BALTIMORE — The Dolphins completed one of their most miraculous come-from-behind victories in franchise history in Baltimore.
The team returned from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Ravens, 42-38, at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw for a career-high 469 passing yards and six touchdowns, threw the game-winning score to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with 19 seconds remaining.
Waddle (career-high 11 catches and 171 yards) and fellow wideout Tyreek Hill (11 catches, 190 yards) combined for over 300 of Tagovailoa’s yards as they sped past defenders constantly in the comeback effort.
With the win, the Dolphins move to 2-0 for the first time since the 2018 season.
For much of the game, a Dolphins defense that confused Lamar Jackson into one of his worst games last season had no answer for the 2019 league MVP. Jackson accounted for 437 total yards and four touchdowns, including a career-high 79-yard touchdown run.
But the Dolphins, who fell behind 28-7 at halftime and 35-14 late in the third quarter, rallied with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Hill’s 60-yard touchdown catch tied the game with 5:19 left.
The Ravens control much of the game from its first moments, as wide receiver Devin Duvernay returned the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown.
Following Tagovailoa’s first interception on the offense’s opening possession, the Dolphins preserved the seven-point deficit after Jackson botched a fourth-down exchange from the goal line.
The Dolphins tied the score at seven quickly on a six-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Tagovailoa connected with Waddle on a six-yard touchdown pass.
It didn’t take long for the Ravens to respond. On the very next play, Jackson connected on a short pass with wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who outraced cornerback Xavien Howard en route to a 75-yard score to give the Ravens a 14-7 lead.
The Dolphins’ deficit grew to 21-7 in the second quarter as the Ravens scored on their next drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews.
After Tagovailoa was intercepted by Williams for the second time, the Ravens traveled 80 yards in 51 seconds and took a 28-7 lead heading into halftime after a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
The Dolphins responded on their opening possession of the second half with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, as Tagovailoa found tight end Mike Gesicki in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard score to bring the deficit to 28-14.
Jackson then scored on his career-long run to push the deficit back to three touchdowns.
However, Tagovailoa connected with wide receiver River Cracraft and then Hill twice to tie the game at 35.
A 51-yard field goal by kicker Justin Tucker gave the Ravens a three-point lead but Tagovailoa quickly drove the Dolphins in scoring position. They traveled 68 yards in six plays and two minutes, culminating in Tagovailoa’s go-ahead, 7-yard pass to Waddle.
