MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Simply win, child.
It may not have been fairly, however the first win of the season certain felt like a magnificence for the Tennessee Titans – a 31-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
It was additionally the primary win of the Brian Callahan period.
Titans controlling proprietor Amy Adams Strunk offered Callahan with a recreation ball within the celebratory locker room after the competition.
“I do not know if I can put it into phrases for you,” Callahan stated of the sensation. “It feels nice, most significantly as a result of our guys deserve it. These guys work arduous, and so they apply arduous, and so they do every little thing proper. They should win.
“It is good to see some smiles, and a few power. I assumed we performed a extremely good recreation tonight.”
The Titans at the moment are 1-3 heading into the bye weekend.
Titans quarterback Will Levis began the competition, however he did not end it.
Again-up quarterback Mason Rudolph changed Levis after he suffered a shoulder damage within the first quarter whereas diving head-first on a 3rd down run.
Rudolph guided the Titans the remainder of the way in which, and the staff did sufficient on offense to win it.
“It all the time feels nice to win,” stated Rudolph, who accomplished 9-of-17 passes for 85 yards within the contest. “It feels nice to win to get Cally his first, an enormous one. It is all the time good to have a good time within the locker room, and for a coach’s first win, that is massive time. … I assumed we ran the ball rather well – I did not do a complete lot.”
Callahan stated after the sport Levis will bear assessments. He stated if Levis is wholesome, he’ll be the staff’s quarterback transferring ahead.
Kicker Nick Folks offered all of the offense within the first half, with three area objectives. Folks added his fourth and fifth area objectives of the night time within the second half to provide him give 5 area objectives for the night time, matching a profession excessive.
Tennessee’s protection was suffocating all through, getting one cease after one other. The Dolphins managed simply 13 first downs and 184 yards of offense within the contest because the Titans swarmed to the soccer.
Offensively, the Titans ran the ball for 142 yards, with Tony Pollard main the way in which with 88 yards and a landing.
Pollard’s late landing gave the Titans 30 factors in a recreation for the primary time in a very long time.
“Coach stated it had been like 1,000 days,” Pollard stated with a smile. “It is nice, particularly going right into a bye week. It is large for us to take that momentum and carry us into subsequent week.”
The 2 groups performed a scoreless first quarter, with every staff committing a turnover.
It was maybe an indication of issues to come back on a reasonably sloppy night time of soccer.
Ultimately, the Titans proved to be extra resilient, and higher.
Levis was intercepted on Tennessee’s opening drive by Dolphins linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah.
On Miami’s possession, nevertheless, edge rusher Arden Key jumped on a lateral, which gave the Titans the ball again.
The Titans took a 3-0 lead early within the second quarter on a 53-yard area purpose by Folks, a drive that was completed by Rudolph.
The Titans got here up with an enormous defensive cease on Miami’s subsequent possession, and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., linebacker Kenneth Murray and security Quandre Diggs all contributed to a cease of Tyreek Hill on a fourth-and-one run.
The cease led to a different lengthy area purpose by Folks, this one from 52 yards, and the Titans took a 6-0 lead on the 8:20 mark of the second quarter.
The Dolphins lower the result in 6-3 on a 44-yard area purpose by kicker Jason Sanders with 4:13 left within the second quarter.
The Titans stretched the lead earlier than halftime with some nice execution within the ultimate seconds of the half. After getting the ball at their very own 44-yard line with 16 seconds and no time outs, Rudolph accomplished a 26-yard go to receiver Tyler Boyd, and Rudolph and the offense ran down the sector in time to spike it with one second left.
That is when Folks got here on to kick his third area purpose of the night time, this one from 47 yards, and the Titans led 9-3 on the half.
The Dolphins lower the result in 9-6 on a 56-yard area purpose by Sanders with 9:02 left within the third quarter.
The Titans lastly busted by means of for a landing halfway by means of the third quarter.
Following a 41-yard run by Pollard, operating again Tyjae Spears lined up within the Wildcat, took the direct snap, after which he scooted in for a seven-yard landing run to provide the Titans a 16-6 lead with six minutes left within the third quarter.
Folks added one other lengthy area purpose, this time from 51 yards, to provide the Titans a 19-6 lead with 36 seconds left within the third quarter.
Folks then made his fifth area purpose of the night time, from 29 yards, to make it 22-6 with 10:45 left.
A one-yard landing run by Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley made it 22-12 with 3:36 left, earlier than the Titans scored on a security within the closing minutes to make it 24-12.
A late landing run by Pollard made it 31-12 with 24 seconds left.
The Titans celebrated within the locker room after the sport.
“Lit,” is how linebacker Ernest Jones described the scene. “We had been excited. It is arduous to win within the Nationwide Soccer League, so getting a win is fairly thrilling.”
The Titans have a bye this coming weekend. The staff will return to motion on October 13 at Nissan Stadium towards the Indianapolis Colts.