Tua Tagovailoa guided the Miami Dolphins to a 16–13 overtime win over the Washington Commanders in the NFL’s first-ever game at Madrid’s Estadio Bernabéu. And once the dust settled, the quarterback got hit with a fun question: Where does he want to play next overseas? After checking off Frankfurt and now Madrid, Tua didn’t hesitate. The quarterback said he’d love for the NFL to take a game to Israel.

“Shoot, it’d be pretty cool to go play in Jerusalem. That’d be sick,” the quarterback said.

The Dolphins’ track record in Europe hasn’t exactly been sparkling. Heading into their Week 11 matchup with the Commanders, Miami was just 1–5 in games played across the continent, with their only win coming way back in 2014 when they rolled the Raiders 38–14 in London.

And when you zoom in on Tua Tagovailoa’s overseas outings? Same story, different lens. Before Sunday, Tua had already made two European trips. His first came in 2021, when he returned from a rib injury and actually played really well against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He threw for 329 yards, went 33-for-47, and tossed two touchdowns, all solid numbers. The problem? Miami still lost 23–20. Then came 2023 in Frankfurt. This one felt even more frustrating. Tua finished 21-of-34 for 193 yards and one touchdown, but the Dolphins fell short again, losing 21–14 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Two trips, two losses, and plenty of “what-ifs.” Fast forward to now, and Tua finally checks the box: his first overseas win and in a completely new country, no less. With that monkey off his back, the quarterback is already thinking ahead. He says he wants the NFL to bring a game to Jerusalem next. Will the league actually make that happen? Hard to say. But Roger Goodell had already expressed his intention to host an NFL game in Asia, and Tua’s already put the idea on the table.

A look at Tua Tagovailoa’s first overseas win

It’s a back-to-back win for Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins. The team entered Week 11 after defeating the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. Fast forward to now, and the Miami team has taken another positive step to keep their hopes alive. Tua, who went 14 for 20 for 171 yards passing without any touchdowns or interceptions, addressed the team’s mindset after the game.

“It feels great,” the quarterback said. “It was just a collective team win. It took offense, defense and special teams. We fed off each other. All wins are good. We’re going to carry this momentum along throughout the bye week and hopefully take it into our next game.”

The Dolphins nearly handed the game away in the final seconds when Washington lined up for a 56-yard game-winner with 15 seconds left. But Matt Gay pushed it wide right, and the chaos didn’t stop there. On the first snap of overtime, Jack Jones picked off Marcus Mariota, setting up Riley Patterson’s 29-yard walk-off field goal to seal Miami’s 16–13 win at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu. Now the Dolphins head into their Week 12 bye hoping to carry that momentum forward.