Two of the unbeaten teams in the NFL met as the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins clashed at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The encounter was tight in the first half as quarterbacks Drew Brees and Ryan Tannehill had their offenses moving.
However, after the break the Saints quality with Brees showed as they scored three touchdowns and overpowered the Dolphins' defense to cruise to a 38-17 win to move to 4-0 in their season.
To see how all the action unfolded read our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins.
Both teams are going well in the NFL at present as both are unbeaten in their opening three games of the season.
The Saints are in a great position in the NFC South and tonight they can open a three-game gap on their nearest rivals the Atlanta Falcons following their defeat to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Sean Payton has returned following his one-year suspension for the Bounty Gate scandal and has revitalised his team guiding them to victories over the Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals with quarterback Drew Brees in a great form as ever.
Brees has thrown for over 1,000 yards already this season and looks to be on pace for another 5,000 yard campaign to match his past two seasons. His main weapon Jimmy Graham looks to be in fine form as well as the two have combined for four touchdowns already.
The inactives list has just been released and we'll start with the home side.
SAINTS INACTIVES: Moore, Harper, Ingram, Sweeting Armstead, Bunkley, Johnson
DOLPHINS INACTIVES: Wake, Davis, Devlin, Gillisee, Patterson, Thomas, Watkins
The news for the Saints is that they will be without wide receiver Lance Moore, who has become one of Brees's favourite targets over the last few seasons. Meanwhile running back Mark Ingram is also missing. On the defensive side of the ball safety Roman Harper is another injury victim along with defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley. A lot of key players out for Payton's side.
A big blow for the Dolphins as they are missing All-Pro defensive end Cameron Wake. He sustained an injury in their win over the Atlanta Falcons and hasn't been able to shake it off to play tonight. Elsewhere on defense they are without cornerback Dimitri Patterson meaning rookie Jamar Taylor may finally get a chance to see the field.
The Dolphins are going well in their season and are matching the Patriots stride for stride in the AFC East on the back of their solid defense and some excellent play from quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
A lot was expected of Tannehill this season and he has not disappointed so far. Last week he led the game-winning drive against the Falcons when he found tight end Dion Sims in the endzone. The running game and offensive line haven't quite been at their best as back Lamar Miller is only averaging 4.2 yards a carry this season compared to the 4.9 he had last year.
A win tonight for the Dolphins will prove once and for all that they are a legitimate playoff contender in the AFC.
With Wake sidelined a lot will be asked of third overall pick in the 2013 Draft Dion Jordan to get pressure on Brees tonight. He has been likened to Dolphins' great Jason Taylor, we'll have to see if he can live up to that reputation tonight.
The Saints' defense will also need to get pressure on Tannehill to get the win tonight. They will be leaning on their first-round pick from the 2011 Draft, Cameron Jordan, who has notched three sacks already this season, along with Junior Galette who has two.
COIN TOSS RESULT: The Dolphins have won the coin toss and have deferred. So Brees and the Saints will get the ball first.
Sturgis kicks the ball to Sproles in the endzone, who kneels down so Brees will start at the 20.
Brees gets the Saints moving straight away and finds Sproles on a wheel route down the right sideline and he runs all the way to the Dolphins' 30.
A huge pickup for the Saints on third down as Brees hits rookie Kenny Stills on a crossing route and he picks up the first down on third and two. A nice blitz pickup by the offensive line and back Pierre Thomas.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints take the lead as Brees hands the ball to Sproles on a draw play and he runs right through the middle of the defense to go into the endzone from five yards out. A nice play by the Saints.
Thigpen runs the ball out to the 18 on Morstead's kick off, so Tannehill and his offense will try and respond.
The Dolphins are rolling straight away as well as Tannehill hits Wallace on a curl route and beats the challenge of Lewis to reach the first down marker before the corner knocks him out of bounds.
Another first down this time on the ground as Miller gets moving down the left-hand side of the field and reaches the 49 for a pickup of 20 yards. That will please the Dolphins' coaching staff.
Tannehill uses his feet to good effect to move the chains once more and put his team within striking distance of the Saints' endzone with a 26-yard run on a read-option play, as he faked the ball to Miller and went over left tackle himself.
A huge stop by the Saints on third down and inches and Jenkins penetrates the line on a stretch play to the left and brings down Thomas for a loss, which forces the Dolphins into a field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Sturgis fires his field goal through the posts from 34 yards out despite being put back an extra five yards due to a false start penalty by Fields.
Brees and his offense go three and out as the Dolphins defense steps up and gets penetration. First Solai pushes Evans back into Brees and deflects his pass to force an incompletion, then Odrick shoots the gap and brings down Thomas. Finally under Brees throws short for Stills on third. Morstead's punt goes out of bounds at the 35.
Miller does extremely well to pick up a first down for the Dolphins on a swing pass from Tannehill as he catches at the line of scrimmage and drives through a tackle from Lofton to pick up the first down.
Scratch that, it wasn't a first down after all as Miller was grounded before the marker by Lofton's challenge. Fields punt goes into the endzone so Brees will begin at the 20.
