Dolphin Diary, Week 17: Blame it on the Rain

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I should have known it would be a bad day for the Dolphins when I saw a giant poop in the elevator at Newark Penn Station on the way to the Hoboken Gambling House. That and the weather forecast predicted it to rain regularly in Nashville. The Titans are a good team and a legitimate Super Bowl contender, especially if Derrick Henry returns and is healthy in the playoffs. However, the unsettling part was the way Tua Tagovailoa played, and that shit in the elevator would pretty much explain it.

No matter how you slice it, Tua Tagovailoa has had a terrible game. The generally accurate passer who regularly throws 75% of his throws made just 18 of 38 passes on Sunday, with the ball often cruising in wet conditions at Nissan Stadium. Additionally, Tagovailoa had three fumbles and one interception, although only one of the fumbles was lost. The ball seemed to slip out of his hands the entire game. Was it the rain, or was it true Tua against a good team? That’s the question the Dolphins must answer following a 34-3 loss on Sunday.

The trouble started in the first quarter as Miami couldn’t move the ball in their first three practices. The Titans, meanwhile, entered the table with a touchdown from Ryan Tannehill to Geoff Swaim late in the quarter. The Titans had the chance to score again straight away as Tua fumbled, putting Tenessee in the red zone. The Dolphins held the Titans to a field goal, but the feeling the game was going away was acceptable. The Dolphins responded with a field goal, but at the end of the half the Titans started to pull away, scoring a second touchdown helped by a questionable pass interference penalty on Nik Needham.

Down 17-3, the Miami defense did their best to keep the Dolphins in the game, but after failing to take the lead, the game slipped away in the fourth quarter. After a turnaround on the downs with a Devante Parker flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Titans drove the nail into the coffin with a touchdown. The Titans added more ground and a touchdown as Tua Tagovailoa had an interception that quickly led to a score for the Titans, as Tannehill seemed to be delighted to beat his former team.

With the loss, the Dolphins are 8-8, heading into the final game, a home game against the New England Patriots. To make matters worse, the Chargers’ win over the Broncos wiped out any playoff hope. With this loss, I can now shave.

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