The ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ defeated the New Orleans Saints 21–17 at Hard Rock Stadium for their third consecutive win and fourth victory in their last five games. Miami leaned on running back De'Von Achane's milestone rushing day and a swarming defensive effort that produced four sacks and three takeaways, including a clutch pick-two from safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. With the win, the Dolphins improved to 5–7 heading into December.
Miami wasted no time setting the tone. After a 25-yard return by wide receiver Malik Washington in the opening kickoff, the Dolphins started the game with consecutive runs of eight yards from Achane and running back Jaylen Wright. A sack briefly stalled the possession, but completions to tight end Darren Waller (13 yards) and Washington (19 yards) reset the march. On the next snap, Achane broke free off the right edge for a 29-yard touchdown — his 10th of the season and sixth on the ground. The score gave Miami a 7–0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
From there, Miami's defense dominated the rest of the quarter. The Saints opened the afternoon with three straight three-and-outs, with defensive tackle Zach Sieler registering a tackle for loss and defensive tackle Zeek Biggers and linebacker Chop Robinson teaming up for a drive-ending sack. The Dolphins carried that momentum into the next period, adding a 39-yard field goal from kicker Riley Patterson early in the second quarter to make it 10–0.
The defense then delivered a major swing. With 12:37 left in the half, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick strip-sacked Saints quarterback Tyler Shough — the first sack of Fitzpatrick's career. Sieler recovered the fumble at the New Orleans 31-yard line. One play later, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry intercepted a pass in the end zone, but Miami's defense responded immediately, forcing another quick punt to regain momentum.
Achane continued to fuel the offense, ripping off gains of 9, 5, 5 and 16 yards on Miami's next scoring march. Patterson converted a 25-yard field goal to extend the lead to 13–0 with 6:10 left in the half. With the Saints driving late, cornerback Rasul Douglas stepped in front of a pass intended for wide receiver Chris Olave and returned the interception 38 yards to set up a 48-yard field goal by Patterson as time expired, sending Miami into halftime up 16–0. It was Douglas' first interception of the season.
New Orleans fought back to open the second half, producing a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive capped by a 17-yard pass to Olave and an ensuing two-point conversion that cut the Dolphins' lead to 16–8. But Miami's defense continued to stack stops, with Robinson recording another sack and the Saints punting on their next possession, their sixth of the game at that point.
In the fourth quarter, linebacker Bradley Chubb delivered Miami's fourth sack of the afternoon to force another Saints punt. The Dolphins capitalized with a 9-play, 38-yard drive, highlighted by a 22-yard catch from wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and three straight runs from Achane totaling 20 yards, which put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. He became the fourth player in Dolphins history to reach the milestone within the first 12 games of a season.
Patterson remained perfect, knocking through a 33-yard field goal to push the lead to 19–8. The kick marked his fourth of the day, improving him to 4-for-4 Sunday and 21-of-23 on the season.
The Saints trimmed the deficit with a 56-yard field goal before mounting a late touchdown drive to make it 19–17 with 1:27 remaining. New Orleans attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game, but Fitzpatrick undercut the throw and returned it the length of the field for a defensive two-point score, stretching Miami's lead to 21–17.
New Orleans regained possession on the ensuing kickoff with 1:17 left. Miami's defense delivered again, stopping Shough on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak at the Dolphins' 35-yard line to secure the victory.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 12-of-23 for 157 yards with one interception. Achane totaled 134 rushing yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, while tight end Darren Waller added 47 receiving yards in his return from injury. Waddle contributed three catches for 40 yards, and Washington recorded four receptions for 30 yards as part of Miami's balanced passing effort.
Defensively, linebacker Jordyn Brooks led Miami with 12 tackles (six solo), continuing his standout season. Fitzpatrick posted seven tackles (four solo), a forced fumble and added a sack, along with the pick-two. Douglas added six tackles (four solo) and an interception. Robinson totaled five stops (two solo) and registered 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits while Chubb notched his sixth sack of the year.
The Dolphins will travel to New York for a Week 14 meeting with the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 7. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EST, with coverage airing on CBS.
