Game Recap: Dolphins Can't Close Out Titans, Fall 28-27 at Home – MiamiDolphins

After a back-and-forth offensive struggle through three-plus quarters, momentum swung Miami’s way when two Titans fumbles turned into two Dolphins touchdowns and a 27-13 lead with 4:34 left in the game. But Tennessee rallied to score 15 points after that and stopped Miami’s offense twice in the final 2:40 to pull off a 28-27 win on Monday Night Football.
The Dolphins offense could not find the end zone for the first 55+ minutes of action. Miscues including a fumble and failed third-down conversion on two trips to the Tennessee two-yard line along with a blocked field goal left points off the board and the Titans in the game.
Despite the missed opportunities, Miami still found itself with a two-score lead late in the game thanks to a muffed punt and an errant backwards pass by Tennessee.
The errors gave the Dolphins starting field position inside the Titans 15-yard line on back-to-back drives and running back Raheem Mostert capitalized with two rushing touchdowns in a span of 60 seconds.
The lead did not last long though as Titans quarterback Will Levis led a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive in 1:54 (plus a two-point conversion), and a four-play, 64-yard scoring drive in 26 seconds to take a 28-27 lead with 1:49 to play.
Levis completed three passes for more than 20 yards and another for 16 yards during the Titans final two drives. Miami, meanwhile, went three-and-out and was stopped on fourth down on its last two possessions.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 23-of-33 passes for 240 yards. Mostert rushed for 96 yards on 21 attempts (4.6 avg.) and tied Ricky Williams (16 in 2002) for the most rushing touchdowns in a season in franchise history.
Watch Heem go 😤#ProBowlVote + @RMos_8Ball pic.twitter.com/NiFjVKgC9u
The Dolphins defense started strong with a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession and a turnover on the next.
On third-and-11, defensive tackle Zach Sieler jumped in front of a quick pass intended for Titans running back Tyjae Spears and ran it back five yards for the Dolphins’ fourth pick-six of the season and third in as many games.
In the second quarter, Titans running back Derrick Henry capped off a 14-play, 86-yard drive  with a one-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:53 left in the half.
Each team then had field goal opportunities later in the period. Miami’s 44-yard attempt was blocked and Tennessee’s kick went through the uprights from 28 yards away to give the Titans a 10-7 lead entering halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, it was wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. that helped get the offense started on the first possession of the second half. First, he out-jumped a Titans defender for a 22-yard gain on third-and-two. He caught an eight-yard pass on the next play and later drew a 17-yard pass interference penalty to move the ball to the Titans 10-yard line. 
But on third-and-two from the two-yard line, Wilson’s fourth target of the drive fell incomplete. Kicker Jason Sanders converted his 20-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10 with 9:35 to play in the third quarter. 
The Titans answered with a 12-play, 60-yard drive and regained a three-point lead on a 23-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
Early in the fourth quarter, Miami again marched the ball inside the Titans 10-yard line thanks to two 20+-yard completions to wide receiver Tyreek Hill and an acrobatic hurdle from fullback Alec Ingold that picked up 13 yards. The offense would not get any closer though. Sanders’ 31-yard field goal tied the game again at 13-13 with 12:37 to play.
#ProBowlVote + @AI_XLV #WMPOYChallenge + @AI_XLV #ProBowlVote + @AI_XLV#WMPOYChallenge + @AI_XLV https://t.co/TiD3FgqTtG
The Dolphins went on to score 14 straight points but surrendered 15 on the Titans last two possessions to drop to 9-4 on the season and 5-1 at home.
Miami returns to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 17 to face the New York Jets (5-8). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns of 60+ yards to wide receiver Tyreek Hill as Miami jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and eventually came away with a 45-15 victory over the Washington Commanders Sunday afternoon at FedExField.
The Miami Dolphins outgained the New York Jets by 236 yards, logged 7.0 sacks and recorded two interceptions to secure a 34-13 win Friday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
In a contest where points were hard to come by for the offense, it was Miami’s defense that came through in the fourth quarter with two fourth-down stops and two interceptions to seal the victory and move to 7-3 on the season.
After falling behind 21-0 in the first half, the Dolphins outscored Kansas City 14-0 in the final two quarters but could not find the tying score, falling 21-14 to the Chiefs Sunday afternoon at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa totaled 324 passing yards and three touchdowns and the Miami Dolphins secured a regular-season sweep of the New England Patriots with a 31-17 victory Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Miami Dolphins continuously battled from behind, but could not complete the second-half comeback, ultimately falling on the road 31-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, the Miami Dolphins controlled the final 45 minutes of action, scoring 35 straight points en route to a 42-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Miami Dolphins improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2003 with a 31-16 victory over the New York Giants Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins fall short during their AFC East matchup against division rival Buffalo Bills.
After two road wins to start the 2023 season, the Miami Dolphins returned home to Hard Rock Stadium Sunday afternoon and put forth one the greatest offensive performances in NFL history, scoring 10 touchdowns in a dominant 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos.
For the second week in a row, the Miami Dolphins defense came up with a game-winning fourth down stop to seal a victory, this time by the score of 24-17 over New England on Sunday Night Football.
© 2023 Miami Dolphins, Ltd. All rights reserved.

source