Miami Gardens, FL – As bad as the offense looked for the Miami Dolphins last week, the bar was set even lower in a 31-12 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night.
Still on the Hunt for a QB
Despite scoring more points compared to last week, the offense felt even more abysmal because of the caliber of the defense they were facing tonight. Combined with that, their new quarterback, Tyler Huntley, massively underperformed – as so did just about everyone else.
To start, the playcalling was confusingly bad. Screen passes on third and long and an over-reliance on the draw play on first and 10 shoulder a lot of the blame. The lack of urgency on the offense at the end of the first half was also surprising considering how close the game was.
“He’s special… strike up the band, it’s gonna be fun tonight”
Tyler Huntley: 14/22, 96 yards
Tyreek Hill: 4 catches, 23 yardsThe band had a night off
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 1, 2024
Huntley looked like he didn’t have enough time to get used to Miami’s system, and it was on full display. He missed open passes to Tyreek Hill, among other receivers. His success rate with quarterback runs was scarily low considering his past success.
His pocket presence when the offensive line gave in to pressure was not good. He forced a few passes that ended up nowhere. The safety off of an intentional grounding call late in the game is a good example of that.
Only 22 passes were thrown tonight, and 14 of them were caught. Huntley recorded 96 yards and a backward pass that was recovered by Tennessee on their first drive.
To their credit, Miami scored their first touchdown since the Buffalo game two weeks ago. Admittedly, it was a garbage-time score by Huntley himself at the goal line, but that’s still progress.
Miami’s defense runs out of steam
Miami’s defense started strong with an interception by Emmanuel Ogbah BETWEEN THE THIGHS on the first drive of the game. On that play, Titans quarterback Will Levis suffered a shoulder injury and was replaced by Mason Rudolph who went the rest of the game.
Not amazing quality, but here's a closer look at Ogbah's pick.
It's the sixth interception of the season for Will Levis – he's thrown four touchdowns. #GoFins| #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/PQNQtkt5EQ
— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) September 30, 2024
Tennessee’s offense wasn’t much better. It resulted in a snoozefest in the first half with the Titans leading by a score of 9-3. Thankfully for most of the national fanbase, the Seattle-Detroit game was just getting started.
Overall, Miami’s defense looked fine until the second half when they became gassed. That’s what happens when the unit has to spend the majority of the game on the field. Despite only being down by three in the third quarter, the Dolphins gave up 22 more points and that was that.
Tonight was a game they had to win to maintain confidence as Tua recovers. Instead, they played some of the worst football we’ve seen since last week. With a 1-3 record, Miami will travel to Foxborough to take on the 1-3 New England Patriots on Sunday, October 6th at 1pm.
More Stories
Playoff Hopes Surging As Dolphins Triumph Over Injured 49ers
Dolphins Look To Keep Playoffs Possible As They Host 49ers
Dolphins Playoff Hopes Fading Following Loss To Texans