The Dolphins won their third straight game with a 21-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Winners in four of their last five games, the Dolphins improve to 5-7 on the season.
Defensive dominance, sparked by takeaways, paired with a physical run game and sharp special teams play to give the Dolphins another total team win.
1. Physical football
The reviews are in and the Dolphins offensive identity is a hit.
"In the last month, I've seen the most physical football that we've had since I've been here," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said. "That's resulted in more opportunities and more yards on the ground."
Right tackle Austin Jackson returned to the lineup after missing 10 games. He punctuated Miami's physical brand of football as they ran for 164 yards, the team's third-highest total of the season. The top two rushing performances occurred over the previous two games. The Dolphins have averaged a league-leading 176.7 rushing yards per game since the start of their three-game winning streak in Week 10.
Running back De'Von Achane had eight runs of at least eight yards, including a 29-yard touchdown around a right-side seal from Jackson. The Miami front consistently reset the line of scrimmage allowing one of the game's best players to turn those lanes into explosive plays.
Achane reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and became the fourth player in Dolphins history to reach that mark in the first 12 game of a season. He joins Larry Csonka (1972), Delvin Williams (1978) and Ricky Williams (2002, 2003) with that distinction.
On the other side of the ball, the Saints ran for just 81 yards on 27 carries – an average of 3.0 yards per carry.
2. Play-making Minkah
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who the Dolphins acquired via a trade with the Giants prior to the start of the 2025 season, helped produce two of Miami's three takeaways for the day.
The first was early in the second quarter when Fitzpatrick strip-sacked Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler recovered the fumble.
Later in the fourth quarter, Fitzpatrick made one of the biggest plays of the afternoon. The Saints were a two-point conversion away from tying the game with just over one minute left to play. Fitzpatrick intercepted Shough's throw on the two-point conversion attempt and returned it 98 yards for two points.
"It speaks to who he is," McDaniel said of Fitzpatrick. "Competitive greatness, being your best when your best is required. He took an undercut angle, utilized his great ball skills, and he didn't hesitate for one second, which has really helped after the onside because they had to get in the end zone and that changes everything. Big time players make big time plays for your team and he came through for us."
3. Special teams doing special things
The Dolphins entered Sunday with the third-highest EPA per play on special teams. The ranking climbed to second after another brilliant day of placing and covering punts. Punter Jake Bailey had four punts averaging 50.3 yards per kick. His work, along with defensive back Elijah Campbell, helped Miami maintain field position throughout the game.
Bailey had two punts in the second half with the Saints ensuing field position starting at the 10- and 12-yard-lines.
Kicker Riley Patterson was perfect on the day. He made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 48-yard kick at the end of the first half, and his only point after try.
For more analysis, takeaways and breakdowns, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
