Some very bad offensive football was on display tonight in Miami.
The Dolphins were down to their third quarterback of the season in Tyler Huntley. The Titans lost starter Will Levis to a shoulder injury and turned to backup Mason Rudolph. None of the quarterbacks played well in the Titans’ 31-12 win.
But Rudolph was probably the best of the bunch, completing 9 of 17 passes for 85 yards but didn’t throw an interception, and that was good enough for the Titans to win. Titans running back Tony Pollard had 22 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Huntley couldn’t move the Dolphins’ offense consistently, and any hope the Dolphins had of a late comeback was extinguished when Huntley was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone late in the fourth quarter, giving the Titans a safety.
Miami is facing major questions and looks like the worst team in the NFL without Tua Tagovailoa. It’s hard to imagine this Dolphins team going anywhere.
The Titans don’t appear to be going anywhere, either, but they earned their first win of the season tonight in a win that leaves both teams’ records at 1-3.
The Dolphins are trailing the Titans 19-6 in the third quarter, and their chances of coming back to win have taken a hit with the loss of defensive end Jaelan Phillips.
Phillips has a knee injury and has been ruled out.
The Titans lost quarterback Will Levis and have turned to backup Mason Rudolph, and the Dolphins would like to have Phillips to put pressure on Rudolph. But with the Titans leading by 10, they’re likely to keep the ball mostly on the ground the rest of the way.
The Dolphins’ offense hasn’t been able to do much of anything since Tua Tagovailoa went on injured reserve with a concussion, and that’s continuing tonight in Tyler Huntley’s first start in Miami. The Dolphins are a mess.
The quarterbacks tonight in Miami are Mason Rudolph and Tyler Huntley, so perhaps it’s no surprise that no touchdowns have been scored.
Rudolph has led the Titans on three short drives that resulted in field goals, while Huntley has led the Dolphins on one drive that produced a field goal, and Tennessee leads Miami 9-3 at halftime.
The Titans nearly scored a touchdown on a fumble return, but the officials screwed up and blew the play dead, negating what appeared to be a potential defensive score.
Huntley started in place of two injured Dolphins quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson. Rudolph came into the game after Will Levis left with a shoulder injury.
The NFL can change every rule in the books in the hopes of protecting quarterbacks, but they can’t protect quarterbacks from themselves.
Titans quarterback Will Levis, while diving in a futile attempt to gain a first down on Monday nigh in Miami, has injured his right shoulder.
Levis seems to be saying he hurt himself as he came to the sideline. He was then trying to throw while in a degree of distress before entering the blue medical tent on the sideline.
Mason Rudolph has entered the game while Levis is evaluated. He’s questionable to return, per the team.
And Rudolph has a chance to earn an extended look, given that the team has struggled under Levis.
A huge blown call by the officials cost Tennessee in the first quarter tonight in Miami.
Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley tossed a backward pass behind the line of scrimmage to Tyreek Hill, who failed to catch it and also failed to realize it was a backward pass. Thinking it was an incomplete forward pass, Hill left it on the ground, where Tennessee’s Arden Key picked it up with a clear path to the end zone.
But Key couldn’t return it for a touchdown because the officials on the field blew the play dead, wrongly thinking it was an incomplete pass. An assist from the replay official changed that call and rightly ruled it a Dolphins fumble and Titans recovery, but the Titans were denied a likely touchdown.
On the ensuing Titans possession, their offense went three-and-out. It’s still 0-0 in a game that would likely be 7-0 Titans if not for the officials’ mistake.
