Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers lead Dolphins to 24-17 preseason win over Lions

DETROIT (AP) — Backup quarterback Zach Wilson had a strong first half for the Dolphins and third-stringer Quinn Ewers threw for two second-half touchdowns as Miami beat the Detroit Lions 24-17 in the preseason on Saturday.

The teams had a pair of joint practices earlier in the week. Both teams' starters participated in those workouts, but Saturday's game was all about the reserves who are trying to earn roster spots.

Wilson, the Dolphins' No. 2 QB behind Tua Tagovailoa, completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Ewers went 11 of 17 for 116 yards.

“The journey of a quarterback is being able to take whatever reps you get and play your game,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “This was a good day for both of those guys. Quinn made the most of his opportunities and Zach did some nice things in the first half.”

McDaniel wasn't about to declare either quarterback the winner on the day.

“I'm not going to overreact to one day of results,” he said. “We're going to focus on the process.”

The Lions (1-2) also took a long look at their second- and third-string quarterbacks with Jared Goff on the sideline. Kyle Allen impressed in the first half, going 14 of 17 for 124 yards and two scores.

“Kyle made some critical throws at critical times, and that was an awesome two-minute drill before the half,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He's going a really good command of the offense and he doesn't get frazzled.”

Hendon Hooker struggled in the final two quarters, completing 6 of 13 throws for 61 yards and an interception.

“Right now, I would trust Kyle more, but we're still going to coach Hooker up,” Campbell said. “I'm going to try to get him more reps against this week.”

Ollie Gordon II had 50 yards rushing for the Dolphins on 10 carries. Jacob Saylors led the Lions with 13 carries for 39 yards.

The Dolphins (1-0-1) took a 7-0 lead on Wilson's 11-yard pass to Dee Eskridge late in the first quarter. Detroit tied the game midway through the second on Allen's 11-yard pass to Jackson Meeks.

Miami drove to the Detroit 9 in the final two minutes of the first half, but Isaac Ukwu sacked Wilson on fourth-and-4.

Isaac TeSlaa caught an 18-yard pass from Allen with 30 seconds left to give the Lions a 14-7 halftime lead.

“We've got a really good, really complete offense,” Allen said. “I know I have options on every play, and I'm confident that I'm going to know where to go on every call. That's a nice feeling.”

Ewers threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Theo Wease Jr. on his first drive to tie the game, but a fumbled punt led to a 33-yard field goal by Jake Bates and a 17-14 Lions lead.

Ewers hit Wease for an 8-yard score to make it 21-17 with 12:22 to play. After a Lions punt put the ball on Miami's 5, Ewers led a 15-play, 92-yard drive that ended with Jason Sanders' 22-yard field goal with 1:53 left.

“We'll have to see the film, because there are times that you find out you didn't play as well as you think you did, but that felt like a good performance,” Ewers said. “It's definitely nice to get a win under my belt.”

The Lions drove to the Miami 13 in the last 30 seconds, but Ethan Robinson intercepted Hooker's pass with 22 seconds left.

“I liked that two-minute drive,” Campbell said. “It took us a while to get going, but he stayed calm and the ball went where the coverage said it should go. Even on that last play, he had the right look, but (Robinson) made a great play.”

Dolphins: Finish the preseason next Saturday, when they host Indianapolis.

Lions: Host Houston next Saturday in their preseason finale.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) carries against Miami Dolphins linebacker Dequan Jackson during the second half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) passes during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Miami Dolphins Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Miami Dolphins running back Jacob Saylors (48) carries against Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Smith (24) during the second half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (14) passes during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Detroit Lions Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson (0) passes during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Detroit Lions Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

MADRID (AP) — Venezuelans living in Spain are watching the events unfold back home with a mix of awe, joy and fear.

Some 600,000 Venezuelans live in Spain, home to the largest population anywhere outside the Americas. Many fled political persecution and violence but also the country’s collapsing economy.

A majority live in the capital, Madrid, working in hospitals, restaurants, cafes, nursing homes and elsewhere. While some Venezuelan migrants have established deep roots and lives in the Iberian nation, others have just arrived.

Here is what three of them had to say about the future of Venezuela since U.S. forces deposed Nicolás Maduro.

