RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Washington Commanders defeated the Miami Dolphins 20-7 in the preseason opener on Friday night at Northwest Stadium.
Miami jumped ahead of Washington early, going 14 plays for 93 yards on its opening drive, when running back De’Von Achane scored from one yard out to give the Dolphins a 7-0 lead. Some Commanders ’ penalties aided Miami on that first drive. The Dolphins would not score again.
Marcus Mariota started at quarterback for Washington, but exited on the first drive when he suffered some sort of leg injury. Sam Hartman relieved him, leading the Commanders on three scoring drives, as rookie running backs Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen each scored a touchdown.
Instant analysis of the Commanders’ preseason-opening win over the Dolphins:
Final score: Commanders 20, Dolphins 7
Team 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final Dolphins 7 0 0 0 7 Commanders 0 17 0 3 20
It was over when......
FATMAN! 🗣️ 📺 #MIAvsWAS @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/z3KUUyZQjC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 15, 2026 Henry Jr. gave the Commanders their first lead, 10-7, after his 29-yard touchdown run. Allen followed up on the following possession with another touchdown run to make it 17-7. With Washington’s defense playing the way it did, the game was over at this point.
Numbers to know
3/12 : The Dolphins were 3/12 on third-down conversions, and two of those came on the opening drive. Remember how bad it’s been over the past few seasons?
174 : The Commanders rushed for 174 yards as a team, with Henry and Allen combining for 158.
3 : Washington intercepted three passes, and linebacker Kain Medrano just missed an easy pick-six. Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones will mostly be pleased.
8 : Miami completed only 8 passes on the night, 4 of which came on the opening drive.
Game balls
RB Robert Henry Jr : 12 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD. Henry also stood out in pass protection.
RB Kaytron Allen : 23 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD. A workmanlike effort from Allen.
DT Ricky Barber Jr : 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL. Barber also had a key fourth-down stop.
Injury updates
QB Marcus Mariota left on the first series after suffering a leg injury.
CB Fred Davis II also suffered a leg injury in the second half. Davis was active, especially on special teams.
What’s next
The Commanders are off on Saturday, followed by a walkthrough on Sunday, which is closed to the media and fans. Head coach Dan Quinn will speak via Zoom. Washington has another day off on Monday, before picking things back up on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Instant analysis of Commanders' preseason-opening win over Dolphins
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