Though their star linebacker Jaelan Phillips suffered an season-ending knee injury, the Titans still managed to defeat the Dolphins. Mason Rudolph led seven scoring drives after Will Levis left early in the first quarter.
He’ll face a Miami team that has struggled without Tua Tagovailoa in the passing game, and see whether Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle’s combination can have an effect.
| Team | Player | Position | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | Nick Folk | K | 5 field goals (53, 52, 47, 51, 29 yards), 2 extra points |
| Tony Pollard | RB | 22 carries, 88 yards, 1 touchdown | |
| Miami Dolphins | Tyler Huntley | QB | 40 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown |
| Jason Sanders | K | 2 field goals (44, 56 yards) |
Offense
The Titans face an important test as they face off against Miami Dolphins’ top-10 defense, in a match-up which could determine their season’s fate.
After an uncharacteristically slow start, Tennessee appears to be finding their offensive rhythm. Tyjae Spears looks to continue his impressive play after finding the end zone on two of Tennessee’s first three drives – making him team leader in both rushing yards and touchdowns.
Tyler Huntley’s third-down run into the red zone helped Miami reach field goal range, and kicker Jason Sanders hit a 44-yard field goal to trim Tennessee’s lead to 6-3 with 8:20 remaining in the second quarter.
On their next drive, the Titans make use of a wildcat formation to set up 1st and goal. However, due to a Lloyd Cushenberry holding penalty, play was nullified. Regardless, Spears ran for 5 yards to set up 2nd and goal; whereupon the Titans converted on two point conversion for an even score.
Calais Campbell made an impactful play early in the second half, blocking Ryan Stonehouse’s punt for good field position on their next series – though their drive was cut short due to an aggressive Miami counter rush.
The Titans defense will look to apply more pressure on Tyler Huntley this season. After investing heavily in revamping their secondary in the offseason, young players like L’Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Quandre Diggs must step up in order to stop Hill and Jaylen Waddle from creating havoc.
The Titans secondary will face another formidable opponent in Miami – an offense with one of the top passing games in the league. Although their newfound emphasis on blitzing may help, disrupting Dolphins quarterbacks may prove challenging under such a rigorous strategy.
Defense
When they take on the Dolphins on Monday night, the Titans could finally break their streak without scoring 30 points. QB Will Levis has struggled this year while their offensive line has had difficulty protecting him; therefore it will fall to their defense force turnovers and take control of this contest.
The Titans possess an overall strong secondary. Unfortunately, however, they have recently given up several big runs against them, and that could prove problematic against a Dolphins running back like Malik Willis who can threaten with both his legs and arm.
For the Titans to win, they must get pressure on quarterbacks while also maintaining a healthy running game. Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan are inexperienced players that must excel against Miami’s strong defensive front featuring EDGE Jaelan Phillips and former first-round draft choice Chop Robinson.
Miami’s run defense is superior to Tennessee, yet they tend to give up big plays through the air – something which will present Tennessee with a challenge, especially if they have to use nickel formation this week.
With Chidobe Awuzie (groin) and L’Jarius Sneed (hamstring) out, the Titans will depend heavily on rookie safety Darrell Baker to lead their defense. Baker stands out amongst remaining starters in terms of coverage abilities and tackling prowess.
Tyler Huntley will make his debut as Dolphins starting quarterback this season and must demonstrate that he can limit mistakes for them to win games. With dynamic playmakers like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane supporting him he must leverage all their talents without making costly errors that cost games; otherwise he may lose them too easily – potentially earning their team their first win of 2024 and helping retake top spot in AFC East by overthrowing Jets by one game!
Special Teams
After suffering an embarrassing loss in Week 3, the Titans bounced back with an impressive win against the Dolphins. Thanks to some stellar play by backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and running back Tony Pollard, they earned their inaugural win of 2018.
The Titans’ special teams were effective, as they managed to stop the Dolphins from making any substantial ground gains on the ground and prevent any touchdown passes or interceptions through their air attack. Meanwhile, their offense excelled, with Pollard and Tyjae Spears running effectively to gain yards both short and long distance.
Will Levis has been an active source of turnovers so far this season. Through three games he has thrown five interceptions and lost three fumbles — the highest totals in the league — along with their opponent having an unprecedented negative seven turnover differential on defense and special teams, contributing to Tennessee being winless thus far this year.
Rudolph did an admirable job leading his team in Levis’ absence. He completed some quality passes and led them to make big plays late in the game on fourth down – helping extend their lead from 14-12 to 31-12 and giving the Titans their inaugural win of 2018.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Dolphins have officially appointed Craig Aukerman as their new special teams coordinator, following his time serving as special teams coordinator with Titans from 2022-2023. Additionally, Aukerman interviewed for Thomas McGaughey’s position with Bucs earlier in January but ultimately lost out.
Mike Pouncey remains out with a groin injury for the Dolphins special team, which may limit how often he can play and provide opportunities to other members of their squad.
Predictions
As one of Week 4 Monday Night Football main features, these two teams face-off in a rematch from last season’s thrilling and emotional encounter. Both squads are looking to secure their first wins this season; victory here could help build momentum towards that end goal.
No doubt about it; the Titans struggle with run defense, but their secondary has also been an issue this season. Ranking 17th in terms of sacks allowed is quite an achievement for a unit lacking size or athleticism to excel at the next level.
On defense, Miami has performed admirably on third downs but struggles to generate pressure and prevent pass rushers from reaching quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Furthermore, their unit often allows big plays which is particularly concerning against an opposing Titans team that features outstanding running back De’Von Achane as well as top receivers Calvin Ridley and Andre Hopkins.
This will be an intriguing matchup of struggling teams, but I think the Titans have enough in them to secure their first victory of the year on Monday. Will Levis has not been at his best through three weeks, coughing up eight times while failing to capitalize on promising opportunities; but this game presents him with ample opportunity for improvement.
Miami QB Tyler Huntley has proven himself an effective backup to Tagovailoa this season, but as an inexperienced rookie has yet to prove he can handle a full NFL schedule without making errors and turning over the ball too often. If he cannot provide Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle with consistent access to the football without turning it over then the Dolphins may find themselves in serious difficulty.
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