Dolphins and Commanders meet Sunday in first NFL regular-season game in Spain

Miami (3-7) vs Washington (3-7) in Madrid, Spain.

Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EST, NFL Network.

BetMGM line: Dolphins by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Commanders 3-7, Dolphins 5-5.

Series record: Dolphins lead 10-6.

Last meeting: Dolphins beat Commanders 45-15 in Washington on Dec. 3, 2023.

Last week: Commanders lost to Detroit 42-22; Dolphins beat Buffalo 30-13.

Commanders offense: overall (18), rush (7), pass (26), scoring (22)

Commanders defense: overall (30), rush (23), pass (31), scoring (29)

Dolphins offense: overall (25), rush (23), pass (24), scoring (26)

Dolphins defense: overall (24), rush (26), pass (13), scoring (24)

Turnover differential: Commanders minus-6; Dolphins minus-7.

Commanders player to watch

LB Bobby Wagner. At 35 and in his 14th NFL season, Wagner is still a side-to-side tackling machine. He ranks second in the league with 99 tackles this season, so his first one against Miami will allow him to join former Washington linebacker London Fletcher as the only two players since 2000 with at least 100 tackles in 14 straight years. The issue for Wagner, though, has been when he’s been asked to provide coverage this season.

Dolphins player to watch

RB De’Von Achane. The versatile running back has topped 90 scrimmage yards in four straight games and continues to be Miami’s best offensive weapon because of the way the Dolphins use him in both the run and short passing game. Achane recorded a season-high 174 yards rushing Bills last week, including fourth-quarter touchdowns of 59 and 35 yards.

Key matchup

Dolphins running backs vs Commanders run defense. Much of Washington’s success will be how well the Commanders can contain Achane and Miami’s other two running backs Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon. The Dolphins have used Gordon as a change-of-pace back, pairing the rookie’s physical, downhill style with Achane’s shiftiness and speed. It has worked well, especially after coach Mike McDaniel has utilized more six-man offensive line packages. Success in the running game has opened up the passing game for Tua Tagovailoa, and a Commanders defense that has struggled to stop both the run and the pass cannot afford for Miami’s weapons to get in rhythm.

Key injuries

Commanders: Too many to count. The team’s two best players, QB Jayden Daniels (dislocated left elbow) and WR Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), are both out again. This will be the fifth game Daniels misses this season after never missing one as a rookie, and the seventh for McLaurin, who hadn’t been absent once since 2020. … WR Treylon Burks, signed because of all of the injuries at his position, led Washington with 58 yards receiving last week on three catches, but he’ll miss this game after having finger surgery. … CB Troy Amos (fractured fibula) is on IR as of this week, joining CB Marshon Lattimore (knee) and S Will Harris. And so on.

Dolphins: LB Chop Robinson cleared concussion protocol Wednesday and is expected to play Sunday after being sidelined last week. … CB Rasul Douglas (toe), WR Dee Eskridge (shoulder), TE Julian Hill (ankle) and S Ashtyn Davis (quad) were inactive Sunday, but McDaniel said he’s optimistic about their availability this week. Douglas was the only one of those players who did not practice Wednesday. … Starting center Aaron Brewer also didn’t practice Wednesday because of a foot/ankle injury. … The Dolphins opened the practice window Wednesday for right tackle Austin Jackson, who has been on injured reserve since aggravating a toe injury in the season opener.

Series notes

McDaniel was an assistant coach at Washington early in his career (2011-2013) and often points to that period as one of the most formative stops of his career. … This is the 17th all-time meeting between Miami and Washington, including Super Bowls VII and XVII. In Super Bowl VII the Dolphins beat Washington 14-7 to go 19-0 and complete the only perfect season in NFL history. … In their last meeting in 2023, the Dolphins beat the Commanders 45-15 to move to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.

Stats and stuff

Miami and Washington will play in the iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid CF, for the first ever NFL game played in Spain. Washington’s season has spiraled completely, with five losses in a row dropping its record from 3-2 to 3-7 – one season after going 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game for the first time in more than 30 years. … Each of the past four defeats were by at least 21 points, including last week by 44-22 to the visiting Detroit Lions. It’s the first time since 2002 that any NFL team lost that many games in a row by that many points within a single season. The record is five, most recently by the 1965 Steelers. … The recent slide and an inability to slow opposing offenses prompted head coach Dan Quinn to take over defensive coordinator duties from Joe Whitt Jr. … After appearing in all 20 games, including the playoffs, last season, Daniels is sitting out Sunday for the fifth time this season. Daniels missed two games with a sprained left knee, one with a bad right hamstring and now is about to miss a second with a dislocated left elbow. … The Commanders will be missing DT Daron Payne, who was suspended for one game by the NFL for punching Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. … The team is allowing opponents to average 28 points, but Washington’s offense is scoring just 22.3 per game. … Backup QB Marcus Mariota has 6 TDs and 4 INTs this season. The Commanders are 1-3 in his starts. … Miami played in the NFL’s first International Series game in 2007, falling to the New York Giants in London. The Dolphins have gone 2-5 in seven international games. … Miami also made four appearances in the American Bowl games, an international preseason series held by the NFL from 1986-2003. The Dolphins won all four American Bowls they participated in – London (1988), Tokyo (1991), Berlin (1992) and Mexico City (1997). … After beating the Bills last week, the Dolphins moved to 9-3 in the month of November since McDaniel became head coach in 2022. … The Dolphins’ offense enters Week 11 ranked seventh in the NFL in short-yardage third down conversions (68.2%), and ranked eighth in red zone defense (54.1%). … In the red zone, Tagovailoa is third in the NFL in passer rating (117.4) and third in completion rate (70.0%). … Achane has totaled 143 carries for 780 yards rushing and five touchdowns this year. … His 5.5 rushing average is the third-best mark in the league, while his 780 rushing yards are the fourth-most in the NFL this season. He is also one of five Dolphins players to ever have multiple games with more than 200 scrimmage yards. … Since Week 5, WR Jaylen Waddle has 29 receptions for 485 yards (16.7 avg.) — third most in the league in that span — and three touchdowns.

Fantasy tip

Achane has a receiving or rushing touchdown in all but two games this year. With his consistency this season, there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue against the Commanders’ struggling defense.

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