The Miami Dolphins fell to 1-5 on the season, losing another game in which they held a lead and could not close it out. This time, with a 27-26 lead with less than a minute remaining in the game, Miami found a way to give up the lead and lose the game.
Miami played well for the first half, and the end of the game, but this is going to come down to a miserable third quarter, where the team gave up 14 points immediately after the halftime break. Even when the Dolphins appear ready to compete and turn the corner on a miserable season, they find a way to put themselves back on the wrong side of the score line.
The Dolphins’ 2025 season seems like it was over before it even began. Giving up a 42-yard gain on a sure sack sums up everything that has happened with Miami this season.
Final Score
Chargers 29 – 27 Dolphins
Recap and Reactions
First Quarter
Dolphins first possession
The Dolphins opened the game with the ball and great field position following a 45-yard kickoff return from wide receiver Malik Washington. Running back De’Von Achane picked up two yards on the first play, then quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for what looked like a nine-yard gain, but the receiver bobbled the ball and tipped it straight to Chargers safety Tony Jefferson for the interception.
What just happened? That interception was purely on Waddle. He just never cleanly caught a pass that hit him in the hands, trying twice to bring it in before batting it straight to Jefferson. Brutal start.
Chargers first possession
Los Angeles faced a 4th-and-1 on their first set of downs as Miami stuff the run twice on the first three plays. Using the tush push to convert for a first down, the Chargers again faced a fourth down on the second set of downs, settling for a field goal but benefiting from an unnecessary roughness penalty on Miami for a free first down. Miami’s defense then held again, forcing the Chargers to kick a field goal.
The defense held up well on that drive. They were able to stuff the run and they were able to force the Chargers to attempt a field goal. The penalty was unfortunate, but it was no harm, no foul in the long run as the Chargers kicked a field goal either way.
Chargers 3-0.
Dolphins second possession
Miami did nothing on their possession, with Tagovailoa missing tight end Darren Waller on the first pass attempt, then finding him for a five-yard gain on second down. On 3rd-and-5, Tagovailoa was sacked for a one-yard loss and the Dolphins punted.
Boos already starting to rain down on the Dolphins. The defense has to hold here to give the offense another chance at putting together anything other than an interception and a three-and-out or else this game gets one-sided fairly quickly.
Chargers second possession
The Chargers opened the drive with a nine-yard pass from quarterback Justin Herbert to running back Hassan Haskins, then converted with a two-yard run from the running back. Two plays later, tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught an eight-yard pass, but cornerback Rasul Douglas punched the ball loose in the tackle and linebacker Jordyn Brooks recovered the ball for the Dolphins.
Yes! Defense is playing hard right now. They are stuffing the run and they are swarming to the ball on the pass. This looks more like the defense we expected to see this season. Can they keep it up?
Dolphins third possession
Miami turned the fumble recovery into points on one play, Achane taking the ball 49 yards for the score.
Yes! Hello offense! Now keep up that. Make that happen again!
Dolphins 7-3.
Chargers third possession
The Chargers were able to move down the field 55 yards on their possession, with 38 of the coming on a run from running back Kimani Vidal. Other than that one play, Miami’s defense held fairly firm and forced another field goal from Los Angeles.
Good defense. Douglas absolutely laid out Herbert on the play after the Vidal run, leading to an incomplete pass. The defense is firing around right now. The long run hurt, but holding the Chargers to another field goal is okay.
Dolphins 7-6.
Dolphins fourth possession
Miami started the drive with a 16 yard run from Achane then, as the clock wound down, a Tagovailoa hard count drew the Chargers offsides and gave the team a free five yards to end the quarter.
Second Quarter
Dolphins fourth possession (continued)
After the break, Miami gained a yard on a Washington endaround, then 10 yards on a pass to Achane. The drive stalled there, however, as a two-yard run from Achane was followed by an incomplete pass, a holding penalty, and, facing 3rd-and-18, an eight-yard gain on a backwards pass from Tagovailoa to Waddle who threw back across the field to Achane. Miami attempted a 57-yard field goal, but the ball was wide right and the Dolphins gave the Chargers the ball at the 47-yard line.
That holding penalty killed the drive. Center Aaron Brewer just got tangled up as he was turned around and he held too long. Waller had a great catch on the play, which would have been a first down, but the team could not make up for the penalty.
