At the beginning of the season, both the Dolphins and Commanders promised to give the rest of the NFL franchises a hard time. In fact, Washington was one of the favorites to reach the next Super Bowl in San Francisco.

All the excitement generated by the capital team was ultimately destroyed by a plague of injuries affecting all the team's stars. The fall of the franchise's great hope, quarterback Jayden Daniels, ended up derailing an already wounded team

The list of absentees is almost endless: Jayden Daniels (QB, left elbow, dislocation), Terry McLaurin (WR, quadriceps), Treylon Burks (WR, minor surgery), Marshon Lattimore (CB, ACL, tear), Trey Amos (CB, fibula, fracture), Will Harris (S, fibula), Ale Kaho (LB, concussion), Austin Ekeler (RB, Achilles), Luke McCaffrey (WR/KR, clavicle, fracture)...

This relentless wave has logically impacted the performance of the team, which has seen its chances of making the playoffs begin to look remote. Its current 3-7 record could only be reversed if Daniels manages to work a miracle with his battered elbow.

The Dolphins' nursing staff is not as crowded, but it does have the enormous presence of one of the best receivers in the NFL: Tyreek Hill. The small runner suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 4 that will keep him out of football for a long time.

However, the big headache for Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel lies in the defensive absences that have caused them to be one of the weakest teams in the league.

Despite this painful medical report, the Santiago Bernabeu will be full of some stars with rings: Bradley Chubb (Dolphins, 1 ring with Broncos), Bobby Wagner (Commanders, 1 with Seahawks), Jonathan Jones (Commanders, 2 with Patriots), Nick Allegretti (Commanders, 2 with Chiefs) and Andrew Wylie (Commanders, 2 with Chiefs).

Ahead of Madrid and Barca

Off the field, in the offices, we are talking about two giants. The value of the Washington Commanders franchise is estimated at around $7.6 billion, while the Dolphins are slightly behind at $7.5 billion. Both franchises emerge, for example, ahead of Real Madrid ($6.6 billion) or Barcelona ($5.6 billion) in Forbes' list of the most valuable sports teams

The comparison is also substantial in terms of players' salaries. Taking as a reference the five highest paid players from the Commanders and Dolphins and comparing them to those from Madrid and Barca, we find quite a few differences despite the enormous salaries of the Spanish giants.

Dolphins' highest paid

Tua Tagovailoa (QB) - $39.4 million

Tyreek Hill (WR) - $31-34 million approx.

Jalen Ramsey (CB) - $25-28 million

Bradley Chubb (EDGE) - $22-26 million approx

Jaylen Waddle (WR) - $20-23 million approx.

Commanders' highest paid

Terry McLaurin (WR) - $28-30 million

Marshon Lattimore (CB) - $25-27 million

Laremy Tunsil (OT) - $24-26 million

Bobby Wagner (LB) - $20-23 million

Jonathan Allen (DT) - $18-22 million

Real Madrid's highest paid

Kylian Mbappe (forward) - €31-32 million

David Alaba (defender) - €22-23 million

Jude Bellingham (midfielder) - €22 million

Vinicius Junior (winger) - €22 million

Trent Alexander-Arnold (defender) - €18-20 million

Barcelona's highest paid

Robert Lewandowski (forward) - €31-33 million

Lamine Yamal (Winger) - €15-20 million

Frenkie de Jong (midfielder) - €16-20 million

Raphinha (winger) - €14-18 million

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (goalkeeper) - €16-17 million

Bernabeu and Camp Nou above

In terms of stadiums, both Madrid and Barca fare better. Both the Santiago Bernabeu (80,000 spectators) and the new Camp Nou (105,000 spectators) can look down on the temples of the Dolphins and Commanders

The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and the Northwest Stadium in Washington have a capacity of around 65,000 spectators, so the two Spanish giants have little to envy in terms of capacity. However, the heated atmospheres at NFL games often surpass those at many European stadiums.