In a game the Miami Dolphins almost had to win, Malik Washington made a statement that could have lifted them into the win column. Instead, it all went south immediately after.
The Dolphins' back-and-forth with the New England Patriots was critically on the verge of collapse until a strong, much-needed defensive stand opened the door for Washington to take control of the game on his own, but Miami fans' loud cheering over the 70-yard punt return wouldn't last long.
As is often the case for Dolphins fans, good things don't last. The Patriots took the kickoff back for a touchdown to regain the lead, and Tua Tagovailoa handed the ball over on the next series.
Dolphins couldn't capitalize on Malik Washington's game-changing play, spiral to second straight loss
The crowd was electric after the Washington punt return, but silence fell when Antonio Gibson took the ball on the kickoff for a game-changing score. It wouldn't end there.
Miami had time and offensive momentum on its side, but Tagovailoa proved once again that he isn't the type of quarterback who can play with intense pressure. His first interception and subsequent play the rest of the game derailed a performance where he entered the fourth quarter with a near-perfect quarterback rating.
Miami managed to get the ball back late, down by six, with plenty of time on the clock. The Dolphins started their final drive on their own 40-yard line, but Tagovailoa couldn't finish it. After running the ball out of bounds after a critical 3rd-and-long, he took a sack on fourth down.
Miami dropped to 0-2, and with the Buffalo Bills on a short week, it isn't likely that another "players only" meeting will have any shot of fixing the problems this team clearly has.
The Dolphins had plenty of time to turn another slow start into a fantastic finish, but the team is simply too flawed to overcome mistakes. A wasted electric play doomed them.