The Dolphins losing streak hit three games Monday after a 31-12 loss to the Titans. It was another challenging night on the offensive side of the ball despite some encouraging moments from the Tyler Huntley-led attack.
- Money Down Challenges
In the first game of the Mike McDaniel era, the Dolphins hit Yahtzee on a fourth-down play when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for a 42-yard touchdown to open a 17-point lead over the New England Patriots back in 2022. That aggressiveness became a hallmark of his high-powered offenses.
The Dolphins entered play on Monday converting on 10 percent of their fourth-down snaps. After going one-of-three in Week 4, the Dolphins total conversion rate is just 15.4 percent on fourth downs. No team has more than Miami's 13 attempts on fourth down, which have led to short fields for the opposition.
To compound the struggles, the Dolphins are now 2-for-25 on third down in the last two contests, bringing the season total to 32.7 percent.
- Defensive Stands
Conversely, the Dolphins have been nails on third down when it comes to the defensive side of the football. With a 23.8 percent conversion rate allowed, the Dolphins are the best third down stop unit in the league. Only 10 of the 42 attempts against Miami have moved the chains on the money down.
"I thought the defense will probably have one play that they're not pumped about, but outside of that, I thought it was a step in the right direction," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said.
The Titans converted just two of their 12 third-down attempts in the game and passed for just 102 net yards. Outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah recorded an interception when he fell back into coverage and undercut a Will Levis pass attempt.
It was the third time this season the Dolphins defense held the opposition to less than 300 yards of total offense.
- Long Season Ahead
The NFL is king for many reasons as the sport generates widespread fan passion and coverage. While it's been a challenging start for the Dolphins, there are still 13 games on the schedule, and reinforcements appear to be coming.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reporter prior to the game that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been symptom free and could be targeting a return to the field when he's eligible to come off the injured reserve for the Week 8 clash against the Cardinals.
Players on the physically unable to perform list, or players that were added to the injured reserve prior to Week 1, are now eligible to return to the 53-man roster. McDaniel provided the update on Tuesday that the plan is to open the practice window for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Cam Smith on Wednesday.
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