Dolphins Waste Great Start and Great Comeback at Las Vegas
The Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders produced another thriller at Allegiant Stadium, but the Dolphins came up short in this one.
The Dolphins rallied from a 25-17 fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to overtime, but dropped a 31-28 decision when Daniel Carlson kicked a 20-yard field goal on the final play of the extra quarter.
It actually was Carlson's second field goal of overtime, but the Dolphins responded to the first one with a Jason Sanders 50-yard kick to tie the score and extend the game.
The Dolphins settled for the field goal after a shovel pass from Jacoby Brissett on third-and-3 from the Raiders 33 gained only 2 yards. The Dolphins stayed alive when they converted a fourth-and-20 at the start of their overtime drive when Brissett scrambled to his left and completed a 27-yard pass to tight end Mike Gesicki.
That the game even went to overtime was quite the statement about the Dolphins' resilience who ended up wasting a quick 14-0 lead but then came back from a 25-14 deficit in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins sent the game to overtime when Brissett scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown with 1 second remaining in the fourth quarter and followed it with a pass to Will Fuller V for the two-point conversion.
That came after the Raiders appeared to clinch the victory when they stuffed Brissett for no gain on a fourth-and-1 from the Las Vegas 43 with under 4 minutes left.
The Dolphins built their early 14-0 lead thanks to an 85-yard interception return by linebacker Elandon Roberts followed by a 24-yard run by Malcolm Brown after stopping the Raiders on a fourth-and-1 inside Vegas territory.
Brissett completed a high percentage of his passes, but couldn't help the passing generate much production until the final drive of regulation because every throw was short.
The Dolphins' longest completion until the second-half two-minute warning went for only 12 yards. Rookie first-round pick Jaylen Waddle had 12 catches, but they went for only 58 yards.
It was a pass to Waddle that turned the game around in the first quarter when the Dolphins held that 14-0 lead.
The Dolphins were backed up at their 1-yard line to start a drive after a punt was downed at the 2 when Byron Jones was flagged for a roughing penalty.
On first down, Brissett threw a pass to Waddle wide left 2 yards deep into the end zone, but with no blocker to help him. Cornerback Casey Hayward came up and dropped Waddle for a safety that made it 14-2.
After the Raiders kicked a field goal to make it 14-5, they scored three touchdowns — TD passes from Derek Carr to fullback Alec Ingold and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, and a dive by Peyton Barber.
The Dolphins led 14-12 at halftime after Sanders' 48-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the first half doinked off the right upright.
After the Dolphins went three-and-out to start the second half, the Raiders took the lead for good with a 72-yard touchdown drive.
Las Vegas scored again on the third play of the fourth quarter, but Daniel Carlson missed the extra point, keeping the score at 25-14.
Sanders made a 46-yard field goal to make it 25-17 after a drive that featured a 19-yard scramble by Brissett, the Dolphins' longest play after Brown's touchdown run.
It set the stage for another Dolphins-Raiders classic in Las Vegas, this one coming after the Dolphins rallied for a 26-25 victory last December.
Despite the valiant comeback, the Dolphins now find themselves with a 1-2 record heading into their Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
