The Miami Dolphins suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football by a score of 28-27.
The game appeared to be a sure win with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter with Miami up 27-13 after capitalizing on two Tennessee turnovers.
Things couldn’t have gone worse for the Dolphins down the stretch.
Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis led two touchdown-scoring drives to win the game for Tennessee 28-27. Miami’s offense had no answer for the late-game offensive clinic by Levis and the Titans. The rookie, with the help of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, made it look easy while the Dolphins’ two main phases were reeling.
“I think it was a legitimate team loss,” said Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. “I think everybody had their hand in it. We all get to share the blame in my opinion. At least know the locker room felt a hundred percent responsible.”
It had been a cakewalk for the Dolphins since the bye week, and it seemed as though the team collectively took their foot off the gas when they led by two scores. Hopefully, this will be a reality check for the aqua and orange, reminding them that no lead is safe in the NFL.
The Dolphins have a short week to prepare for a New York Jets team coming off a major upset of the Houston Texans. Miami’s roster is full of injuries, particularly to the offensive line. They’ll unfortunately have a quick turnaround to prepare for a confident Jets defense.
“Collectively, I think the guys will rise to the occasion, you have to, “McDaniel said. “It’s a humbling game. You think you’re a good football team, but then each and every week you have to prove that on the field.”
The schedule won’t become any easier down the stretch for McDaniel’s team, as three of Miami’s four remaining games are against teams with winning records. The key players who are healthy will indeed need to rise to the occasion to finish out the regular season if the Dolphins hope to have home playoff games come January.