The Miami Dolphins faced more offensive troubles on Monday night, continuing their rough start to the season.
They managed to score a late touchdown, ending a nine-quarter stretch without a touchdown, but lost 31-12 to the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins have now used their third quarterback since Tua Tagovailoa got a concussion in the second week during a home loss to Buffalo.
“There’s a tremendous disconnect between preparation and execution,” said Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. “There are many factors contributing to this. The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what we’re doing behind the scenes. On the field, that’s not even close to good enough.”
Miami, which has scored the fewest points in the league with just 45, ended the game with only 184 total offensive yards.
“It’s definitely frustrating. We’re definitely better than we show on game day,” said Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle. “We have to perform better when your starting quarterback’s out.”
Tyler Huntley started against the previously winless Titans, but the issues continued after last week’s 24-3 loss to Seattle, where Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle played. Huntley, who was signed from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad on Sept. 17, completed 14 of 22 passes for 96 yards and ran for 40 yards on eight carries.
Under Huntley, the Dolphins struggled to find their rhythm. They were penalized five times for illegal shifts, including three times during a single drive.
There were missed opportunities for big plays with star receiver Tyreek Hill, as Huntley mistimed passes after Hill got past his defender.
“You wish you had 1,000 reps to go through the playbook, but it is what it is,” Huntley said. “I felt pretty comfortable, but now I have to dig in deeper and really understand the offense to help take it to another level.”