A good pickup on third down by Brees as he fires to Toon on a corner route for 18 yards to move his side to their own 36. A great throw under pressure but some questionable coverage by the visitors.
Solid work by the Saints on the ground makes an easy completion for them on second after Sproles runs for seven on first and Brees fires a short pass to Stills for four yards on second.
The Saints are moving down the field but face a big third and four situation after the break, as Sproles picks up nine on first but on second Thomas gets stuffed for a three-yard loss.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Miami Dolphins 3-7 New Orleans Saints
SACK! Brees goes down under pressure as Odrick beats his man and brings down the quarterback for a huge loss. Morstead is forced to punt the ball away and it's collected at the nine, where Tannehill will begin.
A great first down pickup by the Dolphins on third as Tannehill fires to Gibson on a crossing route and he beats his man and finds a hole in the Saints defense and runs all the way to the 40.
Another first down on back-to-back plays for the Dolphins as Tannehill finds Hartline on a quick slant route for 11 yards as he beat the press coverage of Greer.
FUMBLE!
Tannehill fumbles the ball as he tries to run with it down the middle. He escapes from pressure in the pocket and runs straight ahead but Lofton gets a hand on the ball as he brought the quarterback down and Greer jumps on it to claim it for the home side.
The Saints get rolling immediately as Brees finds Thomas on a screen pass and he evades Misi and does enough to pick up the first down.
Despite being backed up on third and 20 the Saints pick up the first down as Brees throws a screen pass to Sproles and with blockers in front of him he finds 21 yards out of nowhere. Not the best defense from the Dolphins.
Sproles is really hurting the Dolphins as he gets yet another first down for his side out of the back field as he runs a quick out route and Brees fires it to him and he gets the yardage.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints extend their lead as Brees drops back and has all the time in the world to hit Graham down the right-hand sideline with a jump ball. The tight end had three Dolphins players around him but he still managed to reel the ball in and go over for the score. A great play!
Thigpen takes Morstead's kick back to the 19 where Tannehill will begin once again.
A nice run to begin with by Miller as he finds space on the left side between Martin and Incognito and picks up the first down before he's brought down by Lofton.
Tannehill and Hartline do well to link up on a strike for seven yards to move the chains once again. The quarterback fires a dart for the receiver, who runs a quick slant and makes a good low catch.
A huge play from the Dolphins as the Saints get a taste of their own medicine as Tannehill finds Thigpen on a screen pass and he picks up the first down and a whole lot more for 50 yards before he is tripped up yards from the endzone by Bush. A great play call!
TOUCHDOWN DOLPHINS!
The Dolphins hit back and Miller goes into the endzone on a sweep run as he gets the ball from Tannehill on the right and runs to the left and powers in for the score. Good blocking by the visitors but there weren't enough man in the box from the Saints point of view.
Sturgis kicks the ball out of the endzone and Brees will begin at the 20.
A three and out for the Saints as cornerback Carroll does well for the Dolphins to break up a pass from Brees to Stills, which would have been enough for the first down. Can the Dolphins take a lead into the break?
The Dolphins have a second down and five going into the two minute warning on their own 37.
INTERCEPTION SAINTS!
OH DEAR! A poor throw from Tannehill is picked off as he looked to find Hartline on the slant again but this time Greer jumped the route and ran the ball back to the Miami 23.
Brees gets straight to business as he finds Stills over the middle and he twists and turns away from his man and picks up the first down on the 13.
SACK! Brees goes down on second as Vernon gets to him and hauls him down for a five-yard loss to recover the damage done by a penalty on a previous play.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
Brees extends the Saints lead as finds Sproles on a wheel route for a 13-yard touchdown as cornerback Carroll tried to jump the route and make an interception but he missed the ball allowing the running back to walk it in.
The Dolphins kneel down the end the half so not to risk another turnover.
HALF-TIME: Miami Dolphins 10-21 New Orleans Saints
The Saints lead the break as Drew Brees has put on a passing clinic so far in the first half with two touchdowns. Darren Sproles has also been a thorn in the side of the Dolphins with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. The duo have been excellent in the opening 30 minutes.
The Dolphins have a lot of work to do to get back into this. Strangely enough they could have taken the lead if not for that turnover from Ryan Tannehill at the end of the half. If he gets their offense moving like he had done before, they have a chance.
Morstead's kick goes out of the endzone and Tannehill will start at the 20.
A three and out to start the half for the Dolphins as Tannehill fails to find Gibson and Wallace on back-to-back plays on a short out route. Fields punts the ball away to Saints 41.
Brees gets his offense rolling straight away and finds Colston for his first catch of the night over the middle for 12 yards and he picks up the first down.
Brees gets Colston again this time off play-action and the receiver does well to sit down in the zone and his quarterback drills it to him.
Colston again down the middle as he gets lined up on Wheeler and he jinks past him with a double move and Brees throws a dart to him and the receiver gets to the Miami 7 for a 21-yard pickup.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
Another touchdown for the Saints and another passing score for Brees as he fools the Dolphind defense with play-action beforen finding tight end Watson in the flat and he does well to leap with the ball to break the line to get the touchdown.
