The Dolphins lost to the Tennessee Titans ending their 7 game winning streak and putting an end to their playoff hopes.

Here are the rapid takeaways from Miami’s 34-3 loss against the Titans.

The Titans were more physical than Miami: Tennessee is a team known for its physicality, and in a game that featured poor weather conditions, Miami was unable to match that physicality. Despite not having All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, the Titans still found a way to run over Miami. Miami’s run defense had been a bright spot during their win streak, but they were unable to find any success on 1st down which allowed the Titans to repeatedly find themselves in 3rd & short.

D’Onta Foreman ended up with 132 yards and an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

Tua Tagovailoa struggles: In a similar fashion to last year’s meltdown in Buffalo, Tua Tagovailoa once again couldn’t overcome poor weather conditions and ended up playing his worst game as an NFL QB. His accuracy was shaky, and he was constantly making wrong decisions. There were several times when the Titans’ defense dropped or was close to picking the ball off, up until late in the 4th quarter where they managed to grab an interception. The Titans had a good game plan and took away Miami’s short and quick passing game, and Miami failed to adapt and couldn’t move the ball downfield.

Tua finished the game 18/38 205 yards 0TDs 1 Int & 1 fumble.

[pickup_prop id=”18078″]

Miami moves away from the run game at the most inopportune time: It’s no secret the Dolphins have struggled running the ball all throughout the 2021 season, and yet Miami had stayed disciplined and kept running the ball despite limited success. That wasn’t the case against the Titans where Miami went away from the running game, despite having success.

Duke Johnson averaged 7 yards per carry, but only ran the ball 7 times. Duke Johnson has shown signs of being capable of being a starting RB in this league, but with only one game left it’s unlikely he secures that spot for the following season. Duke also did a nice job blocking for Tua, especially on Miami’s 45-yard pass to Waddle.

Ryan Tannehill wasn’t pressured: Entering this game Ryan Tannehill had been the most sacked QB in the NFL, and Miami led the league in sacks, and yet Miami only managed to get to Tannehill once.

The former Dolphins QB did a nice job recognizing Miami’s looks and managed to find himself out of harm’s way. Had the Dolphins managed to force a few more 3rd and longs, perhaps they would have found more success pressuring the QB.

Poor Officiating: When a team loses by more than 30 points, the referees aren’t going to be the reason the team lost, but Miami was let down by the officiating crew in moments that could have helped Miami get back in the game.

Early in the 3rd Quarter D’Onta Foreman fumbled the ball, and Emmanuel Ogbah recovered the football, but he was ruled down and Miami was unable to challenge. Had the fumble been correctly called, Miami would have had possession inside the Titans’ 40-yard line with an opportunity to make it a one-possession game.

In the 4th Quarter, with Miami going for it on 4th & 11 with their season on the line Tua threw the ball to Devante Parker, who was held and it ended up resulting in an incompletion instead of a first down in the red zone.

Had both these plays been called correctly, Miami would’ve probably still lost, but it’s frustrating when the referees lean one way.

Jaylen Waddle was a non-factor: All throughout the week, the Titans spoke about keeping Waddle in check, and knowing where he was at all times. They ended up doing a good job containing him, as he only managed to do anything noteworthy when Tua found him deep for a 45-yard connection.

With Wadle being taken out by the Titans, Gesicki & Parker should’ve stepped up, but didn’t. It’s also hard to step up, when your QB is as shaky as he was.

Waddle finished with 3 catches and 47 yards, on 7 targets.