Titans vs. Dolphins game review

The Tennessee Titans began their week with a lot of optimism going into the game with the Miami Dolphins. The buzz that reverberated was due to the Randy Moss signing and also sharing the division lead with the Indianapolis Colts. That optimism quickly changed as after the game as the Titans were defeated 29-17 in Miami.

It was a roller-coaster of a game with both starting QBs going down with injuries. Kerry Collins, who started for a injured Vince Young in the first place, left the game after halftime. Miami QB Chad Pennington only lasted two plays before he was hit while throwing an incompletion (Early world on the injury is that it a dislocated shoulder for the fourth time for Pennington) and was taken out of the game. Miami's recently demoted starter Chad Henne entered the game and in the 3rd quarter injured his knee late in the third quarter when hit attempting a pass. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam and said his knee hurt.

The game had a funny ebb and flow to it as the Titans Bo Scaife fumbled on their initial drive. The Dolphins would drive down the field on a 6 play, 80 yard drive that was capped off with a Ronnie Brown 2-yard rush for a score. The Titans would get on the board on their next drive as Chris Johnson started to find running lanes. Johnson gashed the Dolphins D for a 19-yard run at the beginning of the drive and capped it off with a spectacular 17-yard touchdown run. Miami would go for it on 4th down on their next drive and come up short, setting the Titans up with good field position at Miami's 28 yard line. The Titans would only be able to muster a FG out of the drive and went ahead 10-7, and that is how the 1st quarter would end.

In the 2nd quarter there wasn't much action. The Dolphins kicked a field goal to make it 10-10 on their first drive. Cortland Finnegan picked off Chad Henne mid way through the quarter and it was pretty much a punt fest other than that.

In the 3rd quarter, Vince Young would take over for the injured Kerry Collins. Young would fumble on his first drive and the Dolphins and former Titan Randy Starks would recover. The good field position for the Dolphins set up an easy score for the Phins. Chad Henne found an open Patrick Cobbs for a 13-yard TD pass. That score put the Dolphins up 20-10. After the kickoff was returned 27 yards, Vince Young and Chris Johnson would get hot. Johnson got it started with a 30-yard up the middle. Young would go on to connect on his next two passes, one to Javon Ringer on a dump off and another to Nate Washington. Johnson rushed again for another 8 yards and Young finished the drive off with two passes to Nate Washington, the second one going for a 14-yard touchdown. The score made it 20-17 Dolphins. Chad Henne would lead the Dolphins to a FG on the next series before getting hurt but score put Miami up 23-17.

Both the Titans and the Dolphins would go three and out on their next drive and than the 4th quarter of play began. Tyler Thigpen would come into the after the Chad Henne injury in the 3rd and spark the Dolphin offense. He initiated a 9 play drive that ended with a Anthony Fasano TD catch on his first drive. The Dolphins would try for the 2-point conversion and fail making the score 29-17. Tennessee would drive the field off the arm of Young and finally got Moss involved with a 26 yard catch that would be his only. Young however was sacked on 3rd and 10 on Miami's 29 and the Titans were forced to go for it on 4th and 20. Young floated a pass in the area of Justin Gage that was intercepted by Reshad Jones. That was the game as Miami was able to run a few plays and run out the clock.

The Titans now fall to 5-4 and their next game is at home vs. the Washington Redskins.

Game Observations:

The not so much Moss effect: I of course expected more out of Moss. The only catch he had came in the 4th but the QBs did try to get to him as he was targeted 4 times. He also drew a 33-yard defensive pass interference call but other than that was he was ineffective this game. It was actually a bad game for me,” said Moss

Chris Johnson was able to find running room and finished 117 yards on 17 carries. Moss did have an effect in that department as you didn't see as many 8 man fronts against the Titans. Look for more of the same from him as the year goes on.

The Dolphins Wildcat offense was extremely successful versus the Titans. After only gaining 30 yards on 20 snaps out of the formation, the Dolphins were able to get considerable chunks of offense against Tennessee.

Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins Preview

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The Titans now have their bye week behind them now and a new toy on offense in Randy Moss. Tennessee (5-3) now takes on a tough Miami Dolphins (4-4) team. Miami, as their record indicates has had an up and down year. They have won all their games on the road and loss all at home, which bolds well for the Titans. Miami's losses have come against solid teams including three division leaders in New England, Pittsburgh, and the New York Jets. Miami also benched starter Chad Henne in favor of veteran and former Moss teammate Chad Pennington. 

