LANDOVER, Md. – Tyreek Hill had two touchdowns among his 157 yards receiving, and the Miami Dolphins routed the Washington Commanders 45-15 Sunday to pad their lead atop the AFC East and get to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.
Tua Tagovailoa was 18 of 24 for 280 yards, including TD passes of 78 and 60 yards to Hill, the NFL’s leading receiver left wide open on his 11th and 12th trips to the end zone this season. Tagovailoa was turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games.
De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six with a knee injury. Raheem Mostert also had a rushing TD for Miami’s league-leading offense that put up 406 yards.
In extending their winning streak to three, the Dolphins even got scoring from their defense, thanks to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 33-yard pick-6 of Sam Howell late in the first quarter. They also sacked Howell three times.
Washington (4-9) had no answer for Hill in the first game with coach Ron Rivera calling the defensive plays following his decision to fire coordinator Jack Del Rio. Hill remains on track to break Calvin Johnson’s record for the most yards receiving in a season and become the first to reach 2,000.
Howell, who ran for two touchdowns while going 12 of 23 for 127 yards, is on pace for a more dubious record: the most sacks taken in a season. He’s up to 58, now leads the league in interceptions with 14 and has had one returned for a TD in three consecutive games.
The Commanders lost a fourth game in a row and have been outscored 150-70 over this skid. They’ve lost nine of 11 since opening the season with back-to-back victories.
Miami was so convincingly ahead that coach Mike McDaniel pulled Tagovailoa, Hill and many of the offensive skill players early in the fourth quarter. Backup Mike White led a touchdown drive in garbage time.
WILD RIDE
After Hill’s first TD catch, he and several Dolphins players celebrated by sitting in the end zone and pretending they were on a roller coaster. The pantomiming even included offensive lineman Robert Hunt strapping his teammates in and making sure their seatbelts were fastened correctly.
MAD BIENIEMY
Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could be seen yelling at Howell on the sideline after the QB’s pick-6 that looked like a screen pass right to Van Ginkel. Howell talked glowingly about Bieniemy’s growth as a play-caller this season, and the two have worked closely together since offseason workouts.
MCDANIEL’S HOMECOMING
McDaniel won his first game back at FedEx Field as a head coach. McDaniel spent three seasons as a Washington assistant from 2011-13 under Mike Shanahan.
INJURIES
Dolphins: LB Jerome Baker injured his left knee early in the second quarter when teammate Brandon Jones took his legs out from under him while trying to tackle Washington’s Curtis Samuel. Baker was helped off the field after receiving medical attention and quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. … Hunt left with a hamstring injury.
Commanders: RB Brian Robinson Jr. did not play in the second half because of a hamstring injury. … DT John Ridgeway left with a shin injury.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: Host the Tennessee Titans on Monday, Dec. 11.
Commanders: After their bye week, visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 17.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
