’s latest sack puts him ahead of another Hall of Famer

Jordan sacked Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the opening drive, putting him at 127 career sacks — and ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas. He’s up to 18th in NFL history now, and the next player ahead of him is Saints legend Rickey Jackson (128).

Charlie Smyth hits a 66-yard field goal in the rain

It’s raining at Hard Rock Stadium, but the weather is expected to clear out before kickoff. And that didn’t stop the new Saints kicker from drilling a field goal from 66 yards out during warmups — according to general manager Mickey Loomis, per the Times-Picayune’s Luke Johnson, who overheard Loomis chatting about it in the press box.

Charlie Smyth hit a 66 yarder in warmups (I just overheard Mickey Loomis say in the press box)

— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) November 30, 2025Miami Dolphins inactive playersCB A.J. Green IIILB Andre Carter IIWR Tahj WashingtonQB Quinn Ewers (emergency QB3)New Orleans Saints inactive playersRB Alvin Kamara (injury)S Ugo AmadiCB Rejzohn WrightRT Barry WesleyTE Zaire Mitchell-PadenDT John Ridgeway IIIDT Khristian BoydWhat time does Dolphins vs. Saints start?Date: Sunday, November 30Time: 12:00 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. ETWhere: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.What TV channel is Dolphins vs. Saints on today?TV: FOXStreaming: Paramount+ and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.Dolphins vs. Saints predictionsBill Bender, Sporting News: DolphinsRyan Wilson, CBS Sports: SaintsPete Prisco, CBS Sports: DolphinsTom Blair, NFL.com: Dolphins