The Miami Dolphins ended their trip to Chicago with a preseason tie with the Bears. Miami and Chicago finished regulation with a 24-24 score — although both teams tried their best to try to win (or lose) the game in the final moments of what was a chaotic fourth quarter at Solider Field. The ...
Quinn Ewers' growing pains and surprising growth in key phase of the game headline five things we learned from Dolphins' 24-24 preseason tie with Chicago originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
The Miami Dolphins ended their trip to Chicago with a preseason tie with the Bears. Miami and Chicago finished regulation with a 24-24 score — although both teams tried their best to try to win (or lose) the game in the final moments of what was a chaotic fourth quarter at Solider Field.
The Dolphins allowed the vast majority of their starters to play throughout the first quarter — and it looked like it. Miami had firm control of the first portion of the game. Things devolved from there as both teams tapped into the deeper portions of their rosters, prompting three lead changes and an additional tie in the final 16 minutes of regulation. Games like this are always a bit challenging to take concrete assessments away from, but what did we learn from Miami's tie in Chicago this afterno0n?
Five things we learned from the Miami Dolphins' 24-24 tie to Bears in Chicago
Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers still has a long way to go after reports of flashing at practice over the past week
It isn't fair to point at the box score to fully indicate what kind of day Ewers had, just as it isn't fair to make assessments from the television copy on how Ewers read the field. Those assessments will come, but what was abundantly clear is that there were plenty of little things that Ewers did not do well enough on his own — no matter what kind of help he got from his supporting cast.
Ewers' first possession was one backed up inside his own territory; his first pass was one that sailed on a basic out route that nearly got his receiver's head taken off. On his next possession, Ewers scrambled right on third down and got caught poorly protecting the ball — he was sacked from behind and fumbled to set the Bears up on a short field. It wasn't Ewers' only turnover. His misfires were frustratingly tied to timing at times, as Ewers tried to balance moving off his spot and throwing accurately to receivers coming out of the break.
It often didn't work. Ewers finished the day 5/18 passing for 91 yards and the two lost fumbles on sacks.
The Dolphins might have life on special teams in 2025 after a coordinator change this offseason
Miami hired Craig Aukerman as the team's new special teams coordinator this offseason after several underwhelming years under Danny Crossman. The early returns appear wonderful. The Dolphins grossly out-performed the Bears on special teams and it helped them overcome 10 penalties and two turnovers. Miami finishes Week 1 of the 2025 preseason ranked:
- 6th in net yards per punt (45.5 yards)
- 2nd in yards per kickoff return (38.7 yards per return on three returns)
- T-5th in yards per punt return (17.5 yards per return on two returns)
- 2nd in average starting field position after a return (their own 41.8 yard line)
- 8th in opponent yards per kickoff return (21.7 yards per return)
- 3rd in Special Teams Expected Points Added (EPA): 5.61 EPA
- 10th in opponent average starting field position after a kick return (the -26.2 yard line)
Ollie Gordon II is here to eat your body blows and is ready to bang in traffic
Gordon II finished his preseason debut with 8 carries for 33 yards (4.1 yards per attempt), plus an additional reception for 20 yards (and 19 more receiving yards on a lateral on the game's final play). Gordon's first carry was a 21-yard spinning explosive play through contact. His best was an up-and-over leap over the pile to convert a low-red zone opportunity into a touchdown.
Miami's first possession of the day was ended with several failed attempts inside the five-yard line — a familiar issue from prior years. Could Gordon II, along with veteran Alexander Mattison, be a legitimate solution? It's too early to say. But Gordon II ran to his stature on Sunday and that's a great start.
Tahj Washington is going to be hard to not keep on the roster
Washington was a bit of a mystery for Dolphins fans coming into this summer because the former seventh-round draft choice missed all of last season. The Dolphins carried him on injured reserve last year after a summer injury and now he's squarely in the mix for a roster spot.
Play like this every week and you'll not only have a roster spot, you'll get targets in the passing game, Tahj. Washington was dynamic and twitchy, showcasing shifty ability to make defenders miss both on his routes and with the ball. Washington finished Sunday as Miami's leading receiver, splitting his three receptions for 53 yards between Tua Tagovailoa and backup Zach Wilson.
The Matt Dickerson intrigue has legitimate upside for a deep interior defensive line
Matt Dickerson was a player who caught on with the Dolphins last season and has been given the opportunity to come back and be in the mix again this year. He's had firm buzz as a potential early-down rotational piece and the disruption he brought on Sunday only affirmed that this isn't coach-speak.
The former undrafted defensive lineman out of UCLA is 29 years old and has never logged 200 defensive snaps in a single season. So his legitimate game experience is limited. But he's got the eye of defensive line coach Austin Clark and Sunday's performance featured several splash plays that should further bolster his film resume in a bid to be the fifth or sixth interior defender on the roster. Dickerson was disruptive and illustrated good anchor and motor alike against the Bears.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
