How two key plays from Kiko Alonso kept the Dolphins alive in OT win over the Bears

Kiko Alonso watched from the sidelines as Jason Sanders’ 47-yard game-winning, walk-off field goal flipped through the uprights to clinch the Miami Dolphins’ 31-28 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

In a game that saw momentum teeter for the better part of the second half as well as the extra 10-minute period, Alonso — like the rest of his teammates — was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s a great feeling man,” Alonso said. “It’s hard to put into words that feeling.”

But if it wasn’t for a couple key defensive plays from Alonso, the Dolphins likely would not have been in the situation to snap their two-game losing streak and walk out of Hard Rock Stadium with their heads held high.

The sixth-year veteran linebacker had his hand in both of Miami’s defensive fumble recoveries — each coming at a pivotal moment in the game — to help the Dolphins and add more highlights in what is shaping up to be a Pro Bowl-worthy year.

The first came in the second quarter with Miami up 7-0 after Chicago drove down to the Miami 2-yard line. Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky handed the ball to Jordan Howard. Robert Quinn knocked the ball out and Alonso fell on the loose ball to stop Chicago from potentially tying the game.

“I saw him stretch for [the end zone],” Alonso said. “Someone knocked it out, and then I got it.”

The second came in the fourth quarter with barely more than a minute left in regulation and the game tied at 28-28.

With the Bears trying to make one last march down the field, Alonso popped the ball out from Tarik Cohen’s clutches and leave just enough room for Xavien Howard to recover.

It was just Miami’s second stop of the second half — the Bears scored touchdowns on four of their six second-half drives and finished with 467 yards of total offense — but it was just enough to keep Miami in the game and just enough to force overtime.

“That’s why you’ve got to keep fighting,” Alonso said.

Coach Adam Gase added: “They just kept bouncing back. Whether it was good or bad, they kept fighting the entire 70 minutes now.”

Alonso epitomized that on Sunday — and has all season.

In addition to being involved in both fumble recoveries, Alonso tallied 11 tackles on Sunday. His stats throughout the season:

▪ 61 tackles.

▪ Two interceptions.

▪ A career-best three forced fumbles.

And he still has 10 games left to play in the regular season if he stays healthy.

Just don’t ask Alonso about his individual accolades right now.

“It doesn’t matter,” Alonso said. “I’m just happy we won, man.”

It looked questionable at times, but Miami did come out with the win.

The goal now is for the wins to keep rolling in, starting with the Detroit Lions next week.

“Gotta keep going,” Alonso said.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 6:45 PM.