By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
The Miami Dolphins lost a third consecutive game, falling to the Tennessee Titans in a first half defensive battle with a half time score of 9-3 Titans, field goals the order of the day for both teams.
With injuries to starter Tua Tagovailoa and backup Skyler Thompson, the Dolphins signed former Hallandale Charger Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Not highly recruited locally or statewide, the Utah Utes offered a full ride where he excelled and showed enough promise to be signed by the Ravens a free agent, becoming a Pro Bowl player.
Having been with the Dolphins for only 2 weeks, his 14 pass completions out of 22 attempts and 96 yards with no touchdowns was understandably pedestrian, though he did rush for a touchdown in the fourth quarter in a vain attempt at a comeback. The requisite 2 point conversion ended in an interception. With about 2:33 left in the game, the Fins forced a Titan punt, but the possession was short lived as the Titans’ pass rush forced Huntley into an intentional grounding pass from end zone, resulting in a safety and 2 points for Titans. The 31-12 final score belied Tennessee’s dominance. Ironically, Huntley ended up as the leading rusher -40- yards, adding to the 184 in total yards. No team is going to consistently win with numbers like those. Other telling stats: The Dolphins hadn’t scored a goal since Tua’s 5 yard TD pass to De’Vane Ochane vs. Buffalo, a timeframe of 10 football quarters, the Dolphins were 2 for 12 on third down conversions, and 1 for 3 on fourth down conversions. Before the end of the game, the fans had left stadium in droves. However, I found comfort in the real Dolphin fans who stayed until the final whistle blew.
Keep Hope Alive!
In MLB the National League Wild Card qualifying teams, the New York Mets face the East Division winning Milwaukee Brewers while the Atlanta Braves play the SanDiego Padres. The team that wins the best 2 out 3 series moves on to face the West Division champions Los Angeles Dodgers and NL East Division winners Philadelphia Phillies.
In the American League the division winners are the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Guardians and the Houston Astros while Wild Card winners are the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. In the Wild Card series, the Astros will play the Tigers while the Baltimore Orioles face the Kansas City Royals.