The Miami Dolphins showed exactly why coaches and players typically don’t care about final scores or wins and losses in the preseason.
Though the host Washington Commanders won the game 20-7 on Friday, the biggest moments of the game may have come on the first drive of the night. Playing their starters and treating the first drive very much like a regular-season game, the Dolphins drove 93 yards for a touchdown on their first march with their new quarterback.
Malik Willis, who joined Miami after excelling as the backup in Green Bay, went 4-for-5 for 43 yards on his only drive of the game, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by De’Von Achane — on his seventh carry of the drive.
While the Commanders kept their starters out of the game, the battle for Washington’s No. 3 running back spot took center stage, and both rookies angling for the job made big opening statements. Sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen out of Penn State ran for 85 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries while undrafted Robert Henry Jr. from UTSA posted 75 yards on 12 carries with another score.
Broncos 27, Falcons 7
The guy Willis is replacing in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa, had an underwhelming debut with Atlanta, throwing for just 22 yards and fumbling a snap across two drives that totaled 19 yards in a loss to visiting Denver.
Tagovailoa is expected to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job with the Falcons, but Penix is still recovering from knee surgery. The Broncos rested starter Bo Nix, and backup Jarrett Stidham — who started in place of an injured Nix in last season’s AFC title game — threw for 131 yards and a score.
Denver receiver Courtland Sutton gained 60 yards on three catches, including a dazzling 40-yard grab to the 1-yard line on the game’s opening drive. Adam Prentice ran for a touchdown on the next play.
Buccaneers 24, Jets 16
Getting the surprise start after Geno Smith was a late scratch with an ankle injury, rookie Cade Klubnik led New York to scores on both of his drives, but Tampa Bay outscored the Jets 24-6 the rest of the way to win in East Rutherford, N.J.
Klubnik, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson, completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards and led the Jets to 10 points, capped by a 31-yard scoring run by Braelon Allen.
Tampa Bay, which sat all of its starters, had the play of the game when rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes intercepted a Bailey Zappe pass and returned it 47 yards to tie the game at 10-10 in the second quarter. Zappe threw two interceptions on the night.
