Mason Rudolph was glad to help the Tennessee Titans secure their first win of the season on Monday, even though he felt like he didn’t do much.
Nick Folk supported him with five field goals, and Rudolph led seven scoring drives after starter Will Levis left the game due to a shoulder injury in the 31-12 victory.
“I didn’t do a whole lot, that’s for sure,” Rudolph said. “Tony (Pollard) and the O-line and Tyjae (Spears) just mauled them up front. They moved the ball and controlled the game in the second half. We protected the ball in that half and got out with the win.”
Rudolph threw for 85 yards and completed 9 of 17 passes in relief of Levis, who only threw four passes before hurting his right shoulder while scrambling.
Brian Callahan, celebrating his first win as the Titans’ coach, mentioned that Levis tried to come back but was in pain. The decision to keep him out was influenced by Tennessee’s upcoming bye week.
Folk successfully kicked field goals from 53, 52, 47, 51, and 29 yards. Spears took a direct snap and scored a 7-yard touchdown, while Pollard added a 4-yard touchdown run along with 88 yards on 22 carries. The Titans (1-3) rushed for a total of 142 yards.
“I knew the style of game we needed to play to win this game,” Callahan said. “I knew they would have some trouble offensively, and I was confident we could run the ball effectively against them.”
Tyler Huntley, who joined the Dolphins on Sept. 17 from Baltimore’s practice squad, ran for a touchdown and had 96 yards passing. However, the Dolphins’ offense continued to struggle without Tua Tagovailoa, who is still on injured reserve with a concussion.
Huntley was named the starter on Saturday because backup quarterback Skylar Thompson is dealing with a rib injury.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” Huntley said. “Now I need to dig in deeper and learn the details of the offense, and that will help our offense improve.”
Huntley brought the Dolphins (1-3) closer when he scored on a 1-yard run with 3:40 left in the game. However, he was intercepted while trying to convert the two-point attempt, and the Titans recovered the following onside kick.
During Miami’s last chance to come back, Huntley was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving the Titans two more points.
Tyreek Hill was held under 50 yards receiving for the third game in a row, finishing with 23 yards on four catches, as the Dolphins only managed 78 yards passing.
Titans receiver DeAndre Hopkins also had a quiet game, catching two passes for 31 yards. Before his injury, Levis threw for 25 yards but also had an interception.
Linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah intercepted Levis, securing the ball between his knees to stop a promising opening drive for the Titans.
The Dolphins quickly gave the ball back when Huntley threw a backward pass to Hill that went off the receiver’s fingertips. It was first ruled an incomplete pass but was changed to a fumble after review, which Tennessee recovered.
This was the first takeaway of the season for the Titans, who came into the game with a minus-7 turnover differential.
The game also marked the start of many mistakes for the Dolphins: two players moved at the snap multiple times, key players dropped passes, and the team struggled to keep drives going.
Just before halftime, a confusing moment occurred. Miami got the ball back after forcing a punt with about a minute left in the second quarter.
Defensive tackle Calais Campbell touched the ball as Ryan Stonehouse tried to kick it away. Linebacker Duke Riley attempted to grab the bouncing punt but seemed to lose it in a pile of players.
After a long review, officials decided that Tennessee touched the ball first, giving possession to the Dolphins. However, they didn’t take advantage of it and turned the ball back to the Titans when Huntley mishandled a bad snap.
Rudolph then led the Tennessee offense into field goal range and spiked the ball with 1 second left. Folk kicked his third field goal of the night.
This resulted in loud boos from the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium as the Dolphins went to halftime trailing 9-3 and without a touchdown for the eighth consecutive quarter.
The Dolphins have not led in any game this season. Their only win came in the first game with a last-minute field goal by Jason Sanders, who made kicks of 44 and 56 yards.
“There’s a major disconnect between preparation and execution,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.
