Game recap: Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins rally to beat Lions in Detroit

Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins head north for a visit with the Detroit Lions in Week 8 of the NFL regular season.

The Dolphins (4-3) snapped a three-game skid with last week's 16-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hard Rock Stadium on "Sunday Night Football."

The Lions (1-5) are floundering after four straight losses, including consecutive road defeats at New England and Dallas in which Detroit was outscored a combined 53-6.

In addition to holding the worst record in the NFL, Detroit's defense enters Week 8 ranked last in points (32.3) and yards allowed (412.2).

It's a salivating matchup for Miami's lethal wide receiver duo, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Hill enters Week 8 as the NFL leader in receptions (57) and receiving yards (773) while Waddle ranks fourth in yards (621).

The duo's success comes in spite of the Dolphins' quarterback carousel, which settled with Tagovailoa's return from injury last week against the Steelers.

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3:50 p.m. | Dolphins offense runs out the clock

The Miami Dolphins have pulled off the comeback in Detroit.

Tua Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill on a third-down pass to convert a critical first down in Lions territory with less than two minutes remaining. Tagovailoa is in the victory formation to kneel out the final seconds.

Dolphins defeat the Lions

3:43 p.m. | Dolphins defense forces critical turnover on downs

The Miami Dolphins have forced a pivotal turnover on downs with less than four minutes to play in the game.

Facing fourth-and-2 in Miami territory, quarterback Jared Goff threw deep to wide receiver Josh Reynolds, who couldn't make the catch with Dolphins defensive back Kader Kohou in coverage.

Miami leads 31-27 at the two-minute warning. Running back Raheem Mostert converted a first down rush prior to the break. The Lions have all three timeouts remaining.

3:35 p.m. | Dolphins forced to punt in fourth quarter

The Miami Dolphins are hanging on with a four-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Miami offense was forced to punt from midfield on its most recent drive after a pair of short Chase Edmonds rushes and an incomplete Tua Tagovailoa pass, the latter play featuring multiple declined penalties on the Dolphins.

Miami leads Detroit 31-27 with 8:19 remaining.

3:10 p.m. | Mike Gesicki touchdown catch gives Dolphins lead, Liam Eichenberg injured

The Miami Dolphins have their first lead in Detroit.

Tua Tagovailoa hit tight end Mike Gesicki on a looping pass in the end zone to cap another impressive second-half drive from the Miami offense.

Miami leads Detroit 31-27 late in the third quarter.

Dolphins offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg went down with an injury on the play and was attended to by trainers after the scoring play.

2:52 p.m. | Alec Ingold converts another goal line sneak

With Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense looking "out of sorts" at the goal line, fullback Alec Ingold slipped under center and converted a quarterback sneak to cap the Dolphins' opening drive of the second half.

Miami trails Detroit 27-24 early in the third quarter.

2:27 p.m. | Lions convert fake punt, score before half

The Dolphins defense finally secured a stop against the Lions late in the first half, but Detroit converted a short fake punt in its own territory to extend the drive.

Miami stiffened inside its 10-yard line, however, forcing an incompletion in the end zone with seconds to half. The Lions then converted a 26-yard field goal as time expired.

Detroit leads Miami 27-17 at halftime.

1:55 p.m. | Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle lead quick-strike drive

It's a shootout in Detroit.

Tua Tagovailoa connected on another deep ball to Tyreek Hill to move the Dolphins deep into Lions territory. Hill is already over 100 receiving yards on the afternoon.

Tagovailoa then capped the drive with his second touchdown to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Miami trails Detroit 21-14 early in the second quarter.

1:50 p.m. | Jamaal Williams scores second touchdown

The Dolphins are back down two touchdowns after running back Jamaal Williams plunged in for his second score of the game.

Quarterback Jared Goff hit another deep ball behind the Dolphins secondary to set up the score. Detroit leads Miami 21-7 with 13:46 left to halftime.

