NFL Update: Miami Dolphins 29 beat Tennessee Titans 17
Chad Pennington only just came back from an injury that had ended his season last year in the third game and he is out already. In the first play of the first quarter for the Dolphins, Pennington injured himself. He didn’t go off the field just then though.
He threw a 19 yard pass to Brian Hartline but then Miami took a timeout and Pennington left the field for Chad Henne. Pennington’s return is questionable as is his career if he can’t be back on the field for long.
Henne didn’t last long either. By the end of third quarter, he too had to leave the field due to an injury. Henne has been scheduled for an MRI and until then the extent of his injury cannot be known. Tyler Thigpen and Brandon Marshal took over for the two
Chads and kept the dolphins running. Running back Ronnie Brown effectively took over for the quarterback and continued to rush the Titans. Dolphins forced their way to the 24 yard line where they were able to score a touchdown without their two quarterbacks.
A few minutes later, Dolphins scored again despite their quarterback situation. Thigpen threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano.
Dolphins' offense relentlessly put scores on the board and their defence made sure that Titans weren’t able to. Miami boast a solid defence that ranks 14th in the league in terms of points allowed. Vince Young and Kerry Collins together couldn’t break the
150 yard mark while Dolphins pushed more than 300 yards in the night. Moss caught just one pass for 26 yards and Bo Scaife, who led Tennessee’s receivers, received 7 passes for 51 yards. Moss also drew a 31 yard penalty in the game. So, effectively his total
contributions in the game come out to -5 yards. Moss said that he wanted the team to win and if that meant being the decoy, then that is what he would do.
Titans' defensive tackle, Jovan Hayes said that they were beaten by a team without a quarterback. Dolphins didn’t just defeat the Titans, they set their season high in points scored despite losing two quarterbacks in the game. It was unpredictable and exciting.
Dolphins' wide receiver, Davone Bess said that the game hinged on how they reacted to the situation.
Thigpen made an impression against the Titans. “I knew I had to take advantage of my opportunity to help my team win,” said Thigpen. “It wasn't about my stats; it was about getting us in the end zone and winning the game.” Getting the ball in the end zone
usually is good for a quarterback’s statistics. Thigpen completed 4 of 6 pass attempts for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Thigpen's performance on Sunday makes him the likely starter for the Dolphins in the event that neither Henne nor Pennington can be ready until this Thursday when Miami face the Chicago Bears. Dolphins played well and deserved victory but their celebrations
won’t last long. With both Pennington and Henne unfit for Thursday, the Dolphins are faced with a daunting task and the preparations for a Thursday game can’t start soon enough.
The defeat has pushed the Titans, 5-4-0, to second place in the AFC South behind Indianapolis Colts. Kerry Collins started for Tennessee on Sunday but Vince Young had to take over for Collins due to a calf injury. Young was able to pass 91 yards in 9 successful
attempts of a total 18 and threw one of the Titans' two touchdowns of the night. The second touchdown for the Titans came in the first quarter off a 17 yard dash by running back Chris Johnson. Johnson led the Titans running backs with 117 in 17 rushes.
Titans' offensive efforts were nowhere near enough to win the game. “Coming into this game, we wanted to try to put the pedal down a little,” said Miami Coach Tony Sparano. Dolphins won the game with 29 points against 17.
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