2024-10-01 08:00:03
The Tennessee Titans have a second half lead and a chance to put away the Miami Dolphins in Monday’s nationally-televised game inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Will Levis injured his shoulder in the first quarter and has not returned. Mason Rudolph has been OK in leading three scoring drives for field goals and not turning the ball over. Still, there is a lack of explosiveness in the Titans offense.
The same can be said about the Tua-less Dolphins offense, who managed just one field goal in the first half. Tyler Huntley has struggled, and the Dolphins appear unable to create easy offense despite the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Follow the Tennessean’s live Titans game updates below:
Miami gets into a rhythm on a lengthy drive, with Tyler Huntley barging in on a 1-yard run for the touchdown.
Quandre Diggs intercepts the very important two-point try to keep the Titans lead at two scores. The ensuing onside kick attempt is recovered by Tyler Boyd.
Tennessee drives into the red zone, aided by a Dolphins face mask penalty. Nick Folk hits from 29 yards out, his fifth field goal of the game.
The Titans have outgained Miami 232-84.
The Dolphins set up in the shotgun on 4th and 1 near the Miami 40-yard line and run a outside read option run that is stuffed by James Lynch and Ernest Jones. It never had a chance.
Mike McDaniel is working with his third QB in as many weeks, but the general game plan has been awful. The Titans defense have feasted and will continue to feast on outside runs, and the Dolphins are determined to be that feast tonight.
The Titans can put this game away on the next drive.
The Titans are in run-the-clock mode on offense and manage another Nick Folk field goal, this one from 51 yards out. He has three field goals from 50+ yards tonight.
Tyler Huntley has twice missed Tyreek Hill on an open go route. Might see the Dolphins offense try that again soon given the poor running production and general pass game.
DeAndre Hopkins draws a third-down pass interference penalty to keep the Titans drive alive, and Tony Pollard finally hits a long one for 41 yards down the right sideline to set up 1st and goal.
In the wildcat formation on the next play, Tyjae Spears gallops into the end zone for a 7-yard TD run. PAT good.
After a Braxton Berrios punt return into Titans territory (and a good tackle by Morgan Cox), the Dolphins seem content to settle for a long Jason Sanders field goal attempt. Sanders hits from 56 yards out to cut the Titans’ lead in half.
The Titans defense has been steady tonight, forcing a three-and-out out of the locker room. Mason Rudolph remains in the game at QB for the Titans.
Titans player stats
Dolphins player stats
Titans coach Brian Callahan told ESPN during his halftime interview that Levis will play if he is healthy enough.
“It’s just a matter of if he can physically play,” Callahan said to ESPN. “If he can play, he’ll go. But Mason has done a really nice job for us.”
Rudolph led three field goal drives in the first half, while Levis tossed a first-drive interception.
The Titans take advantage of a bad Miami punt and a Tyler Boyd 26-yard reception, the Titans offense rush up and get the ball clocked to set up a Nick Folk 47-yard field goal as time expired.
Inside of the final minute of the first half, Ryan Stonehouse’s punt is partially blocked by Calais Campbell. The ball travels 22 yards and is appeared to be touched nearly simultaneously by a Titans player and a Dolphins player.
It’s first ruled to be touched by Dolphins defender Duke Riley and recovered by the Titans, but is ruled to be touched first by the Titans’ Mike Brown after review.
So while chaotic, Miami gets the ball. And Tennessee just had a punt altered by a Dolphins punt block made up of the first-team defense. The Titans need to get it fixed ASAP, and they needed that fix after Week 1.
A L;Jarius Sneed unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a Tyler Huntley third-down run into Titans territory helps Miami move into field goal range. Jason Sanders’ 44-yard field goal is good.
Sneed was flagged early in the drive for knocking the ball out of Dolphins rookie RB Jaylen Wright’s hands after a play.
The Titans offense is not helping itself right now. A Tony Pollard run to set up 1st and goal was wiped away by a Lloyd Cushenberry holding penalty. Following that, DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley each dropped passes. Ridley did pick up just enough on a WR screen to set up a Nick Folk 52-yard field goal, which Folk made.
The only happy fantasy players tonight so far are the ones playing Folk. Titans’ lead is 6-0.
Mason Rudolph stays in at QB on the next Titans drive. ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge reports that Brian Callahan told Rudolph that he’ll get at least one more series.
Kenneth Murray sets the edge to string out Tyreek Hill’s stretch run to the left on 4th and 1, and Quandre Diggs makes the tackle to stop the Dolphins drive. That was great pursuit by both to cut off and cut down Hill who was trying to win a race to the corner.
Mason Rudolph goes 3-for-3 in his first Titans drive, leading Tennessee to a field goal. Nick Folk’s 53-yard try is good.
