Week 2 between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots already had plenty of storylines, but the fourth quarter added something straight out of the NFL record books.
On consecutive plays, Dolphins rookie wide receiver Malik Washington returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown, only to see Patriots running back Antonio Gibson answer right back with a 90-yard kickoff return score. The back-to-back haymakers weren’t just dramatic; they were historic.
This marked just the second time in league history that a kick-return touchdown immediately followed a punt-return touchdown, according to the NFL via Mike Reiss on X, formerly Twitter. The only other time it happened? Sept. 13, 1992, when Washington hosted Atlanta.
On the rarity of the back-to-back returns for touchdowns, via the NFL. pic.twitter.com/HkTjINZnUG
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 15, 2025
That wasn’t the only rarity. Sunday’s game was also the first since Dec. 14, 2008, to feature consecutive plays ending in punt or kick-return touchdowns. For perspective, that last occurrence also involved the Patriots, when they faced the Oakland Raiders.
And there’s more. The matchup was the first since Sept. 9, 2018, to produce multiple kick or punt return touchdowns of 70-plus yards in the fourth quarter. That day, it was Miami against Tennessee.
If it feels like you don’t see sequences like this often, that’s because you don’t. Special teams touchdowns are already rare, and consecutive ones are borderline mythical. For fans at Hard Rock Stadium, it was a wild ride. One moment, Miami was celebrating a momentum-shifting return, and the very next play, the Patriots snatched that energy back.
The unusual sequence also carried weight in the game itself. Washington’s punt return looked like it might give Miami the edge. Instead, Gibson’s immediate response gave New England new life, and the Patriots capitalized down the stretch. Miami’s offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa, and New England’s own late-game adjustments suddenly had to deal with a scoreboard flipped on its head.
The New England Patriots just weren't going down without a fight, and Tagovailoa and co. could not make it count when it mattered. Tagovailoa's intercepted pass late in the 4th quarter was a momentum-shifting mistake.
In a league known for parity, moments like this stand out even more. One crazy sequence reminded everyone that in the NFL, you never know when history is about to be made.