Vince Young is expected to be able to start and will have his chances against the Dolphins. Miami has given up nine plays of 25 yards or more through the air in the past four weeks, something Moss could help exploit. The Titans' Young is the AFC's highest-rated passer at 103.1 and doesn't have a turnover in his last five games.The Dolphins on the other hand have a minus-eight turnover ratio in losses and are plus-one in wins. That is one of the reasons Miami is turning back to Pennington as Henne has already thrown 10 interceptions. Henne's last game versus the Titans, he threw 3 interceptions in a 27-24 Titans win back on Dec 20 of last year. Miami also addressed their secondary releasing former first round pick Jason Allen and adding veteran cornerback Al Harris to bolster that unit.

Now lets breakdown the keys to the game for the Titans:

1. The Moss effect -  Former Minnesota coach Mike Tice had a formula for getting Moss the ball. 40% of all passes were to go to Moss. I doubt that will be the case here in Tennessee but its all but certain that offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will call special plays for the former all-pro. Moss has 10 touchdowns in 10 meetings with the Dolphins.The Titans can utilize Moss in a variety of ways including in motion, on the outside, play-actions and as a decoy. His mere presence will mean no more eight in the box defensive formations because teams respect Moss's abilities. It will take time for the Titans to work Moss into the system but once he gets the playbook down, you will see his explosive capabilities. Even without Moss knowing the system yet, he still will have an impact for Tennessee this game.

2. Pressure Pennington and Protect Vince- The Titans look to get pressure on Chad Pennington. The Titans lead the league with 3.3 sacks a game. Miami has a good offensive line only allowing 15 sacks this year. They have all-pro Jake Long anchoring the line. If they Titans can find a way to apply heat to Pennington it should set up some turnovers. Pennington has never been mistaken as a mobile QB and he has sat out this entire year so I look for the Titans to be able to get to him a few times in the game. At that same token the Titans have to protect Vince Young. Young has been in and out of the lineup because of various injuries to his ankle, knee and Achilles. To be fair the two most recent injuries Young suffered was not at the hands of the offensive line as Young was out of the pocket on one and was at the bottom of a scrum for the ball on the other. Cam Wake has been a revelation this year for the Dolphins and has already racked 8.5 sacks in eight games this year.The Dolphins are ranked 10th in the league with 21 sacks and the Titans are 4th with 26. Bottom line, these are two teams who get to the QB. Who ever protects the QB the best this game will have the advantage.

3.Can CJ get finally break loose - Chris Johnson comes into this game as the 5th leading rusher in the NFL with his 721 yards. His stats are not bad this year but compared to his NFL offensive player of the year campaign of last year, they are off. It won't be easy breaking the big one on the Dolphins either. They've allowed two runs of 20 yards or more - third fewest in the league. The Moss effect will lead to fewer men in the box as I stated earlier. I find it very intriguing to see how teams will play the Titans now with Moss. It could be a pick you poison team with Johnson and Moss. I look for Johnson to break for one his signature runs this game. He will have his opportunities as teams will have to focus on who they want to stop. Moss and the passing game will also get favorable circumstances as well after Johnson loosens up the Dolphins D.

Game summary: The Titans have the edge in most departments in this game. They will look to get Moss going early and often. The defense should be able to apply pressure to Pennington and force turnovers. Chris Johnson will get opportunities he didn't have in the past as Moss opens the field and running lanes for him. Watch out for Dolphins offensive weapons Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Brandon Marshall as they account for most of the Dolphins offense.

Game notes and streaks: Tennessee ranks second in league with 19 takeaways,The Titans have the NFL’s stingiest red-zone defense with opponents only being successful 29 percent,  In three games against Tennessee, Chad Pennington has thrown for 814 yards with a QB rating of 105.0, The Dolphins are 0-3 at home and have lost five consecutive home games since last year, Even with their .500 record, Miami has been outscored by 32 points, The Dolphins offense has scored only 11 touchdowns, which ties for second-worst in league, Ronnie Brown has played 13 consecutive games since his most recent 100-yard game, and Miami’s wildcat offense hasn't had much success this year only gaining 30 yards in 20 snaps this season.