THE LONGEST YARDS
Defense forces three turnovers to slay Titans
MIAMI GARDENS — After a lengthy lightning delay shortly before halftime, a wild scuffle that saw players from both sides run on the field, and another delay that lasted even longer than the first, the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans finally finished their season opener.
At 7 hours and 8 minutes — thanks to 3 hours and 59 minutes of weather delays — it became the longest game in NFL history since the 1970 merger.
And the remaining fans of an announced crowd of 65,184 people that stuck around Hard Rock Stadium were treated to an exciting finish.
Kick returner Jakeem Grant broke free for a 102-yard kickoff return, Ryan Tannehill threw a 75-yard pass to receiver Kenny Stills for their second touchdowns of the game, and the Dolphins defense was tested but able to pull out a 27-20 victory over the Titans on Sunday.
“It was wild, but really proud of our guys with how we responded,” said Tannehill, who completed 20-of-28 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Obviously, it was a ton of adversity, not only with the delays, but in the game as well. Guys just kept fighting, responding, and stuck together.”
The Dolphins nearly gave up the game to the Titans, who needed backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert to spell starter Marcus Mariota after he suffered an elbow injury in the second half and left after two interceptions.
Reshad Jones picked off both Titans quarterbacks, his second interception coming off Gabbert with 6 minutes left in the game to swing the momentum back into the Dolphins’ favor during a wild fourth quarter.
Titans backup running back Dion Lewis scored on a 4-yard run to tie the game at 10 with 14:17 left in the fourth quarter. Darius Jennings returned a kickoff 94 yards to cut the deficit to 24-17 with 10:11 left in the game. And Tannehill threw his second interception of the game on a deep pass intended for Grant two min- utes later.
Dolphins rookie kicker Jason Sanders kicked a 30-yard field goal with 3:49 left, his second of the day, to seal the victory.
Both teams were affected by the two delays. The first, which lasted 1 hour and 57 minutes, occurred with 1:11 left in the second quarter resulting in a 3-minute halftime. The second lasted 2 hours and 2 minutes with play resuming midway in the third quarter.
Still, the Dolphins were steadfast in their plan of attack. Miami was noticeably aggressive in Tannehill’s first start since 2016. It backfired just as much as it worked.
“We won, and we have a lot of things we can improve on. We know that,” said Dolphins coach Adam Gase. “That was a team that was in the playoffs last year. We knew they were going to be a tough opponent. We were home. We played like it was the first game of the year, and we had some mistakes that we’re going to [go] back and say that’s not going to happen anymore. We’re going to improve from here.”
Miami’s aggressive nature stemmed from its first touchdown of the season, a 10-yard pass from Tannehill to Stills that ended a 98-yard drive.
The Dolphins tried to be creative on offense, lining up shifty receiver Jakeem Grant on the outside, moving receiver Albert Wilson along the line of scrimmage and even in some option and wildcat sets, with veteran Frank Gore spelling starter Kenyan Drake in the rushing attack. Mike Gescki and fellow tight end A.J. Derby were important factors in Gase’s game plan, too, despite Miami losing starter MarQueis Gray for the season with an Achilles tear this past week.
But, the Dolphins left about 10 points off the scoreboard, first failing to convert on a fourth down in the red zone instead of kicking a field goal in the second quarter. Then, Tannehill was picked off in the end zone trying to connect with Gesicki, who lost his balance and stumbled off the line of scrimmage during the play.
But the Dolphins defense was able to take advantage of the Titans offense.
Mariota suffered his injury after getting hit by Dolphins defensive end William Hayes. Shortly after, he sailed a pass that was intercepted and returned by Jones in the third quarter.