The Miami Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 48-10 on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium to wrap up the preseason for both teams.
Nick Sirianni opted to rest his starters for this game, while Mike McDaniel allowed most of his starters to play for a few drives.
Miami’s offense took the field with Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa together for the first time, and they wasted no time getting accustomed to working together, as the wideout brought in a 51-yard catch on the first play of the game.
Tagovailoa continued to move the offense up and down the field on his three possessions in the game, scoring on all three. He finished his day completing six of his seven pass attempts for 121 yards, a touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Offensive tackle Greg Little also made his preseason debut on the left side, filling in for Terron Armstead, who is still returning from injury. With Tagovailoa, and eventually Teddy Bridgewater, Little didn’t look to be overwhelmed at all.
Defensively, they overwhelmed quarterback Gardner Minshew and Reid Sinnett in the first half, holding them to 96 yards between the two. On top of that, they shut down the running game to just 14 yards on 10 carries.
Defensive back Elijah Campbell had the highlight play in the first half, intercepting Sinnett, breaking tackles and returning it for a touchdown.
Once the second half started, Miami didn’t let up for the most part. Their offense was still productive, and their defense was just as suffocating.
The biggest blip came in the third quarter when wide receiver Preston Williams, who has been fighting for a roster spot, was back to field a punt. The ball bounced off of Williams’ hands and was recovered by the Eagles.
Luckily for Williams, the Dolphins’ defense held the Eagles to just a field goal, despite Philadelphia getting the ball inside the 10-yard line.
Rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson hit the field and led the offense to touchdown-scoring drives on his first two possessions, as he looks to have secured his roster spot.
In the fourth quarter, Miami gave up their first touchdown when rookie linebacker Channing Tindall missed a tackle in the backfield, allowing the running back to escape for a 67-yard score down the left sideline.
Thompson settled everything right back down with another 75-yard drive that was started by some nice runs by Gerrid Doaks and ZaQuandre White and was capped off by a 39-yard catch-and-run by Lynn Bowden Jr.
Performances from Doaks, White and the rest of the running backs essentially erased the questions about the rushing attack, as the Dolphins totaled 206 rushing yards on 32 attempts (6.4 yards per rush).
Miami’s victory gives them a 2-1 record in the preseason, as they get ready for real competition in two weeks.
