MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – Minkah Fitzpatrick made a game-changing play Sunday, intercepting a pass in the end zone and returning it 98 yards to prevent the New Orleans Saints from tying the game, helping the Miami Dolphins secure a 21-17 victory in Miami Gardens, Fla. The win marked Miami’s fourth in five games.
The Dolphins built a 16-0 lead in the first half, with running back De’Von Achane rushing for 134 yards and scoring on a 29-yard touchdown run on the opening drive. Kicker Riley Patterson added three second-quarter field goals to extend the lead. Fitzpatrick’s interception of a two-point conversion attempt and another turnover by the Saints were key defensive moments that kept Miami ahead despite a late Saints rally.
The Saints opened the second half with a 65-yard touchdown drive, including a 17-yard pass from Tyler Shough to Chris Olave and a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit. Patterson responded with a field goal to push the lead back to two scores, but Saints kicker Charlie Smyth made a 56-yard field goal, his first career FG, followed by a touchdown pass from Shough to Devaughn Vele to bring New Orleans within two points. Fitzpatrick’s 98-yard interception return ultimately sealed the Dolphins’ victory, and the defense stopped a final fourth-down attempt by the Saints.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 12 of 23 for 157 yards with one interception, while the defense recorded multiple sacks, including 1.5 by Chop Robinson and contributions from Bradley Chubb, Zeek Biggers, and Jordyn Brooks, who had 12 tackles. Shough completed 26 of 38 passes for 239 yards with two touchdowns but also threw an interception to Rasul Douglas and lost a fumble on a Fitzpatrick strip-sack.
The Dolphins (5-7) will aim for a fourth straight win when they face the New York Jets on Dec. 7 in East Rutherford, N.J., while the Saints (2-10) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the same day.