Titans at Miami Dolphins recap

Much like the first game you take this 16 – 10 win although it was done with smoke and mirrors.

That first game Miami Dolphins win was all about kickers and field goals and this one was a defense that emerged as a beast and just dominated. This game had fans booing and calling for backup QB Matt Moore and game reporters asking coach Gase about that at halftime. Gase treated it the same as the start of last season when it happened with Ryan Tannehill he will be staying with his QB.

Jay Cutler went 12-of-26 passing for 92 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and eight rushing yards. He came into this game averaging around five yards a pass and left it with that average down around two. It looks pretty dire at the moment.

While this offense is still on the anemic side of things. Should the bright spots this game provide that needed spark to get things kick started and in gear. It wouldn’t be looked back on as much of anything. Sometimes that’s all that is needed.

Coach Gase also stated after the game how the run sets up the pass. Jay Ajayi while having a lost fumble early on played well enough overall (gained 78 yards) to provide an honest play action set up for Jay Cutler to try to climb out of a hole from much like Tannehill did last season with an eerily similar slow start by the Miami Dolphins.

Gase also ran some plays that I like to call razzle-dazzle as they are not your plain vanilla variety which is good and needed to keep the opposing defense off guard. He also substituted players on offense in a timely manner when a starting player messes up. Namely Jay Ajayi after his fumble was lost to the Titans and they scored a FG, Damien Williams was inserted on the next series, he played adequately about the same as Ajayi.

There was a stalled drive where almost every starter was dropping passes. Gase could have used the same notion as with inserting Williams at RB with the WR/TE, although Jakeem Grant was used sparsely throughout the game.

Titans vs. Dolphins | NFL Week 5 Game Highlights <click here

Only one highlight that I found on NFL twitter feed.

Reshad Jones had the wherewithal to scoop up the ball and score.

As advertised

The defense: I have neglected to mention this unit over the last few games with the intention of meaning the offense when stating the whole team is bad. Holding teams (like the Saints last game) to 20 points is formidable. And this game the defense carried the team to a win scoring a TD, sacking backup QB Matt Cassel six times and often otherwise bailing out an offense that is just putting on training wheels.

Reshad Jones: he had a career day playing to an ultra high level and capping it off scoring a TD from a loose ball after Kiko Alonso jarred Matt Cassel’s arm when he was in the throwing motion. Jones also had two fumble recoveries, this was all in just the first quarter of play.

The new LBers: Rey Maualuga and Lawrence Timmons although Timmons did get burned by a TE on a TD. Otherwise they played well together and fit in nicely with Kiko Alonso who also played well.

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Still missing in action

Pressing too much: DaVante Parker had room to run after a catch early in the game but elected to go laterally killing a drive and getting injured in the process.

Stepping into throws: even with ample time in the pocket Cutler is not doing so. Late 3rd quarter on the pass to Thomas was a good example.

Pleasant surprises

Anthony Steen playing and not platooning with Jesse Davis at the left guard spot which seems to help continuity and gets Cutler a little more time to throw off his back foot.

Charles Harris getting his first sack and it was a drive killer on third and long with the game in the balance at just under three minutes left in the 4th quarter. He also had ended an earlier one with a deflected pass.

TD in red zone: doubly nice because the offense has been sputtering for most of three games now and that Jarvis Landry doesn’t get many TD’s.

The boo birds and wanting to start Matt Moore: Moore stays with the play too much, Cutler wants no part of it. Pick your poison. However Cuter might be slowly coming around and or Gase is slowly trusting him more.

I started off this season feeling indifferent about this starting offense and still feel that way heading into the next game playing the Falcons where it might be too much of a task for the Miami Dolphins defense to be bailing out the offense again.