Despite out-gaining Las Vegas 388-156 through three quarters of Sunday's game at Hard Rock Stadium, the Dolphins only held a 20-13 lead entering the final period. In a contest where points were hard to come by for the offense, it was Miami's defense that came through in the fourth quarter with two fourth-down stops and two interceptions to seal the victory and move to 7-3 on the season.
The first interception came with just over three minutes to play on fourth-and six from the Miami 24-yard line as pressure from defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell led to linebacker Jaelan Phillips' first career pick. Then with under 30 seconds left in the game, cornerback Jalen Ramsey secured his second interception of the day on a leaping grab in the end zone to end the Raiders' comeback hopes.
Momentum kept swinging back and forth between the two teams early in the game, with both Marcus Epps and Divine Deablo recovering fumbles forced by Luke Masterson and Nate Hobbs, respectively. It marked the first time that the Raiders have had multiple fumble recoveries in the first half of a game since Week 13 of 2020 against the Jets.
Another notable big defensive stop came on a Dolphins' fourth-down conversion attempt. At the 3-yard line, Tua Tagovailoa completed a pass to Hill, but Isaiah Pola-Mao and Hobbs brought him down for a loss of four yards, getting the offense back on the field.
Miami and Las Vegas last met in Week 3 of the 2021 season, when the Raiders defeated the Dolphins, 31-28, in overtime at Allegiant Stadium.
The two teams are tied at 18-18-1 in their all-time regular season series. The Raiders lead the all-time postseason series, 3-1.
A victory on Sunday would put Las Vegas above .500 for the first time since starting the season 1-0.
Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the lead to one just before halftime.
Tagovailoa posted just the third 200-yard passing performance in the first half of a game against the Raiders since the start of the 2021 season.
In the second half, the Dolphins continued to move the ball down the field but failed to reach the end zone. The defense, though, made sure that wasn't an issue.
After Tagovailoa was intercepted on the first play of the third quarter on a deep pass intended for Waddle, the defense forced a three-and-out to maintain the one-point lead.
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