5 takeaways as Dolphins defense helps down Saints in 21-17 victory

C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald on Nov 30, 2025

Published in Football

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MIAMI — Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

The Miami Dolphins benefited from the return of three starters — right tackle Austin Jackson, tight end Darren Waller and cornerback Rasul Douglas — en route to their 21-17 victory of the New Orleans Saints.

While the game itself was far from the most entertaining game in NFL history, in large part due to the four field goals, the trio certainly made its presence felt.

With Jackson, it was on De’Von Achane’s 29-yard touchdown run in which the right tackle made a critical block. Waller, who finished with two grabs for 47 yards, flashed his pass-catching prowess on a 34-yard snag. And Douglas had a pick in the waning moments of the second quarter to set up the Dolphins’ 48-yard field goal as time expired.

With the victory, the Dolphins have built a three-game win streak for the first time in 2025.

Here are five takeaways from the Dolphins' 21-17 victory over the Saints:

Dolphins limit Saints on third down

The easy way to defeat any team?

Limit them on third down.

The Dolphins did just that, as they allowed just four third-down conversions (33%) the entire game.

Dolphins stop the run

The Dolphins’ issues against the run have been well-documented.

And with the great Alvin Kamara out with knee and ankle injuries, it set up the opportunity for yet another second-string running back in Devin Neal to have his coming out party against the Dolphins’ defense.

Try again.

The Saints finished with just 81 yards on the ground. Neal led all rushers with 14 carries for 47 yards. Tyler Shough added another 18 on six attempts. Three rushers — running back Evan Hull (15), quarterback Taysom Hill (2) and receiver Mason Tipton (-1) – didn’t even crack 20 yards rushing.

Shough looks like 26-year-old rookie

The game plan to limit most rookie signal callers is rather simple.

Speed them up and force poor decisions.

The Dolphins defense certainly did that, as they forced Shough into a pair of turnovers — a fumble and interception — in the loss. He also completed 68% of his passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Miami made sure to get after Shough as well, leading to four sacks and eight quarterback hits.

That’s not to say Shough had an awful day. He played much better in the second half — 73% completion for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns — yet turnovers, including a pick on a potential game-tying two-point conversion, eventually doomed the Saints.

Achane does Achane things

The star running back came into Sunday needing just 100 yards to reach his goal of cracking 1,000.

By the third quarter, he had not only that but also 1,300 scrimmage yards, joining Tyreek Hill and Ricky Williams as the only two players in franchise history to achieve that mark in back-to-back years.

The former Texas A&M standout finished with a game-high 22 carries for 134 yards on the ground and a touchdown. One big surprise: the third-year tailback didn’t finish with a catch for the first time this season.

Trio of RBs pick up slack for poor passing attack

It’s no secret that Tua Tagovailoa appears to have seemingly regressed in 2025.

He currently leads the league in interceptions. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass against the Saints. And his completion percentage has dipped, a bad sign considering this used to be his calling card.

Tagovailoa’s substandard outing – 157 yards on 52% completion and an interception — gave way to a steady dose of touches for running backs. Jaylen Wright — three carries for 16 yards — actually had a better outing than the rookie Ollie Gordon II who had just 10 yards on a trio of attempts.

Despite having not caught a ball since the first quarter, Waller led all receivers in yardage. Jaylen Waddle added 40 yards on three catches while Malik Washington had a team-high four grabs for 30 yards.

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