David Vallenilla woke up to text messages from a cousin on Jan. 3 informing him “that they invaded Venezuela.” The 65-year-old from Caracas lives alone in a tidy apartment in the south of Madrid with two Daschunds and a handful of birds. He was in disbelief.

“In that moment, I wanted certainty,” Vallenilla said, “certainty about what they were telling me.”

In June 2017, Vallenilla’s son, a 22-year-old nursing student in Caracas named David José, was shot point-blank by a Venezuelan soldier after taking part in a protest near a military air base in the capital. He later died from his injuries. Video footage of the incident was widely publicized, turning his son’s death into an emblematic case of the Maduro government’s repression against protesters that year.

After demanding answers for his son’s death, Vallenilla, too, started receiving threats and decided two years later to move to Spain with the help of a nongovernmental organization.

On the day of Maduro’s capture, Vallenilla said his phone was flooded with messages about his son.

“Many told me, ‘Now David will be resting in peace. David must be happy in heaven,’” he said. “But don't think it was easy: I spent the whole day crying.”

Vallenilla is watching the events in Venezuela unfold with skepticism but also hope. He fears more violence, but says he has hope the Trump administration can effect the change that Venezuelans like his son tried to obtain through elections, popular protests and international institutions.

“Nothing will bring back my son. But the fact that some justice has begun to be served for those responsible helps me see a light at the end of the tunnel. Besides, I also hope for a free Venezuela.”

Journalist Carleth Morales first came to Madrid a quarter-century ago when Hugo Chávez was reelected as Venezuela's president in 2000 under a new constitution.

The 54-year-old wanted to study and return home, taking a break of sorts in Madrid as she sensed a political and economic environment that was growing more and more challenging.

“I left with the intention of getting more qualified, of studying, and of returning because I understood that the country was going through a process of adaptation between what we had known before and, well, Chávez and his new policies," Morales said. "But I had no idea that we were going to reach the point we did.”

In 2015, Morales founded an organization of Venezuelan journalists in Spain, which today has hundreds of members.

The morning U.S. forces captured Maduro, Morales said she woke up to a barrage of missed calls from friends and family in Venezuela.

“Of course, we hope to recover a democratic country, a free country, a country where human rights are respected,” Morales said. “But it’s difficult to think that as a Venezuelan when we’ve lived through so many things and suffered so much.”

Morales sees it as unlikely that she would return home, having spent more than two decades in Spain, but she said she hopes her daughters can one day view Venezuela as a viable option.

“I once heard a colleague say, ‘I work for Venezuela so that my children will see it as a life opportunity.’ And I adopted that phrase as my own. So perhaps in a few years it won’t be me who enjoys a democratic Venezuela, but my daughters.”

For two weeks, Verónica Noya has waited for her phone to ring with the news that her husband and brother have been freed.

Noya’s husband, Venezuelan army Capt. Antonio Sequea, was imprisoned in 2020 after having taken part in a military incursion to oust Maduro. She said he remains in solitary confinement in the El Rodeo prison in Caracas. For 20 months, Noya has been unable to communicate with him or her brother, who was also arrested for taking part in the same plot.

“That’s when my nightmare began,” Noya said.

Venezuelan authorities have said hundreds of political prisoners have been released since Maduro's capture, while rights groups have said the real number is a fraction of that. Noya has waited in agony to hear anything about her four relatives, including her husband's mother, who remain imprisoned.

Meanwhile, she has struggled with what to tell her children when they ask about their father's whereabouts. They left Venezuela scrambling and decided to come to Spain because family roots in the country meant that Noya already had a Spanish passport.

Still, she hopes to return to her country.

“I’m Venezuelan above all else,” Noya said. “And I dream of seeing a newly democratic country."

Venezuelan journalist Caleth Morales works in her apartment's kitchen in Madrid, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

David Vallenilla, father of the late David José Vallenilla Luis, sits in his apartment's kitchen in Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Veronica Noya holds a picture of her husband Antonio Sequea in Madrid, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

David Vallenilla holds a picture of deposed President Nicolas Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed, during an interview with The Associated Press at his home in Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Pictures of the late David José Vallenilla Luis are placed in the living room of his father, David José Vallenilla, in Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)