The Commanders’ 16-13 loss to Miami in the first-ever NFL game in Madrid was a microcosm of their season: a few big plays, but just as many missed opportunities and mistakes costing them – despite the Dolphins trying their best to out-Washington the burgundy and gold.
“This one stings, the guys are hurting,” head coach Dan Quinn said after the loss. “Liked the energy coming into the game, but you hear me talk about winning time moments and missed opportunities, and that’s what it came down to. That’s the part that stings the most, because we put ourselves in a spot to have the chance to go win.”
The first half ended 6-6 as both teams had drives that looked good but stalled, and while the Commanders forced the only punt of the half on six drives, they also saw Matt Gay miss a field goal so the first 30 minutes ended deadlocked.
The third quarter saw the Commanders score a TD on the opening drive, hold a goal-line stand to keep Miami off the board…but after they punted, the Dolphins scored just after the beginning of the fourth to make it 13-13 with just under 13 to go.
And then the shenanigans started.
Facing a third-and-nine at their own 41 with about 11 minutes left, Marcus Mariota took off and scampered 44 yards for a first-and-10 at the Miami 15 – but seven plays later, on fourth-and-goal at the 1, Zach Ertz slipped on his cut and Mariota threw an incompletion, giving Miami the ball back.
“They brought pressure to the weak side, and I figured I had to make a play. Zach did a good job blocking down the field for me,” Mariota said of the run, later adding of the drive’s end: “Sometimes that’s the way the ball bounces. We have to convert our opportunities in the red zone.”
Washington forced a punt by sacking Tua Tagovailoa on third down on the ensuing drive, but with Jaylin Lane out with a hip injury suffered earlier in the game, Mikey Sainristil went back to field a punt for the first time in his NFL career – and promptly muffed it, allowing Miami to recover and take over at the Washington 42 with 4:11 to go.
“I gotta catch the ball, and be decisive on whether I want to fair catch it or not,” Sainristil said. “I thanked my teammates for having my back and getting the stop on the next fourth down.”
That stop came as Miami drove and made Washington burn all their timeouts, but with 1:44 left and a fourth-and-goal at the 1, Mike McDaniel tried the same thing Dan Quinn had two drives earlier – and also failed, with Ollie Gordon stuffed to give the ball back to Washington.
The Commanders got the ball all the way back to the Miami 38, but with :15 to go, Matt Gay missed a 57-yarder, his second miss of the day, turning what would’ve been a 16-13 Commanders win into the second straight overtime game on the international stage.
“Let my team down today,” Gay said. “Feeling pretty upset, it’s a game-changer if I make those kicks. It just sucks.”
And that would be all she wrote, as Miami won the toss and chose to kick…but on the first play of the extra frame, Marcus Mariota threw an interception to Jack Jones – just the Dolphins’ third INT of the season – that gave them the ball at the Washington 33-yard line.
“They covered our first couple options well, I tried to get it back side to Zach, and the guy undercut it and made a play. Unfortunate there, and give credit to (Jones), he made a play,” Mariota said. “Defense played unbelievable today, made some huge stops, we just didn’t convert when we needed to.”
Three De’Von Achane runs later, former Commanders kicker Riley Patterson drilled a 29-yard field goal to end it, sending Washington to 3-8 on he heels of their sixth straight loss.
So yes, the defense played better and only allowed one TD, but again forced no takeaways, and a few offensive mistakes or questionable calls kept Washington out of the win column, and the Commanders now head to their bye before a Sunday night football clash with Denver – but with, seemingly, a better path to a Top 5 draft pick than a return to the playoffs in Year 2 of the Peters/Quinn/Daniels era.
“All these trials and tribulations we’re going through is ultimately going to make us better, and we have to take it on the chin,” Mariota said. “We’re not where we want to be, but the only way we can dig ourselves out of it is to learn from these games and these mistakes, and I think we will. But we have to figure out quickly how to fix this, self-scout it and see where we can get better."
Added his head coach: “They just have to keep battling and find the space to get better. But there were strides, and that’s what I want to see. I don’t like one step forward, two steps back, but just going to continue to try to put guys in the right spots to do their thing, and tighten up the things that need it.”