A stunning collapse Dolphins blow 17-point lead, suffer second consecutive loss

CINCINNATI — Ryan Tannehill was understandably dejected.

The Miami Dolphins raced out to an early 17-0 lead over a fellow division leader, finally got their feature running back involved in the game plan, and converted timely third-down plays on both sides of the football.

They seemed to have put last week’s demoralizing road blowout loss to the New England Patriots behind them. Until, they simply unraveled. Tannehill committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter which were returned for touchdowns, spoiling the opportunity for a much-needed victory in a 27-17 loss to the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in front of 52,708 fans on Sunday afternoon.

The Dolphins, who fell into a tie with New England at 3-2 atop the AFC East, will host the Chicago Bears next Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, hoping to avoid a three-game losing streak.

“It all started with the turnovers, and that’s all on me. I can’t let that happen,” said Tannehill, who completed 20-of-35 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown, and two late interceptions.

“[I have to] find a way to take a sack, or throw it away to survive, or something. Can’t turn the ball over in that situation, and that really gave them the momentum, and put us on our heels a little bit.

“That’s squarely on me. Regardless of what happens up front, I have to take care of the football.”

The tide turned on the Dolphins at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Bengals running back Joe Mixon scored on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Andy Dalton to trim Miami’s lead to, 17-10.

On the ensuing drive, Tannehill