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The Tennessee Titans clinched the AFC South for the second straight season on Sunday, as they downed Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins 34-3. With this win and the Kansas City Chiefs' loss, the Titans are again the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Bad weather affected this conference showdown in a big way, but D'Onta Foreman stepped up to shoulder the load on offense. He rushed for 132 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. Ryan Tannehill found some success in his revenge game, as he completed 13 of 18 passes for 120 yards and threw two touchdowns.
This was Miami's first loss in eight games. Tagovailoa completed 18 of 38 passes for 205 yards and an interception. He also fumbled three times in the rain, losing one. Jaylen Waddle caught three passes for 47 yards on seven targets. He and the rest of the wide receiving corps struggled to reel in passes in the cold and very wet weather. The Dolphins' offense struggled in general, as it recorded just one successful drive all game.
Let's take a deeper dive into what happened in Nashville on Sunday.
Why the Titans won
The Titans were just better built to win games in ugly weather. Even without Derrick Henry, Mike Vrabel is going to rely on the ground game and establish tempo that way. Tennessee rushed for a total of 198 yards, and was led by a career-high 132 yards from Foreman. Not only was he effective in moving the chains, but he also broke off a couple huge runs. Foreman averaged 5.1 yards per carry, Dontrell Hilliard averaged 5.6 yards per carry and even Jeremy McNichols averaged 7.0 yards per carry on his two touches. No matter who was running the ball for the Titans, they were finding success.
Tennessee also could not have won on Sunday without an impressive performance from the defense. Not only did it hold Miami to just three total points, but it forced two turnovers and held the Dolphins to 3 of 12 on third downs.
Why the Dolphins lost
The Dolphins couldn't get anything going on offense all game. In the first half, they recorded just 109 yards of total offense. Miami punted four times in the first half, lost a fumble and then had one successful drive which ended with a field goal. Those three points would be the only points the Dolphins would score.
Tagovailoa sailed several passes high in the bad weather and struggled to hold onto the ball as well. On some of the good passes he did get off, receivers struggled to reel the ball in. We all know that the Dolphins' strength is their defense and that the offense isn't prone to light up the scoreboard, but this unit accomplished nothing on Sunday. The Dolphins are now again on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
Turning point
Early in the fourth quarter down 14 points, Tagovailoa hit Waddle for a huge 45-yard gain to get Miami into enemy territory. The drive soon stalled, however, and the Dolphins were faced with a fourth-and-11. Brian Flores opted to go for it, but Tagovailoa failed to connect with DeVante Parker.
Parker was clearly held by cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but the official didn't throw his yellow flag. An enraged Parker let the umpire have it, and drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. The next drive, the Titans needed just five plays to move 58 yards and extend the lead to 21 points.
If Miami had gotten the flag it deserved on that missed pass interference call, the Dolphins likely would have scored points to trim the deficit.
Play of the game
Who doesn't love diving interceptions coming off of an intended receiver's foot? Heads up play made by David Long here.
'Hey, hey, hey'
Referee Shawn Smith apparently wanted to get the attention of those in Nissan Stadium in the first half. It's unknown why the ump said this or if he was just testing the mic, but it made for quite the viral moment in Week 17.
Quotable
What's next
The Dolphins finish the regular season at home against the New England Patriots next Sunday. As for the Titans, they travel to Houston to play the Texans.
