Dolphins stun Chargers with 36-34 comeback victory
The Dolphins had plenty of offensive success against the Chargers on Sunday, but still found themselves down 34-30 late in the fourth quarter.
That was in no small part because of two critical turnovers in Los Angeles territory that kept points off the board both times.
But receiver Tyreek Hill came up big when Miami needed him most, helping power the Dolphins to a 36-34 comeback victory.
On third-and-10 from Miami’s 25 with 3:47 left, Tagovailoa stepped up in the pocket and found Hill streaking down the right sideline for a 47-yard gain. Tagovailoa then got the team to first-and-goal on the 9-yard line with a 15-yard completion to River Cracraft.
On third-and-goal, Tagovailoa somehow found Hill in the back of the end zone, with Hill making a terrific grab to secure the score with 1:45 left on the clock.
The reception gave Hill 11 catches for 215 yards with two touchdowns on the day. That's tied for Hill's second-best output in a game — and sets a new mark for his best with Miami. While playing for the Chiefs, Hill also had 215 yards against the Rams in the wild Monday night game back in 2018. He had 269 yards against the Buccaneers in 2020.
Tagovailoa finished 28-of-45 passing for 466 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Miami had 30 first downs and 536 total yards.
Because Jason Sanders missed his extra point wide right, the Chargers had a shot at winning the game with a field goal. And the team had two timeouts.
But quarterback Justin Herbert was flagged for intentional grounding when he fired a pass to no one on the right side to avoid the pass rush. Then he was sacked on second-and-21 for an 8-yard loss.
While a completion to Mike Williams made it a makable fourth-and-12, Herbert was overwhelmed by the pass rush and sacked again to effectively end the game.
In his first game under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Herbert finished 23-of-33 for 228 yards with a touchdown. Keenan Allen had six catches for 76 yards. Austin Ekeler accounted for 164 yards from scrimmage, recording 16 carries for 117 yards with a touchdown and four catches for 47 yards. Joshua Kelley also had 16 carries for 91 yards with a TD, as the Chargers ran the ball well throughout.
There was a critical Chargers mistake late in the first half that helped the Dolphins win. With just two seconds left on the clock at the snap, cornerback J.C. Jackson committed defensive pass interference by pushing a receiver down well short of the goal line on a deep pass attempt by Tagovailoa.
That allowed Sanders to send a 41-yard field goal through the uprights on an untimed down, giving Miami a 20-17 halftime lead on a free three points.
The Chargers lost the game by two.