Chargers fourth possession
Los Angeles opened the drive with two big plays, first with Herbert finding wide receiver Ladd McConkey for 21 yards then Vidal running for 19 yards. A false start penalty two plays later pushed the Chargers back to the Miami 11-yard line, ultimately leading to a field goal.
Okay defense, you cannot be giving up plays like that. I complimented you on here and on X, and then you immediately give up two big plays. Time to tighten that back up. Holding the Chargers to another field goal is a good result on that possession, though.
Chargers 9-7
Dolphins fifth possession
Tagovailoa to Waddle took center stage on the drive, with a seven yard gain on the first play, a 19-yard gain on the fourth snap, and a catch and run all the way across the field for no gain on the sixth play. Waddle put in work, even on the catch for no gain, and the Dolphins came away with the field goal.
The second play featured a two-yard loss from running back Ollie Gordon II, with the rookie taking the handoff but hesitating to make a choice on hitting a hole and leading to a loss. He will learn. The Dolphins could have used a touchdown there, but getting the field goal to retake the lead is a solid result.
Dolphins 10-9.
Chargers fifth possession
The Chargers picked up 12 yards on the first two plays, but after a run for no gain, two false start penalties pushed Los Angeles into a 2nd-and-20 as the clock ran to the two-minute warning. After an incomplete pass, the Chargers looked to pass, with linebacker Bradley Chubb getting into Herbert’s face, leading to a short pass and a Miami timeout to set up the punt.
The penalties crushed the Chargers’ momentum and the Dolphins defense sealed the deal to force the punt. They now have the ball with 1:38 in the half.
Dolphins sixth possession
Miami went into hurry-up mode and quickly moved the ball from their own 18 deep into the Chargers’ side of the field, highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Waddle, who bobbled the ball, then caught it as he slid on his back. A 10-yard penalty on the Dolphins for illegal use of hands negated an eight-yard gain on a pass to Achane, but Miami was able to pick up 18 yards on their next two plays before running the field goal unit onto the field to connect on the 27-yarder as time ran out on the half.
Perfectly executed drive. Other than the penalty, Miami was efficient and worked the clock perfectly. The catch from Waddle was ridiculous – it should not have had to happen like that, but it did and Miami still picked up the 45 yards. The score gives Miami a little breathing room heading into the halftime break.
Halftime
Good first half for the Dolphins. Now they have to keep playing like that in the second half. Miami has had too many games this year – including last week against the Carolina Panthers – where they have a great stretch only to fall apart. How will the second-half Dolphins look?
The first half featured Achane rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown. Tagovailoa has thrown for 116 yards, with 82 of them going to Waddle. The interception on the opening drive goes against Tagovailoa’s stats, but that really was on Waddle.
This game has been fun so far. Miami looks more like a competitive team who could be trying to rescue a season that has looked completely lost for much of the first five weeks. Do they have it in them to continue to a team-win over a division leading Chargers team?
And, because the Tagovailoa versus Herbert discussion is always lingering around, Herbert has thrown for 93 yards in the first half. Tagovailoa has a passer rating of 53.1, in large part because of the interception, while Herbert has an 88.8.
Third Quarter
Chargers sixth possession
Los Angeles came out with a strong drive to open the second half, starting with two runs from Haskins for 11 yards. Herbert started throwing after that, gaining 41 yards on five straight passing plays. On 1st-and-10 from the Miami 20-yard line, Herbert threw a pass into the flat, with Douglas making the quick tackle to limit the gain to one yard. Gadsden then caught a pass for seven yards, setting up 3rd-and-2. Wide receiver Keenan Allen caught a slant with a rub route from McConkey to create space and the Chargers converted the first down. After a false start penalty, Gadsden picked up five yards on the sideline. Cornerback Dante Trader, Jr., made the stop, but ran off the field with an apparent arm injury. Vidal caught a wheel route on 2nd-and-Goal, with Brooks reading the play perfectly to stop the play after one yard. Herbert was able to scramble to his right on the next snap, avoiding pressure from Phillips, finding McConkey on a cut across the field for the touchdown.
That was just a very in-rhythm drive for the Chargers. They were not necessarily looking for the big play, but rather used shorter plays to keep the team in sync and to move down the field. The drive stats were 13 plays for 72 yards with 7:34 in time of possession. Wearing down the Dolphins defense throughout the drive and retaking the lead. Miami’s defense needs to tighten up to prevent that from happening again.
Chargers 16-13.
