NFL Week 13 Game Recap: Miami Dolphins 45, Washington Commanders 15

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera took over the defensive playcalling duties from recently fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio,  but the results were more of the same as the high-flying Miami Dolphins stacked explosive play on explosive play en route to a 45-15 blowout victory.

The Dolphins ran the ball for a score on fourth-and-goal with less than two minutes to go up 38-15, an interesting decision by Mike McDaniel to twist the knife into his former employer.

Offensive spotlight: Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill recorded a 78-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter, followed by a 60-yard score in the second quarter to make serious headway in his quest for 2,000 receiving yards. Hill finished the game with five receptions for 157 yards and two scores, with his track star speed on display all afternoon despite some spotty weather conditions in Landover, Md. 

Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel continued a string of quality outings, totaling 65 yards on four receptions, and running back Brian Robinson got off to a hot start with 53 rushing yards on seven carries before leaving late in the first half with a hamstring injury. Both Washington touchdowns came on Sam Howell rushes, with one a very nifty 13-yard scramble on fourth-and-3 in the red zone. Overall, the Commanders offense struggled mightily, with Howell completing just 12-of-23 passes on the day. 

Defensive spotlight: Dolphins edge defender Andrew Van Ginkel read a Commanders screen pass like a book and jumped the route for an impressive pick-six to put Miami up 17-0, effectively ending the game at the end of the first quarter.

Emmanuel Ogbah continued his production in the unfortunate absence of Jaelan Phillips, getting home for a sack of Sam Howell, who was under siege all day but only went down three times. Interior defender Zach Sieler was also in the backfield plenty and finished the game with 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss.

The Commanders defense struggled to stop much of anything the Dolphins threw at them, allowing 6.9 yards per play and giving up a score on six of Miami’s nine drives. Tua Tagovailoa was virtually unbothered, completing 18-of-24 passes, including deep bombs all day long that took a while to develop downfield. 

Rookie spotlight: Dolphins rookie running back De'Von Achane was the recipient of a fourth-down goal-line carry with less than two minutes to go and Miami up 38-15, which was certainly unnecessary, but it still made those with Achane on their fantasy football rosters pleased, as he scored his second touchdown of the day. Achane finished the day with 73 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to go along with three receptions for 30 yards.

Commanders rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. took over the No. 2 role with Brian Robinson out with an injury, racking up 29 rushing yards on seven carries. Second-round defensive back Jartavius Martin tallied five solo tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Box Score

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Receiving