Defense was selective in the first half between the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears as the visiting Dolphins led 21-17 at the end of the first half. The Bears allowed the Dolphins to score touchdowns on both their first and second possessions just one week after allowing the Dallas Cowboys to find the finish zone in each of their first four drives.
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed both his first nine assists and an 11-13 final for 162 yards while also throwing a three-yard score for NFL leader Terrick Hill received. Hill also set up the Dolphins’ first touchdown drawing a defensive overlap call in the end zone. Running back Raheem Mostert, he scored a midfield goal in the next game.
Not to be outdone, Justin Fields also showed little trouble with the opponent’s defense, with a total of 94 passing yards, two touchdowns (each over 15 yards) and 53 rushing yards. The Bears did a great job designing the plays to get the fields moving out of the pocket to set up comfortable plays for the sophomore pass.
The difference came in the first half when the dolphins’ defense became the first to force the opponent to throw the ball. Instead of chopping bears in the stormy Chicago air, Miami quarterback Jaylan Phillips blasted the line to block him, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel picked up the ball for a 25-yard drop. This was the Dolphins’ first bet they’d block and come home to score since Week 12 last season against the Carolina Panthers. Dolphins also had their own mistaken teams. Kicker Jason Sanders missed a 29-yard field goal to finish the inning, the shortest wastage of his five-year career after the wind appeared to grab the kick and push it far to the left.
It looks like the week 9 showdown between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields is turning into a fireworks display, so stay tuned to the live blog below for all the updates and real-time analysis in the second half!