Commanders vs. Dolphins: Three must-know storylines for Madrid game on Sunday

The NFL's global outreach hits another landmark with Sunday's matchup between the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins -- the first regular-season game played in Spain.

This will mark the Dolphins' eighth international game in the franchise's history, which is the second-most behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. Miami holds a 2-5 record abroad, with its last win coming against the Raiders in London on Sept. 28, 2014.

The Commanders head into their second international game in team history on Sunday looking for their first win overseas. Washington went into overtime with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016, but that matchup in London ended in a tie, the only such result in international play.

Hosting Commanders-Dolphins on Sunday is Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of the world-famous Real Madrid soccer club. In operation since 1947, Bernabéu Stadium has a 78,297 seating capacity and features a retractable roof.

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Three must-know storylines

1) Legendary Hawaiian QBs square off

While Madrid will be missing out on one of the NFL's rising stars in Jayden Daniels, who is out with an elbow injury, fate has led the Spanish contingent to witness a special quarterback matchup. Washington's Marcus Mariota and Miami's Tua Tagovailoa -- two Honolulu-born QBs who had similar paths toward becoming first-round NFL draft picks -- will face off for the first time ever in their playing careers. Their storyline is simply remarkable. Mariota, 32, became a mentor to Tagovailoa, 27, when the latter was a fourth-grader participating in a football camp at Saint Louis School in Honolulu, where each eventually won Hawaii Gatorade State Player of the Year awards and state titles in high school. Mariota went on to become Hawaii's first Heisman Trophy winner and made a National Championship appearance with the University of Oregon in 2014 before Tagovailoa won the 2018 CFP National Championship with the University of Alabama after finishing second in Heisman voting. Mariota (No. 2 overall in 2015) and Tagovailoa (No. 5 overall in 2020) together became the second tandem ever from the same high school to be selected within the top five picks, per NFL Research. Peyton and Eli Manning, out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, were the first. On Sunday, Mariota and Tagovailoa will finally square off in the NFL. It will be Mariota's fifth start this season for the Commanders. He's been solid in relief of Daniels, producing a 91.9 passer rating with seven total touchdowns. Tagovailoa's sixth campaign with the Dolphins has been marred by turnovers (league-leading 13 interceptions), but the lefty has been more efficient in recent starts. Nearly 8,000 miles away in Madrid, a pair of Honolulu greats will be looking to make the state of Hawaii proud.

2) Will Commanders defense see difference in Quinn's takeover?

Head coach Dan Quinn announced this week that he will assume defensive play-calling duties, a move that comes after Washington allowed 82 total points in the last two games. Quinn, who's twice risen from defensive coordinator roles to head coaching jobs, is bringing it upon himself to turn around a defense that's yielded 394.6 yards and 28.0 points per game, which rank 30th and 29th in the league, respectively. The Commanders D has been ravaged by injury this season and the absences will only grow on Sunday with star defensive tackle Daron Payne, who has been suspended for Week 11, and standout rookie cornerback Trey Amos, who was placed on injured reserve with a fractured fibula, out. Quinn is known for his aggressive nature as a play-caller, and the Commanders have generated 22 sacks through 10 games. A frenzied pocket has consistently forced Tua Tagovailoa into mistakes, and disrupting the Dolphins' high-paced offense at the line of scrimmage figures to be at the top of Washington's focus. Quinn's takeover could also come with some schematic changes or position adjustments that have yet to be seen and will surely be held close to the vest until Sunday. One reliable constant Washington can lean on is future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner, who's second in the NFL with 99 tackles and could lead the league in the category a fourth time in his age-35 season. While it might seem like a desperate move by Quinn to salvage a spiraling season, it's a measure that could jolt Washington's defense going forward.

3) Achane's play leads potential Miami turnaround

The Dolphins come into the Madrid Game off their best win of the season -- a dominant 30-13 upset over the Bills. It proved Miami hasn't quit on head coach Mike McDaniel, and perhaps it could be the start of a surprising U-turn from a season where a 2-7 start accompanied the exit of Miami's longtime general manager Chris Grier. De'Von Achane generated 225 scrimmage yards (174 rushing, 51 receiving) and two touchdowns last Sunday, a thrilling performance that showed McDaniel's offense can still be greatly effective despite a number of poor showings this season. The Dolphins running back is quietly turning in an excellent campaign, ranking fourth in the league in scrimmage yards (1,105) while scoring nine times. Achane has the ability to break a big play whenever he touches the ball, and the Dolphins will be sure to try to exploit the Commanders' leaky defense through their electric speedster. A win on Sunday would set up Miami for a turnaround, with a favorable schedule immediately following the club's Week 12 bye -- versus Saints, at Jets, at Steelers, versus Bengals.

Commanders' Week 11 injury report

Dolphins' Week 11 injury report