Dolphins-Panthers Week 5: The Five Biggest Plays

Breaking down the five plays that most decided the outcome in the Miami Dolphins' 27-24 loss against the Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (15) catches the ball on fourth down as Miami Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas (26) defends in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins dropped to 1-4 on the season with a disappointing 27-24 loss against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.

We rank the five biggest, most important plays of the game (and there were a lot from which to choose):

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1) YOUNG'S FOURTH-DOWN COMPLETION TO HORN

There are a lot of plays for the Dolphins defense that were crushers, but none bigger than Bryce Young's 17-yard completion to Jimmy Horn Jr. on fourth-and-5 from the Miami 33 with Miami leading 24-20 with 3:31 left. With a stop, the Dolphins would have been in a position to kill the clock with a couple of first downs. Instead, Young threw a strike to Horn after he broke free from the coverage of Rasul Douglas. This was a great play by Young when the Dolphins simply didn't get enough pressure.

2) YOUNG'S FOURTH-DOWN COMPLETION TO McMILLAN

The game probably never would have come down to the final quarter if not for Young's spectacular play in the second quarter when the Dolphins led 17-0. It was the fourth-and-5 from the Miami 48-yard line and a stop might have allowed the Dolphins to apply the finishing blow with their offense, which hadn't been stopped to this point. But after initial pressure from Jaelan Phillips, Young escaped from the pocket, then avoided another group of pass rushers before rookie Tet McMillan got open for a 21-yard gain. A few plays later, the Panthers had a touchdown that made it 17-7 and they were back in the game.

3) THE INCOMPLETION TO WADDLE

The Dolphins ended the game on defense after allowing a game-clinching first down, but they did have a chance with the ball after Carolina took the lead and the result was a disappointing three-and-out. While it's easy to look at the third-down sack where Tua Tagovailoa didn't have much of a chance, it was the miss on second down when Jaylen Waddle was wide open in the middle of the field for what would have been about a 15-yard gain to close to the 40-yard line was the real crusher.

4) THE PENALTY ON CHOP

The big play on the drive that gave Carolina the lead for the first time at 20-17 was a 43-yard run by Rico Dowdle, but the most impactful might have been Chop Robinson's penalty for a hip-drop tackle of Young. The penalty came as Robinson's pressure forced an incompletion that would have put Carolina in a third-and-5 situation from the Miami 27. Instead, it became first-and-10 from the 13 and the Panthers reached the end zone three plays later.

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Patrick Jones II (91) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) on third down late in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

5) THE THIRD-DOWN SACK IN THE FIRST HALF

It was a major downer for the Dolphins to be up only seven points at the half after being up 17-0 and it happened because the Dolphins went three-and-out after Carolina's first touchdown. That came late in the first half when Tua was sacked on third-and-5 by A'Shawn Robinson after a twist at the line fooled the Dolphins offensive line. The three-and-out kept the Dolphins from being able to add to their lead, but worse allowed Carolina enough time to drive for a field goal that made it 17-10 at the half.