The Dolphins can't answer back as Tannehill is brought down for a huge loss on third down by Galette as he beats left tackle Martin with a power move. It's not looking good for Philbin's side at the minute. Sproles collects Fields' punt and takes the ball back to the Miami 43, to set up another drive.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
This is slowly becoming a rout for the home side as Brees fires another touchdown pass for Graham down the seam as he catches the ball in stride and runs it into the endzone for a 43-yard strike.
Tannehill bounces back from a sack on first down from Martez Wilson to pick up another set of downs as he finds Wallace and Clay on back-to-back plays. He seems to be fighting a losing battle here.
Another failed drive for the Dolphins as Tannehill takes another huge sack on first as Jordan beats Clabo with a power move and brings the quarterback down. The quarterback can't get the yardage back as the Saints go into prevent mode.
Brees has his offense moving again and for the fourth time he finds Colston, this time on a slant route for 10 yards, which is good enough to pick up another set of downs on a crucial third down moment.
A delay of game penalty on Brees forces third and long and he nearly gets the yardage for another set of downs but his completion for Colston down the middle goes for 14 yards rather than the 16 need. Garrett Hartley will attempt a field goal from 43 yards.
FIELD GOAL NO GOOD!
Hartley misses from 43 yards as he hooks his kick wide of the left post.
Tannehill gets his side moving straight away as he finds Hartline on a slant route, this time the receiver beats man coverage and catches the ball to pick up the first down.
Two more short completions first to Wallace then Clay are enough to keep the chains moving for Miami and they go into Saints territory.
Tannehill takes off himself and runs for 15 yards and this time he slides and covers the ball to avoid another turnover.
Gibson gets a completion on a short out route and he tries to make a move before he gets pushed out of bounds by Carr in the redzone, which will end the quarter.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Miami Dolphins 10-35 New Orleans Saints
TOUCHDOWN DOLPHINS!
The Dolphins get a touchdown back as Tannehill finishes a fine drive with a lovely looped pass to the corner of the endzone where Clay makes a good catch for the score.
Brees gets put under pressure but he delivers a first down for his team as he throws the ball over the middle for Graham, who makes a great catch for 19 yards.
Robinson gets two handoffs and moves the chains with back-to-back runs of 11 and 10 yards as the Saints look to milk the clock and take as much time out of the game as they can.
Another good run by Robinson picks up six yards while the Saints are handed a first down by Odrick as he jumps to quickly and is penalised for a neutral zone infraction.
Brees to Graham again and it's for 11 yards as he evades man coverage and the quarterback hits him between the numbers but he's brought down straight away by Grimes.
A defensive stand by the Dolphins as they hold Brees at their own 10-yard line, as Thomas is drilled back for a one-yard loss by Odrick forcing Hartley into another field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Hartley knocks this one through the posts without any bother from 29 yards to extend the Saints' lead to 21 points.
Thigpen takes Morstead's kick back to the Miami 20 where Tannehill will begin.
INTERCEPTION SAINTS!
Tannehill throws his second interception of the night as there's confusion between him and Wallace on a crossing route as Wallace stops, while the quarterback throws in front of him, the ball is tipped by Bush into the hands of Carr. If you were in any doubt, this game is over!
Graham erases a huge gain from Thomas on third down with a holding penalty but it doesn't matter as Brees finds Colston in the flat in the next play and he catches the ball for his sixth reception of the night for 11 yards.
FUMBLE!
First turnover of the night for the Saints as Sproles fumbles the ball on the goalline as he is hit Wilson and Ellerbe gathers the loose ball. That is the running back's first fumble as a Saint since joining the club in 2011.
A chance for Tannehill to pad his stats as he finds Gibson and Matthews for short gains to pick up back-to-back first downs.
We reach the two minute warning as Tannehill is nearly picked off for the third time of the night as he overthrows a pass for clay and Bush almost gets to it.
SACK! Tannehill is sacked for the fourth time of the net as Walker overwhelms the right guard Jerry and brings down the quarterback, putting the Dolphins in third and 14.
INTERCEPTION SAINTS!
Tannehil's night ends in misery as he is picked off for the third time as he his hit as he throws the ball Galette and his pass loops into the air into the hands of Herring, which will end the game.
Brees kneels it down to end the game with a comfortable win for the Saints.
FULL-TIME: Miami Dolphins 17-38 New Orleans Saints
The Saints advance to 4-0 in their season and remain unbeaten thanks to a hammering of the Miami Dolphins. Drew Brees was on another level tonight as he destroyed the Dolphins defense with four touchdown passes, with two to tight end Jimmy Graham, in an excellent night for Sean Payton's side.
It was the complete opposite for the Dolphins and quarterback Ryan Tannehill as he threw three interceptions and didn't look comfortable at all with his receivers. He wasn't helped by some dodgy protection from his offensive line as he was sacked four times. The Dolphins fell to their first defeat of the season and have a lot of work to do to make sure they keep their campaign on track in the AFC East.
Thanks for joining coverage of this NFL clash. We'll be back on Friday morning when the Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns. Until then goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
