The Miami Dolphins are still the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.

The Dolphins lost their third straight game to the Tennessee Titans 31-12 on Monday Night Football at Hard Rock Stadium.

It was the Dolphins’ second consecutive loss in prime time. Two and a half weeks ago, they lost to the Buffalo Bills before a national audience on Amazon Prime.

It is important to note that during the first four games of the season, Miami has not held a lead at any point. The only time Miami held the lead was on the last play of the game against Jacksonville when they won their only game on a Jason Sanders field goal as time expired.

“I think that there’s a story within the tape, in all the things that we were looking to do,” Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “It was not up to my standard at all, its a collective issue for sure. We have to find a way to score points and all those guys have to figure it out.”

Miami’s offense has been inept since scoring one touchdown in the first half of the Buffalo game. Before scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter Monday night, the Dolphins had gone 173:03 without scoring a touchdown. They almost went more than 12 quarters without crossing the goal line.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley, who had his first start at quarterback for the Dolphins, had a very pedestrian night. Huntley went 12-of-20 for 81 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Huntley also ran the ball eight times for 40 yards.

He could barely get on track the entire game. He was out of sync with his receivers. He did not give Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle a chance to make a big play. Huntley clearly showed he had the arm to throw the deep ball but could not connect to two of the fastest receivers in the game.

“We never avoid adverse situations,” McDaniel said. “Tough times bring out the best in people if you have the right people and I believe we do.”

Nick Folk kicked five field goals for Tennessee to defeat Miami single-handedly. It was his fifth career game with at least five field goals.

Tony Pollard had 22 carries for 88 yards and a four-yard touchdown with 30 left to play in the game to lead the Titan’s offense.

The Dolphins knocked out Titans starting quarterback Will Levis in the first half with a shoulder injury. Tennessee’s backup quarterback, Mason Rudolph, came in and dismantled the Dolphin’s defense by merely going 9-of-17 for 85 yards and no touchdowns.

“There will be a list of things that we can tell the coaches and the players. If we don’t do this, things won’t change,” McDaniel said. “It has been too many weeks in a row. You just have to do certain things in order to win. Until we do that, we are going to get the same results.”

Kyrie Irving was one of the Dallas players who talked the most to reporters Monday at the Mavericks practice facility. With opening night a little more than three weeks away, here is what the veteran entering his 15th year in the NBA had to say:

On the recovery from his broken left hand:

“It feels a lot better. Unfortunate circumstances, but also, it was much-needed in terms of being able to slow down after a long season like we had.

I was playing, you know, three days after we lost in the Finals, just because I didn’t know how to transition out of that competitive space. So I think breaking my hand actually gave me a lot of much-needed rest time.”

“It took me about eight weeks to heal. So from about the beginning of July until now, I’ve just been trying to get back and get into the swing of the rhythm basketball.”

On how he’s learned how to drive to the rim better for his longevity:

“You’re going to take some hits, and you just have to learn how to fall. I tell all the young kids out there, just learning how to fall is the key to longevity. That starts in the weight room, it starts in the little nuances of the game that I work on to help me with my balance and my core strength, and also just being mentally confident and prepared to take those hits.”

“I think, to add on to that, I’ve just become more of a two-foot jumper, as compared to a single-foot jumper, at the rim, just being able to have more options in the air off of two feet.”

On the acquisition of Klay Thompson:

“That was a big splash in the summertime. I think if you ask any of us, we feel like we got better as a team that has leadership and also experience, especially on that championship stage.”

“I’m excited that he decided to come here to commit to us for the next few years. I feel like our dreams can be possible because he’s here now, and he’s added some great value to our championship aspirations.”

“Watching guys’ faces light up when Klay makes a shot, when it’s a difficult shot for most of us, it looks easy for him. When you’re around someone that’s special at a craft and a skill set, there’s nothing like asking that person about what makes them great.”

On meshing with Thompson and Luka Doncic:

“I feel like we all have great attitudes towards one another in terms of our skill sets. We all are curious about the game and how we continue to get better, but we’re also very selfless in our approach in wanting to see each other do well and ultimately win basketball games for the team.”

“I know a lot of eyes are going to be on me, Klay and Luka, but for us, we’ve done a great job, distributing that responsibility. I’m going to be needed in different situations, Klay’s going to be needed in different situations, and Luka is going to be needed in different situations. I think we all bring a different expertise, and now, when you mesh that all together, I think this season we’ll be able to translate it into wins.”

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Age: 32 (11th season)

Height, Weight: 6’8, 245 lbs

2023-24 Averages: 5.6 points, 5 rebounds, 1.9 assists on 57.3%/41.5%/77% splits (61 games)

Career Averages: 7.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists on 54%/34.2%/69.6% splits (522 games)

Larry Nance is the epitome of a reliable veteran that finds a home on practically every roster he is a part of.

When the Hawks acquired him in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, they likely saw Nance as insurance. In the event that they were able to find a trade partner for Clint Capela, Nance would take on a bigger role as the backup to Onyeka Okongwu. However, such a move has not happened yet.

Still, that does not mean that Nance is a waste of a roster spot. He’s a player with several helpful skills that affect winning even if they don’t always show up on the scoreboard. With the Pelicans, he showed off his ability to move in space on defense. He is not forced to solely survive in drop coverage as a big and can play up at the level of the screen. While he cannot match up with the stronger post players or quickest wings in the NBA, he’s a passable defender for most matchups. I envision this as being very helpful for Atlanta as there should be a pretty reasonable floor for the interior defense regardless of who the center is.

On offense, he is a smart passer and good rebounder. Although he is not quite as good as he was for the Cavs, Nance still recorded a total rebounding percentage of 14.1%. That is close to what Draymond Green recorded for the Warriors last season (14.4%). I am not saying that Nance is Green, but he is clearly a solid rebounder who can keep possessions alive on offense and end possessions for a defense. He can also execute simple passes as a connector. It would be difficult to say that he can be a secondary playmaker, but he is capable of making simple reads that keep the offense moving.

From a scoring perspective, Nance had a fairly solid year from a shooting-splits perspective, All of hi 2023-24 splits are above his career percentages. He hit on 41.5% of his shots from deep while having around 1.9 attempts per game. I do not think it would be fair to say he can provide a huge improvement in Atlanta’s rotation. He is someone the defense feels comfortable conceding a shot to. However, he has shown some ability to capitalize on those looks recently.

In 2024-25, I think his role will be fairly minimal unless Clint Capela is traded. That being said, he can give the Hawks good minutes when he plays. He also provides insurance for a decline in play from Capela. It is also possible that Atlanta moves him to a team that is desperately in need of center depth.

Best-Case Scenario: Nance Jr maintains his production from deep (over 40% from three-point range) while continuing to be a solid passer, defender and rebounder. He continues to be a useful rotation piece and is able to handle a bigger role when Capela or Okongwu are unable to suit up.

Worst-Case Scenario: Nance Jr’s 11 seasons in the NBA start to catch up to him and his secondary skills decline in effectiveness. His three-point shot declines and he is unable to hold up on defense in the way that he once could.