What we learned from Monday's doubleheader

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1. The Titans fight against adversity to get their first win. With zero wins through the first three weeks, Tennessee headed to humid Miami with one desperate goal: to win the game. They didn't get off to a good start and had already made a few false starts before Will Levis threw possession over one Emmanuel Ogbah interception, and it seemed like it would only get more difficult when Levis left the game with a shoulder injury. But Bricklayer RudolphHis experience helped steady the ship and keep the Titans' offense afloat before focusing on their ground game to lead them to victory. Defensively, the Titans played an outstanding game, stifling Mike McDaniel's offense, forcing a turnover and five three-and-outs and holding the Dolphins to fewer than 200 yards of offense on the night. It wasn't the cleanest operation – Tennessee missed eight accepted penalties for 69 penalty yards – but it was enough to leave with a much-needed first win for coach Brian Callahan, who can tout his team's toughness after watching them do it If you have won the test, fight and always collect enough points to achieve victory.
2. Miami's offense is stuck in the mud. The Dolphins entered Week 4 without holding a lead for a single second of regulation through three games. At least on paper, it looked like they might finally break through against the Titans in Week 4, but we were wrong. When choosing a veteran Tyler HuntleyMiami started its third different starting quarterback in four games and found it was going to be just as difficult as it was in last week's ugly loss to Seattle, when they entered the fourth quarter with just 84 total yards on offense. The Dolphins gained just seven yards as a team in the third quarter and trudged into the final period with no signs of ever finding a rhythm before the end of the game. They did, pulling off an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, but it took them 7:09 and a lot of effort. Gone are the days of the Dolphins' explosive offense that you just can't feel comfortable without Tua Tagovailoa and he finds it difficult to make even the simple plays.
3. Bill Callahan's offensive line is starting to take shape. On a night where Tennessee lost its starting quarterback in the first quarter, the Titans needed the running game to carry the load, a reality their staff didn't shy away from. The Titans ran the ball on 64.5% of their offensive snaps, gained 142 yards on the ground and used a blocking system that continually created running lanes for them Tyjae spears And Tony Pollard. The latter led the way with an average of 4 yards per carry on 22 attempts, but both served their purpose and each found the end zone, taking a lot of responsibility off of Rudolph's shoulders. It's no surprise that Rudolph gave credit to the ground game in his postgame interview, as it led them to a road win and helped the Titans gain possession (34:52 to 25:08) and pull away. And after a rocky start that included a few false starts and a holding penalty, it was very encouraging to see this unit settle in and execute consistently. That bodes well for a Tennessee team that desperately needed a reason to believe after three tough weeks to start the season.

Insight into next-gen Titans-Dolphins stats (via NFL Pro): The Titans' run defense halted Miami's designed rushing attempts on Monday night, limiting the Dolphins' ball carriers to 72 yards on 26 designed carries, including -43 rushing yards above expectations, the seventh-lowest mark by a defense in a game this season.

NFL Research: The Dolphins are the first team to never have a lead in the first four games of a season since the Browns finished 0-16 in 2017. In the team's Week 1 win over the Jaguars, the Dolphins scored the game-winning field goal with no time left.