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The antheral who was the franchise backmost for 7 mostly losing seasons helped woody the Miami Dolphins a important stroke to their playoff hopes successful the 2021 season.
The Dolphins, stymied by the Titans defence and Nashville’s nasty upwind connected Sunday afternoon, were blown retired by Tennessee and erstwhile Miami backmost Ryan Tannehill, 34-3, astatine Nissan Stadium.
The Dolphins (8-8) had their seven-game winning streak snapped. With the New England Patriots topping the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders upsetting the Indianapolis Colts, the Dolphins tin beryllium eliminated from playoff contention earlier their Week 18 regular-season finale astatine location against the Patriots if the Los Angeles Chargers decision the Denver Broncos aboriginal Sunday oregon if the Pittsburgh Steelers triumph against the Cleveland Browns connected Monday night.
“Any clip you don’t person the show you’re looking for, you’re disappointed,” Dolphins manager Brian Flores said, “but this group, they’re going to instrumentality together, enactment 1 another, get backmost retired determination [Monday], marque the corrections [Monday] and hole for different large crippled adjacent week.”
The Titans (11-5) roseate into the AFC’s apical spot connected Sunday aft their triumph was coupled by a Kansas City Chiefs nonaccomplishment to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the rainy conditions with temperatures successful the debased 40s and precocious 30s connected a tract chewed up by cleat divots, Tannehill wasn’t asked to bash overmuch successful his archetypal crippled against his erstwhile team. He went 13 of 18 for 120 yards and 2 touchdown passes.
The Titans, adjacent without prima moving backmost Derrick Henry, were capable to predominate connected the ground. D’Onta Foreman went for 132 yards and a touchdown connected 26 carries arsenic Tennessee rushed for 198 yards, a play worst for the Dolphins’ tally defense.
“We had immoderate missed tackles. We had immoderate guys retired of gaps,” Flores said. “They took advantage. We’ve got to bash a amended job.”
The Dolphins enactment the crippled successful the hands of their signal-caller, second-year backmost Tua Tagovailoa, much than Tennessee, and it didn’t spell well. Tagovailoa went 18 of 38 for 205 yards, an interception and a mislaid fumble.
After the game, Tagovailoa, who entered Sunday the NFL’s person successful completion percentage, was asked wherever helium feels his aboriginal with the enactment stands and astir those who whitethorn uncertainty him arsenic a franchise quarterback.
“I deliberation radical person their ain opinions,” Tagovailoa said. “I’ve heard this the full clip I’ve been present truthful astatine the extremity of the day, I tin power what I tin power and that’s to beryllium the champion mentation of myself for this team.
Miami rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle was held to 1 drawback for nary yards done the archetypal 3 quarters. He finished with 3 receptions for 47 yards. With 99 catches connected the season, helium is 2 shy of Anquan Boldin’s NFL rookie record.
The rainy conditions and bedewed shot came into play doubly for Tagovailoa successful the archetypal fractional with 1 of the instances costly aft the Titans struck archetypal to lead, 7-0. Tagovailoa had the shot gaffe retired of his hands earlier an attempted walk for a fumble recovered by Tennessee’s Elijah Molden astatine the Miami 14-yard line. The Titans kicked a tract extremity from 23 yards retired to spell ahead, 10-0.
The Dolphins got those 3 points backmost with a 39-yard Jason Sanders tract goal, but lone aft Tagovailoa mishandled a drawback from nether halfway connected a third-and-1. It was a moot constituent aft Miami converted connected the ensuing 4th down to widen the thrust and get into field-goal range.
“It played somewhat of a role,” said Tagovailoa, who besides had different fumble that Miami recovered and aggregate incomplete passes that could’ve been intercepted, “but astatine the extremity of the [day], you got to spell retired determination and you got to execute the plays careless of the conditions, careless of what it is. And that, we conscionable didn’t bash capable of.”
Leading 10-3, the Titans extended their pb by different touchdown connected Foreman’s 21-yard touchdown tally with 3:18 remaining successful the archetypal half.
Tennessee scored its archetypal touchdown Sunday erstwhile Tannehill recovered choky extremity Geoff Swain wide unfastened successful the extremity portion disconnected play-action from the 1-yard enactment successful the opening quarter. Foreman had a 14-yard tally get the Titans down to the 1 the play before.
The Dolphins gave up a 25-yard walk from Tannehill to A.J. Brown earlier successful the thrust that could’ve gone for a touchdown aft Brown bushed Miami cornerback Xavien Howard and information Jevon Holland didn’t wrapper up connected a tackle. The interaction helium made with Brown, though, was capable to hardly pb him retired of bounds.
Down 17-3 successful the 3rd quarter, Miami drove into field-goal range, but connected third-and-10 from the Tennessee 27-yard line, the pouch collapsed connected Tagovailoa for an 8-yard sack. It made the ensuing field-goal effort for Sanders a 53-yarder, and it deed disconnected the crossbar and bounced backmost into the tract of play. No good.
The adjacent Dolphins travel into Tennessee territory was stopped with receiver DeVante Parker seemingly interfered against connected a fourth-down pass, but the punishment went uncalled. Parker, who had 4 receptions for 46 yards connected 13 targets, was called for unsportsmanlike behaviour aft complaining to officials.
“He said helium didn’t spot a hook, and that’s his call,” Flores said of the mentation helium received.
Tannehill finished disconnected Miami with a 15-yard touchdown walk to choky extremity Anthony Firkser with 7:42 remaining. A 39-yard touchdown tally by Dontrell Hilliard with 1:53 near lone added insult.
Tight extremity Mike Gesicki led Miami with 51 receiving yards connected 4 receptions. He besides threw a walk during a drawstring of instrumentality plays the Dolphins tried successful the 2nd fractional to effort to get backmost successful the game. Duke Johnson led the little-used moving crippled with 49 yards connected 7 carries.
The Dolphins defense, which entered Sunday starring the NFL successful sacks, did not get 1 connected Tannehill until linebacker Jerome Baker got to him successful the 3rd quarter, the lone Miami sack of the afternoon.
The Dolphins decorativeness the regular play astatine location against the Patriots (10-6) adjacent Sunday.
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