Rudolph completed passes to Josh Whyle and Treylon Burks for first downs to move the Titans into scoring range.
Will Levis is questionable to return with a knee injury, per the Titans.
Will Levis is in the blue injury tent to get his shoulder examined as the Titans offense begins their third possession of the game. Mason Rudolph is coming into the game.
The Titans do not have an emergency third QB, for what it’s worth.
Will Levis dives for the first down marker on third down, but is ruled to be just short. Brian Callahan opts not to challenge the spot and punts from the Titans’ 45-yard line.
Levis is grimacing on the sidelines as he tries to loosen up his shoulder.
Titans defensive lineman Keondre Coburn is questionable to return to the game with a knee injury, per the team.
He came off the field during the first drive for the Titans defense. Tennessee is already shorthanded in the interior defensive line with Jeffery Simmons’ absence.
Tyler Huntley’s pass to Tyreek Hill in the flat was dropped and went backward, and Arden Key recovered the loose ball. He could have had a chance with several teammates leading him downfield, but the whistle had incorrectly blown for an incomplete pass.
After a review, it’s Titans ball.
After the Titans move into Dolphins territory on the first drive, Will Levis is picked off by Dolphins EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah who dropped into zone coverage. Ogbah used his legs to keep control of the ball before the ball hit the ground.
Not a good start at all. Levis appeared to determine where that pass was going pre-snap.
The Tennessee Titans will receive the ball first. Good chance for Will Levis to start on the right foot.
On ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame show, analyst Jason Kelce half-jokingly called Will Levis the “most exciting quarterback in football.”
“I have no idea what’s going to happen anytime he has the ball,” Kelce said on Monday. “It’s either going to be the most insane throw I’ve ever seen… “
“….or the most insane throw I’ve ever seen,” Kelce and fellow analyst Ryan Clark said in unison talking about Levis’ hit-or-miss nature.
READ MORE:Titans’ Will Levis is ‘most exciting quarterback’ in the NFL, Jason Kelce says
Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. injured his knee in warmups and is questionable to play, per the team.
Jaelyn Duncan is inactive, which begs the question given how non-committal the coaching staff was about the spot over the last week: What will the Titans do at right tackle?
Nicholas Petit-Frere has struggled in every game this year, and it came to friction during his missed block on a Will Levis sack-fumble in the fourth quarter against the Packers. Duncan came into the game and didn’t look immediately better, and Brian Callahan said postgame that the position is “not solidified by any stretch.”
John Ojukwu is active and will be an option if Petit-Frere struggles again.
Jeffery Simmons won’t play on Monday. He is inactive along with OT Jaelyn Duncan and five others. Former Titans LB David Long is out for Miami.
Titans inactives
Dolphins inactives
DB Tre Avery and DL Abdullah Anderson have been elevated from the practice squad to the main roster for Monday’s game.
We’ll see how this plays into the availability of Jeffery Simmons and L’Jarius Sneed. Inactives coming in less than a hour.
The Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins game will broadcast live on ESPN nationally and WSMV locally, with streaming options available on Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Watch Titans vs. Dolphins live on Fubo (free trial)
Odds according to BetMGM on Monday, Sept. 30
Titans beat reporter Nick Suss’ prediction: Titans 20, Dolphins 10
The Titans look bad, but the Dolphins look lost. Whoever Miami commits to at quarterback, it’s hard to see him posing a real threat. Levis and the run game build some much-needed confidence heading into the bye, and the Titans finally land in the win column.
Inactives will be announced at 5 p.m. CT on Monday. For now, here’s the full injury report for the two teams heading into the game.
Titans injury report
Dolphins injury report
Tickets for Monday’s game on StubHub are priced from $23 before fees.
Monday will be a warm day in Miami, even during the 7:30 p.m. local time kickoff. The National Weather Service forecasts a partly sunny day with temperatures at 86 degrees at kickoff with a 95-degree heat index. There is a minimal chance for precipitation, and the winds are forecasted to be calm.
All times central
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
2024-10-01 15:00:02 A number of friends have mentioned that they are dreading Rosh Hashanah. Their…
2024-10-01 14:50:04 Will Levis' extra effort to get a first down led to his first-quarter…
2024-10-01 14:40:03 Kiley McDaniel, ESPN MLB InsiderSep 30, 2024, 07:31 PM ETCloseESPN MLB Insider Kiley…
2024-10-01 14:30:03 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Just win, baby. It might not have been pretty,…
2024-10-01 14:20:03 CINCINNATI – A gritty baseball great who compiled a nearly unrivaled list of…
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut was convicted on Thursday in connection with a defamation…