Instant takeaways: Dolphins lose to Titans, and their NFL playoff hopes are gone
Support local journalism by getting a digital subscription to The Palm Beach Post. For a limited time, new subscribers can get full digital access for six months for only $1. Sign up here.
The winning streak is over.
So too, is this season.
The Dolphins, needing two wins to close out the regular season to clinch a playoff berth, came up short in Tennessee on Sunday, losing 34-3 on a wet, miserable afternoon that mirrored Miami’s fortunes.
The Dolphins officially were eliminated from contention for an AFC wild-card berth when the Chargers defeated the Broncos later Sunday.
Joe Schad: Dolphins disappoint again. With so many problems to triage, where does Tua rank?
‘They figured us out': Dolphins' defense shredded when it counted most
Ryan's revenge: A.J. Brown: Titans QB Ryan Tannehill 'wanted to go put it on' Miami Dolphins
Former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill outplayed Tua Tagovailoa even though neither quarterback had a day for their scrapbook. Tannehill threw two touchdown passes but just 120 passing yards as the Titans relied on running back D’Onta Freeman, who ran for 132 yards and a TD. The Titans finished with 198 rushing yards, including two touchdowns. What if Derrick Henry were playing?
Tagovailoa, meanwhile, was just 18 of 38 for 205 yards, one interceptions and a poor 53.1 passer rating. He also fumbled three times, losing one. His failure in arguably the biggest game of his NFL career will raise questions on whether he’s the long-term answer at quarterback.
The Dolphins entered the game on a seven-game winning streak, which followed a seven-game losing streak. They were seeking to become the first team in NFL history to reach the postseason after a 1-7 start.
The Dolphins (8-8) finish the regular season at home against the New England Patriots next Sunday.
The Titans are 11-5 and champions of the AFC South Division.
'Hey, hey, hey': Referee a hit at Tennessee Titans-Miami Dolphins game
Scary injury: Tennessee Titans TE MyCole Pruitt suffers severe right leg injury vs. Miami Dolphins
Here are our takeaways:
Dolphins defense needed to look like the defense
This is a tough one.
Miami’s defense performed at a level far beyond what anyone could expect during the winning streak. Which makes criticism of this unit dicey.
But at a time when the team needed the defense to be at its best, there were letdowns.
Namely, why was Foreman allowed to put on his best Henry impression?
How was Geoff Swaim wide open for an easy toss by Tannehill for a 1-yard touchdown?
How was Foreman able to follow by going 21 yards untouched to make it 17-3?
The defense came within an eyelash of also giving up a 55-yard pass on a simple flip from Tannehill to Dontrell Hilliard, who turned it upfield and saw nothing but green. If not for a borderline blindside block on Andrew Van Ginkel, the Titans would have had a first-and-goal situation.
That’s not all. Foreman took a direct snap on third-and-1 and went 35 yards straight up the middle to go over 100 yards.
Dolphins needed much more from Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa entered as the league leader in passing accuracy, but you wouldn’t have known it.
Whether it was the wet or the cold or just a poor start, Tagovailoa picked an awful time for an off day.
He came out holding the ball too long. He misfired, such as a pass that was behind DeVante Parker.
When he finally made a nice throw on the run to Mike Gesicki, he followed by two passes that could have been intercepted.
And we haven’t even mentioned his fumbled snap exchange with Michael Deiter on the Miami 14. That could have immediately put the Dolphins in a 14-0 hole had it not been for Elandon Roberts and Eric Rowe making big plays to hold Tennessee to a field goal.
Like it or not, the chatter about Deshaun Watson is about to heat up again.
Wasn’t it worth a challenge?
Four plays into the second half, Christian Wilkins forced a fumble by Foreman.
Or so it appeared.
Emmanuel Ogbah emerged from the pile with a fumble recovery.
Or so it appeared.
Officials ruled that Foreman was down before the ball was jarred loose, and next thing you knew, the Titans were snapping the ball.
Tough to say there was enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, but given that it could have handed Miami the ball on the Titans’ 40, wasn’t it worth the gamble?
Review those blatant interference calls
Look, the Dolphins lost by a comfortable margin. They didn’t make nearly enough plays to deserve a win.
So to blame this on the officials would be misguided.
Still, we have to wonder how they missed that important pass interference call that had Parker so upset, he was screaming at the officials.
Jackrabbit Jenkins clearly grabbed Parker’s right arm as he made his break on the route, which raises a question: When officials blow a pass interference call that badly — given it’s a spot foul — shouldn’t that be reviewable?
No consistency with punter Palardy
The Dolphins parted with a consistent, effective punter in Matt Haack to clear the way for Michael Palardy.
Despite earning an AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award, Palardy has had an up and down season, which cost the Dolphins field position in the first half.
Meanwhile, Brett Kern was letting it fly with a punt downed on the Miami 2 in the third quarter, just after a Jerome Baker sack for 10 yards gave the Dolphins a whiff of momentum.
Palardy finished with just a 29.8 net average, spotting the Titans more than 10 net yards per punt.
Look for the Dolphins to have a punting competition for next season.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins lose to Tennessee Titans: Instant takeaways