1:35 p.m. | Tua Tagovailoa touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle

Miami found an answer on its second offensive possession.

QuarTua Tagovailoa capped a long drive with a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to produce the Dolphins' first points of the afternoon.

Detroit leads Miami 14-7 with 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

1:22 p.m. | D'Andre Swift expands Detroit lead

The Lions made Miami pay for its early turnover.

Quarterback Jared Goff hit tight end TJ Hockenson for a big play into Dolphins territory before running back D'Andre Swift converted the Lions' second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

Detroit leads Miami 14-0 first quarter.

1:08 p.m. | Rookie Braylon Sanders fumbles on Dolphins first drive

The Dolphins overcame an early Tua Tagovailoa sack with a fourth-down conversion near midfield.

Rookie wide receiver Braylon Sanders then lost a fumble to end Miami's first offensive possession. The Dolphins trail 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

1:03 p.m. | Jamaal Williams scores for Lions on opening drive

The Lions are off and running after receiving the opening kickoff.

Quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Kalif Raymond for a big play to move the Lions deep into Dolphins territory. Veteran running back Jamaal Williams then scored on a short run up the middle to give Detroit an early lead.

The Lions lead the Dolphins with 12:59 left in the first quarter.

12:55 p.m. | Amon-Ra St. Brown, D'Andre Swift active for Lions

The Dolphins secondary will have to deal with a rising star in Amon-Ra St. Brown. The receiver is back after missing most of last week's game against the Dallas Cowboys after going into the concussion protocol.

Running back D'Andre Swift is also back for the first time since Week 3. Swift has been out with ankle and shoulder injuries.

12:40 p.m. | Verone McKinley III warms up with starters

Rookie Verone McKinley III is warming up with the starting Dolphins defense ahead of this afternoon's matchup in Detroit.

McKinley, an Oregon product, played last week alongside fellow former Duck Jevon Holand in the Miami secondary. He recorded a solo tackle in his professional debut.

More: Jevon Holland celebrates 4th-quarter interception but just as happy for Oregon teammate

11:30 a.m. | Miami Dolphins inactives: Eric Rowe out despite depleted secondary

The Dolphins are relatively healthy for today's game against the Lions.

Even though he wasn't on the injury report, safety Eric Rowe is a scratch for the game. That might be a surprise given that the Dolphins have lost DBs Brandon Jones and Nik Needham in recent weeks.

The Dolphins chose to have S Verone McKinley active instead of Rowe.

WR River Cracraft, who has been a contributor this year, also is inactive. Newly elevated WR Braylon Sanders is active instead.

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard, who flew up on his own following a death in his family, is active. So is edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah, who missed the Steelers game.

As expected, former Dolphins defensive lineman Charles Harris is inactive because of a groin injury.

The full list of inactives for both teams:

MIAMI DOLPHINS

#3 RB Myles Gaskin

#18 WR Erik Ezukanma

#19 QB Skylar Thompson

#21 S Eric Rowe

#85 WR River Cracraft

DETROIT LIONS

#5 S DeShon Elliott

#23 CB Mike Hughes

#26 S Ifeatu Melifonwu

#36 CB Chase Lucas

#53 DL Charles Harris

#67 T Matt Nelson

#90 DL Michael Brockers

What time is the Dolphins game today?

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

When: 1 p.m. Sunday, October 30

What channel is the Dolphins game on?

TV: CBS (in local markets), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), fuboTV (7-day free trial)

Live stream: NFL Sunday Ticket, Paramount+ (7-day free trial), NFL+ (7-day free trial)

How can I listen to Miami Dolphins game on radio?

Radio: WQAM 560; SiriusXM Channel 389

Online radio: SiriusXM.com (Channel 819)

What's the latest betting line for Dolphins vs. Lions?

Miami is a 3.5-point favorite over Detroit, according to Tipico, the oddsmaker for USA TODAY. The over-under is 51.5 points.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins vs. Lions game score, recap, highlights in NFL Week 8