The Miami Dolphins lost to the Tennessee Titans 28-27 on Monday night, as the Dolphins blew a 14-point lead with roughly three minutes left in the game.
Injuries and errors dominated their game, as the team started without several key players and lost their starting center Connor Williams and star wide receiver Tyreek Hill early on.
After the loss, we took time to grade every position group from the Dolphins’ loss, from quarterback to special teams.
Quarterback: B-
It wasn’t Tua Tagovailoa’s best game on Monday. The quarterback missed throws that he normally makes and had trouble getting the ball out of his hands on time.
Tagovailoa finished the game with 240 passing yards, completing 23 of his 33 pass attempts. He had no touchdown passes or interceptions, but he did fumble the ball twice, one of which was recovered by the Titans. The lost fumble at the goal line may have been a product of working with a new center.
Tagovailoa was at a disadvantage coming into the game without his two best offensive linemen, Terron Armstead and Robert Hunt. To make matters worse, the Dolphins lost their center in the first quarter and were without Hill for the majority of the game.
Running Backs: A-
Both the running backs made runs go much farther than they should have, as the running backs were the best position group for the offense on Monday.
Raheem Mostert rushed 21 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns while De’Von Achane had seven carries for 47 yards. The rookie also made his presence felt in the receiving game with five catches for 24 yards.
The Dolphins and coach Mike McDaniel may have moved away from the ground game too much in the second half. They failed to score a touchdown in a goal-to-go situation when the Dolphins chose not to run the ball on one play, as they settled for a field goal on that drive.
Wide Receivers: B
Hill injured his ankle in the first quarter and was only able to play a few snaps after that. He still managed four catches for 61 yards.
In Hill’s absence, the offense failed to do much.
Jaylen Waddle had a solid game with a team-leading six catches for 79 yards, but he and Tagovailoa had a few communication errors that led to off-target and poorly-timed throws.
Cedrick Wilson Jr. provided a spark for the offense with a crucial contested catch to get the Dolphins a first down. Wilson Jr. had two catches for a total of 30 yards, and Braxton Berrios had two catches for 13 yards.
Tight Ends: B
The tight ends were fine. Durham Smythe had an amazing catch with his legs on the Dolphins’ final drive of the game.
Offensive Line: C+
The offensive line had a bad game, but it’s hard to place too much blame on the five guys assigned to block the other team. The group came in missing their two best players, and early on, they lost Williams for the game to a season-ending knee injury.
Liam Eichenberg struggled at the center position. One of his first snaps resulted in a fumble between him and Tagovailoa at the goal line. The turnover in the first quarter is one reason the Dolphins lost on Monday.
The group performed well in the run game, providing enough for the backs to have a successful day. Unfortunately, the group gave up five sacks, and it’s hard to win in the NFL if your quarterback is sacked five times.
Defensive Line: A-
The only defensive position group to get an “A” grade in the game was the defensive line, as the group constantly put pressure on Will Levis.
The highlight play of the day was Zach Sieler’s interception which he returned for a short touchdown. He also had four tackles and a quarterback hit.
Christian Wilkins had a great day, as he recorded five tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits. Emmanuel Ogbah had three tackles and a pass defensed.
Linebackers: B+
David Long Jr. led the team in tackles with eight against his former team. He also had two tackles for loss. The linebacker stepped up in Jerome Baker’s absence.
Bradley Chubb was all over Levis all day. He didn’t record a sack, but he had five tackles, a pass defensed and two quarterback hits. Chubb also had a fumble recovery which should have clinched the victory for the Dolphins.
Chubb had a crucial error in the second quarter that proved costly. After the Dolphins made a stop on third down, the linebacker threw his helmet on the field in frustration. He was given a flag, giving the Titans a first down, and they scored a touchdown a few plays later.
Duke Riley had five tackles in replacement for Baker, and Andrew Van Ginkel had a quiet game with four tackles.
Cornerbacks: C+
The cornerbacks had their worst game of the season.
Xavien Howard appeared to be getting targeted by the Titans throughout the game, as DeAndre Hopkins destroyed Howard and the secondary.
The group had a terrible final three minutes, as Levis and the Titans drove down the field easily twice to score 15 points and complete the comeback.
Kader Kohou played well on Monday. He was good in coverage and had five tackles, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit.
Safeties: B-
The whole secondary didn’t play well, but the safeties got a better grade than the cornerbacks because their expectations were far lower, especially without Jevon Holland, who was out with knee injuries as well.
DeShon Elliott was tied for the team lead in tackles with eight. He got banged up on a play and managed to return to the game before being pulled again. Brandon Jones had seven tackles and a pass defensed.
Special Teams: B
The special teams were fine. Berrios had some good punt returns, returning four kicks for 99 yards total.
Sanders was two-for-three on his field-goal attempts with his lone miss a block. It would’ve been interesting to see a Sanders’ game-winning kick if Miami could’ve driven down the field on their final posession.
