Dolphins Week 17 Loss: The Five Biggest Plays
The Miami Dolphins dropped to 8-8 on the season when their seven-game winning streak came to an end with a 34-3 loss against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
We rank the five biggest, most important, plays of the game:
1. The Sack to End the Dolphins' First Drive
The Dolphins had the chance to get the early momentum and had a promising drive going with a first down at their own 58, but then Duke Johnson slipped on a running play, a shovel pass to Jaylen Waddle was stopped for no gain, and on third down Tua Tagovailoa couldn't find anybody open while staying in the pocket until Denico Autry dropped him for a sack. In a game without a clear turning point, this was big early.
2. The DPI Penalty on Nik Needham
Maybe the outcome became inevitable after the Dolphins cut their deficit to 10-3 but Tennessee came right back with a 75-yard touchdown that ended with D'Onta Foreman's 21-yard run. But that touchdown only happened at that time because the officials threw a flag against Nik Needham on a third-and-6 incompletion from the Dolphins 42. While there definitely was contact at the top of the route, it came from both sides and it's the type of play that often goes uncalled.
3. Tua Getting Sacked in the Third Quarter
The Dolphins still had a chance to get back in the game in the second half when they moved to a first down at the Tennessee 27-yard line, but the drive fizzled in a bad way. And the worst play obviously was the third-and-10 where Tua got sacked after Harold Landry easily got around Jesse Davis and the Titans collapsed the left side of the offensive line, giving Tua nowhere to go. To make matters worse, Jason Sanders then came up short of his 53-yard field goal attempt, leaving the score at 17-3.
4. The Ball Slips Out of Tua's Hand
While the Dolphins were able to limit the damage of the turnover by holding Tennessee to a field goal, it was a gift of three points that they couldn't afford on this day.
5. The Fourth-Down Incompletion (No-Call) in the Fourth Quarter
Let's begin by saying that it's probably irrational to suggest the Dolphins would have won the game had the officials made the proper call of defensive pass interference when the Tennessee defender clearly pulled down DeVante Parker's arm ahead of the ball arriving on the failed fourth-and-11, but with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter and the Dolphins down 17-3, it pretty much sealed the outcome.
