Kohou, Achane Secure 29-17 Win Over 49ers

The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive on Sunday afternoon, defeating Cleveland 20-3 at Huntington Bank Field.

With the win, the Dolphins climb to 8-8 on the season and are just one game back from the final AFC wild card spot.

Miami’s defense disrupted Cleveland all game long. The Browns totaled just 276 yards of offense, with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completing 24 of his 47 passing attempts (51.1 pct.) for only 170 yards and an interception.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley was dynamic in his fourth start of the season, making plays with both his arm and his legs. He ended the game completing 22-of-26 passes (84.6 pct.) for 225 yards and a touchdown, adding a game-high 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries (7.4 avg.).

Huntley started out the game strong, completing six of his first seven passes. He led Miami into scoring position on its second drive of the game, with kicker Jason Sanders nailing a 54-yard field goal to give the Dolphins an early 3-0 lead with 5:46 left in the first quarter. This was Sanders’ ninth consecutive made field goal from 50-plus yards away, bringing his season total from such a distance to 12-of-14.

The Browns answered on their next offensive possession, as quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Jerome Ford led a 14-play, 66-yard drive that took up 7:20 of game time. Cleveland was able to move the ball inside of Miami’s 10-yard line, but the defense held strong in the goal-to-go situation, forcing kicker Dustin Hopkins into a 25-yard field goal.

Punts from both teams maintained the 3-3 stalemate well into the second quarter when linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who had a game-high 15 tackles on the evening, made a pivotal defensive play for the Dolphins.

On a first-and-10 pass intended for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Dodson dropped back into coverage and picked off Thompson-Robinson at the 50-yard line. Dodson, a six-year veteran, has recorded both of his two career interceptions over his seven games this season with Miami.

The Dolphins defense made another crucial play later in the second quarter, stuffing running back D’Onta Foreman on fourth-and-1 to retain possession of the ball with 45 seconds left in the first half.

Huntley led Miami into field goal position on this quick drive, completing passes of 12, seven and nine yards to rookie wideout Malik Washington to set up a 39-yard field goal by Sanders as time expired to extend the lead to 6-3 at halftime.

Huntley continued his precise passing coming out of the break. He completed all four of his passes on Miami’s first drive of the second half, with a 16-yard strike to wide receiver River Cracraft presenting the Dolphins with their first trip to the red zone of the game.

On the ensuing play, Huntley scrambled past the line of scrimmage and ran 13 yards into the end zone for a touchdown to widen Miami’s lead to 13-3 with 11:04 remaining in the third quarter. This was Huntley’s second rushing touchdown of the season.

The Dolphins defense continued to make big-time plays throughout the second half, including a strip sack by linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah that was recovered by defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand, as well as a fourth-down stop in the red zone that preserved Miami’s 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The offense iced the game with 3:38 left in the fourth, as Huntley connected with tight end Jonnu Smith for a seven-yard score that gave the Dolphins a 20-3 lead. The touchdown was Smith’s seventh receiving touchdown of the year, tying the single-season record by a Miami tight end.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill led the Dolphins with a team-high nine receptions for a game-high 105 yards (11.7 avg.). Washington had four receptions for 41 yards (10.3 avg.), and Smith added three catches for 26 yards (8.7 avg.) and the touchdown.

Miami will travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets (4-12) in Week 18. The time and date of the final regular season matchup is to be determined. With a win against the Jets and a loss by Denver in their regular season finale against Kansas City, the Dolphins will make the playoffs for a third consecutive season.