Jude Magnotti ’26
EE Sports Columnist
767. That is the number of times an NFL team has been down by 14 points or more with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. If you had to take a guess, how many of those teams do you think won? 5? 6? Possibly 7?
Well you would be wrong because the trailing team has never won in any one of those 767 matchups…until last Monday.
With the Miami Dolphins heart-wrenching collapse on Monday Night Football, the Dolphins have become the first team ever to lose a game they were winning by 14 with five minutes left. To add insult to injury, it came against rookie quarterback Will Levis and a bottom 10 team in the Tennessee Titans.
Not only was Miami the heavy favorite to win the game, they had a 14 point spread…the same number of points they would eventually choke in the final five minutes. As Dolphins fans across the nation sit on their couch dumbfounded, they can’t help but wonder: How did this happen?
Let me break it down for you: As previously mentioned, the Miami Dolphins were heavy favorites coming into this game. At the time, they were 9-3 and positioned comfortably at the one seed in the AFC. With three tough matchups to end the season against Baltimore, Dallas, and Buffalo, the Dolphins were hoping to take advantage of the less talented teams they had on their schedule in Tennessee and New York.
The Titans however, came in the exact opposite way. They were coming off their own heart-breaking overtime loss against the Colts the previous week. With a 4-8 record and Will Levis looking as inconsistent as ever, most people (including myself) completely wrote this Titans team off.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the Titans were not going to surrender their season that easily. Coach Mike Vrabel and QB Will Levis both made a point on how important this game was for them. This is the type of game that can send teams on a late season hot streak and the Titans came in with motivation and resolve to get the W while the Dolphins simply coasted in.
Now, looking at these two teams on paper, there is no question that Miami has the more talented team. They have a better offense, better defense, and most importantly better coaching. However, as we have seen in the past, the better team is not always the winning team.
Right from the get-go things were looking bad for the Dolphins. They got nailed by 4 different injuries to 4 separate starters within the first 9 plays of the game. The most significant of which being a knee injury to their center Conor Williams that would later sideline him for the season.
With a backup in at center, Tua fumbled the first snap in the red zone then fumbled it again trying to throw. The Dolphins walked away with no points and all the momentum was given back to Tennessee.
However, this would not stop the defense from immediately making up for the offense’s mistakes with a big-man pick six by Zach Zieler. Unfortunately, these were the only points Miami would sniff in the first half, and things would get so, so much worse…
On a, frankly, idiotic play, Mike McDaniel called a bubble screen ten yards back to Tyreek Hill. With nowhere to run, Hill was brought down on a horse collar tackle and injured his ankle. As Tyreek grabbed his leg in pain, the entire city of Miami fell silent and prayed for the fate of the Dolphins season.
Luckily for Dolphin fans, Hill was able to get up and walk off under his own power with a slight limp. Unluckily for Dolphin fans, this injury sucked all the energy out of the entire arena. The crowd was taken out of it, McDaniel forgot how to call run plays, and Tua looked more like a 2017 Blake Bortles than his normal self.
The Titans would score a touchdown and head into the half with a 10-7 lead. While Miami would come out and score a field goal on their opening drive, the game remained a stalemate. Both teams kicked field goals tying the game at 13-13 until the Dolphins received a gift from the gods.
The Titans rookie punt returner fumbled the snap and Miami recovered it in the Titans red zone. With only 20 yards to go, Miami punched the ball in for their first offensive touchdown of the day. Then, as if Lady Luck put on a Dolphins jersey, the Titans turned the ball over in their own red zone once again on a routine pitch to Derrick Henry. Miami took advantage and made the score 27-13 with approximately 5 minutes left in the game.
With the contest seemingly over, Titans and Dolphins fans alike began to leave the arena in order to beat the traffic home. However, those who left would miss out on a truly special ending.
Uncharacteristically, the Dolphins defense became like swiss cheese. They left the flats wide open allowing Will Levis to hit his running backs for decent yardage as well as get out of bounds. Then, as soon as the Dolphins protected the flats Levis kept hitting Deandre Hopkins on the sideline for more yardage.
The Titans scored easily on a touchdown run by Derrick Henry then completed a wide open two point conversion.
With around three minutes left, all the Dolphins offense had to do was complete a few first downs like they had done so many times before and the game would be over. However, after three straight poor play calls and a missed read by Tua, the Dolphins were forced to punt the ball back to the Titans with only 20 seconds having gone off the clock.
Taking advantage of the Dolphins stagnant offense, Tennessee once again marched down the field and scored another touchdown. In the course of merely 4 minutes, the Dolphins had gone from a 99% chance of winning the game to now losing by 1.
But it was not over yet! After all, the Dolphins have had one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history, surely they could stage a game winning drive …right?
Wrong! In an embarrassing sequence of the plays the Dolphins stalled out on offense AGAIN and lost the game after taking a brutal sack. Needless to say, the Dolphins players and fans alike have been utterly deflated by this loss. I myself am still reeling from the PTSD of having to watch this game again on Hard Knocks.
The Dolphins are still yet to host a traditional practice this week and with a quick turnaround heading into Sunday the Dolphins have little time to hang their heads. However, what specifically went wrong for the Dolphins in this game? It comes down to a few things, but here are the big ones:
1-Injuries: The Dolphins were decimated with injuries to both their offense and defense right from the start. In the first nine plays of the game the Dolphins lost four different players. Some came back, but others such as Connor Williams were not so lucky. That is not even mentioning the absence of Tyreek Hill who, somehow despite only being in the game for 2 quarters, has only bolstered his MVP campaign.
2-Inconsistent Play By Tua: In Tua’s defense, playing a good game in the scenario he was in with no starting offensive line men and no Tyreek Hill is extremely difficult. However, the best of players are able to make clutch plays when the odds are stacked against him. Tua was unable to do that the entire game. He was nearly picked off multiple times and broke his streak of 21 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. Unless the Dolphins get consistently elite QB play from Tua they will not be able to compete with the other teams in the league.
3-Horrendous Play Calling In Clutch Time (On Both Offense And Defense): Despite how much success coaches Mike McDaniel and Vic Vangio have had in Miami, both of them have actively found ways to hurt their time (especially when the game is on the line). McDaniel can call a beautiful reverse run play one second, then call a bubble screen on 3rd and 3 the next. Vic Vangio as well can call a beautiful biltz one moment, then play prevent-zone defense next leaving the flats wide open for the running back to get out of bounds. McDaniel’s poor play calling made the offense stagnant when they needed a boost, and Vangio’s poor play calling is what resulted in the Dolphins allowing 15 points in 5 minutes.
With all this being said, most people still see the Dolphins future as bright. After all, one game does not define you and in another matchup against the Jets week 14 the Fins are set to bounce back. However, while this game does not define their season, it has shed light on some critical flaws in both the Dolphins offense and defense. If they are not careful, the precious division title they so covet could slip right out of their hands.
Photo Credit: South Florida Sun Sentinel