Tennessee (0-3) at Miami (1-2)
Monday, 7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Dolphins by 1.
Against the spread: Titans 0-3; Dolphins 0-3.
Series record: Dolphins lead 21-18.
Last meeting: Titans beat Dolphins 28-27 on Dec. 11, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Last week: Titans lost to Packers 30-14; Dolphins lost to Seahawks 24-3.
Titans offense: overall (29), rush (20), pass (28), scoring (28)
Titans defense: overall (5), rush (20), pass (3), scoring (24t)
Dolphins offense: overall (16), rush (25), pass (11), scoring (32)
Dolphins defense: overall (11), rush (12), pass (12), scoring (22)
Turnover differential: Titans minus-7; Dolphins even.
Titans player to watch
Will Levis. The second-year quarterback will be making his 13th NFL start back at the stadium where he had his biggest clutch moment, rallying the Titans to 15 points in 51 seconds for a comeback victory. That was his lone 300-yard passing game in the NFL. Levis has had to learn a second offense with Brian Callahan getting used to being both a first-time head coach and play-caller. Levis already has one more interception than he had in nine starts as a rookie with with five, including a pair of pick-6s. He also has three fumbles, two off strip-sacks.
Dolphins players to watch
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The NFL’s leading receiving duo from 2023 has had a quiet start to the season. Hill caught an 80-yard touchdown pass to go with 130 receiving yards in the season opener, but he has not had more than 50 receiving yards in a game since. Waddle hasn’t had more than 41 receiving yards since going for 101 in the opener. The duo combined for just seven catches and 66 yards in Week 3. Waddle said teams employ a lot of two-deep safety coverages to take the two star receivers out of games early, but he added that it’s up to him to get separation in one-on-one matchups to make it easier for the quarterback to get him the ball.
Key matchup
Titans run game vs. Dolphins run defense. Miami defensive tackle Calais Campbell said the team’s rushing defense so far this season “is not our standard” after the Dolphins gave up 112 rushing yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry in the first three weeks. Miami has also been burned for huge plays on the ground. Buffalo’s James Cook had a 49-yard touchdown run against the Dolphins in Week 2. Travis Etienne had a 26-yard carry against them in Week 1. Campbell said the Titans could be the best rushing team they’ve faced so far because of Will Levis’ scrambling ability and the production of Tony Pollard, who has 158 yards on 39 carries. The Titans also are looking to get backup Tyjae Spears more involved. Spears had 118 yards from scrimmage with his pass-catching skills out of the backfield in Miami last December.
Injuries
Dolphins: Skylar Thompson is day to day with a rib injury suffered against Seattle. LT Terron Armstead and CB Kendall Fuller will miss the game still in the concussion protocol. RB Raheem Mostert was limited in practice with a chest injury. … Titans: Veteran CB Chidobe Awuzie’s groin injury put him on injured reserve. Two-time Pro Bowl DL Jeffery Simmons (elbow) is doubtful after not practicing all week. CB L’Jarius Sneed (hamstring) and S Amani Hooker (face) both are questionable. Rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who grew up minutes from Hard Rock Stadium, is expected to get more playing time.
Series notes
Nine of the past 12 Titans-Dolphins meetings in the regular season have been played at Hard Rock Stadium, most recently on Monday night Dec. 11, 2023. The Titans scored 15 points 51 seconds in the fourth quarter of that game to overcome a 14-point deficit and win. … The home team has won three of the past four meetings. Before their 2023 meeting, the previous time the teams met in Miami Gardens, Fla. was on Sept. 9, 2018, when a weather delay turned the matchup into a 7-hour, 8-minute game — the longest in NFL history. Then-Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill led a 27-20 win.
Stats and stuff
The Dolphins were held to three points in last week’s loss, their lowest-scoring output since Mike McDaniel was hired in 2022. … Skylar Thompson was ineffective in his first start since he was a rookie in 2022, completing 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards. … The Dolphins were the highest-scoring offense and one of the best red zone offenses in the NFL last season but are 16th in total offense with 318.7 yards per game, just 95 rushing yards per game. Miami is also the worst scoring offense in the NFL through three weeks, averaging just 11 points. … Hill has 1,155 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his past 10 home games. He had 61 yards against the Titans last season. Hill also has a TD catch in three of his past four Monday night games. … Waddle is looking for his fourth straight game with at least four catches. He has at least 50 receiving yards in seven of his past eight home games. … DT Campbell had a sack and pass breakup last week and has a sack in two of his first three games as a Dolphins. He’s third among all active players with 107 1/2 sacks. … LB Jaelan Phillips has a sack in three of his past four home games. … Miami is 43-44 in Monday night games. … The Titans are 26-19 on Monday nights, winning nine of their past 12 and 3-0 against Miami. … Levis has been sacked 15 times this season, next to most in the NFL. He leads the league with eight turnovers. … The Titans have held their first three opponents this season to an average of 139.3 yards per game. If they keep Miami below 200 yards passing Monday night, it would be the longest streak for the franchise since the first five games of 1986. … Five-time Pro Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins is coming off his best game this season with six catches for a team-high 73 yards and a TD. He had a team-high seven receptions for 124 yards and a TD that jump-started the Titans. … P Ryan Stonehouse has had 10 straight games played with at least one punt of 55 yards or longer, the NFL’s longest active streak. … OLB Harold Landry has three sacks. … LB Kenneth Murray had a career-high two sacks last week against Green Bay. … S Jamal Adams is three tackles shy of 500.
Fantasy tip
The running backs for both teams could be in for big games against two struggling run defenses. Dolphins running back De’Von Achane leads the team with 43 carries for 150 yards with one rushing touchdown, while Pollard is averaging 4.1 yards per carry and is having a productive season outside of being bottled up by the Packers last week.
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