Dolphins seventh possession
Miami looked to respond to the long Chargers possession, but after a one-yard Achane run, the running back was stopped on a screen pass for a four-yard loss and, on 3rd-and-13, Tagovailoa tried to fit a ball through a tight window and the pass was picked off.
Bad decision from Tagovailoa and now the defense is in a miserable position. The team is going to fall into the “here we go again” trap if they do not come up with something quickly.
Chargers seventh possession
The Chargers did not have to put together another long drive to put up points on their second possession of the half. A 21-yard pass to Gadsden started a drive that took four plays to cover the 37 yards for a touchdown.
And that might be the killer as Miami tries to find a spark. They played like they did not believe they could stop the Chargers, and they could not. Now what?
Dolphins eighth possession
Tagovailoa threw deep toward Waddle on the opening play, but badly overthrew the receiver. A run for no gain and a sack of Tagovailoa led to the three-and-out punt.
The game feels like it is over already. Miami just is being outplayed and we are only in the third quarter of a game Miami led at halftime.
Chargers eighth possession
Los Angeles started the drive at their own 21-yard line, but moved out to midfield four plays later with a 27-yard run from Vidal. The play also ended the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Chargers eighth possession (continued)
After the break, Vidal gained another 13 yards before the drive stalled and the Chargers settled for a field goal.
This game was fun at one point. It really was. Not sure if we will see that again today.
Charger 26-13.
Dolphins ninth possession
Miami opened their possession with a four-yard scramble from Tagovailoa. An offensive holding on the next snap moved Miami back to a 2nd-and-16, but a personal four penalty for a low block on the Chargers on the next play dug Miami out of the hole. A pass to tight end Tanner Conner for eight yards, a run from Achane for three yards, and a catch from fullback Alec Ingold for 22 yards moved Miami deep into the Chargers’ territory. A seven-yard run from Achne followed an incomplete pass to move the ball to the Chargers’ 15. Washington caught a bubble screen for six yards, with defensive lineman Teair Tart called for a late hit on Tagovailoa to set the ball at the Chargers’ four-yard line. Achane then took the ball for four yards for the score.
Miami is not out of this game, but the defense needs to make a play. The penalty on Tart, who was a Dolphins lineman in training camp in 2024, was blatantly late. Can the Dolphins pull off a miracle here?
Chargers 26-21
Chargers ninth possession
Gadsden picked up 14 yards on the first play for Los Angeles, but a one-yard run and two straight incomplete passes led to a punt for the Chargers.
Miami’s defense made something happen – including having defensive tackles Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant drop into coverage on the third-down play. Can the offense?
Dolphins tenth possession
Miami, down six, got the ball back with 6:19 remaining in the game. They started their attempt at a comeback with a pass from Tagovailoa to Washington for seven yards, then Achane picked up 15 on a run to the right. A pop-pass to Achane added another eight yards before the running back picked up three more yards and a first down. From the Chargers’ 49-yard line, Gordon picked up one yard as Tagovailoa dumped off a pass with no one open downfield. Tagovailoa to Waddle picked up 13 yards, with a one-yard run from Achane and a seven-yard pass over the middle to tight end Julian Hill following. After the two-minute warning, Miami faced 3rd-and-2, with Gordon picking up three yards for the first down. Tagovailoa threw to Hill in the middle of the field for a 14-yard gain, setting up a first down and forcing the Chargers to start using timeouts. Fullback Alec Ingold then added three more yards and another Chargers timeout on the next play. Washington caught a short pass on the next play, being knocked out of bounds for no gain. On 3rd-and-7, Tagovailoa scrambled, eventually finding tight end Darren Waller wide open in the back of the endzone for the score and a Miami lead.
There we go! The Dolphins’ offense ran that perfectly, and Tagovailoa was 8-for-8 on the possession to take the lead. Waller was finally found. Now it is going to be on the Miami defense to make a stop.
Chargers tenth possession
An incomplete pass on first down started the drive, with Herbert barely avoiding a sack. On second down, Miami’s pass rush again got to Herbert, but the quarterback again got away and somehow found McConkey who turned upfield and gained 42 yards. Four plays later, the Chargers kicked a field goal to take the lead.
Damn. Just…damn. Five seconds left. Miami gets the ball with one chance to win this game.
Chargers 29-27.
Dolphins eleventh possession
Tagovailoa threw an interception to end the game.
