The Miami Dolphins hosted the Tennessee Titans on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium and lost their fourth game of the season, losing 28-27.
This game was far from Miami’s best, as they struggled for most of the contest. They had some big injuries early, as Xavien Howard, Tyreek Hill and Connor Williams went down early.
While the first two eventually returned to action, Williams missed the remainder of the game, leaving the Dolphins with just one starting offensive lineman – right tackle Austin Jackson.
Despite the injuries, the offensive line provided some holes for the running backs, as Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane combined for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 5.1 yards per attempt.
Without Hill for a good part of the game, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel committed to the run. However, when Tagovailoa wasn’t handing the ball off, he was hitting wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr., who had some big catches.
When Hill returned late in the third quarter, his impact was felt almost immediately. On his second drive, he made two receptions for 48 yards. That was just part of his day, as he finished with four catches for 61 yards.
Miami could’ve had at least six more points had they not had a turnover on a fumble after a poor center-quarterback exchange between Tagovailoa and backup center Liam Eichenberg as well as the blocked field goal.
Jason Sanders was nails on his other kicks, making his other two field goal attempts. But, he wasn’t the only special teams player to make an impact, as Elijah Campbell recovered a muffed punt in the fourth quarter to set Miami up for the go-ahead touchdown with less than six minutes remaining.
Defensively, the Dolphins started strong but wavered late.
The front seven held future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry to just 35 yards and two scores on 2.1 yards per attempt.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and rookie running back Tyjae Spears moved up and down the field on the defense, especially late, as the Titans took the lead late.
Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler had one of the highlights of the game, as he intercepted a pass that Levis threw and returned it for a short touchdown. That’s the third defensive touchdown Miami has scored in as many weeks.
The Dolphins have also intercepted the opposing quarterback in six of their last seven games with the only exception being against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Linebacker Bradley Chubb also recovered a fumble on a failed pitch attempt between Levis and Henry, setting the Dolphins up to build a two-touchdown lead before they blew it.
McDaniel’s team will need to see much improvement and get healthier for this end stretch of the regular season if they want to be considered real contenders for a Super Bowl.
