The Tennessee Titans earned their first win of the season in a 31-12 romp of the Miami Dolphins on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tennessee scored 31 points despite just 102 passing yards and 244 total yards due to a suffocating defense and ball control. Mason Rudolph did not commit a turnover in the three-plus quarters in relief of Will Levis, who injured his shoulder while diving for a first down in the first quarter.

Miami’s offense struggled to 184 total yards in Tyler Huntley’s first start with the team.

Here are the three key moments in Monday’s Titans victory:

Scenario: Titans 9, Dolphins 3 at halftime after Nick Folk’s 47-yard field goal

Tennessee led just 6-3 with 16 seconds left following a bad Dolphins punt near midfield, and the Titans had no timeouts.

Mason Rudolph found Tyler Boyd over the middle for a 27-yard gain, and the Titans offense hustled to the line to clock the ball with one second left.

Because of that hustle, Nick Folk was able to successfully kick a 47-yard field goal to push the lead out to six points in a game starved for explosive plays and points. Folk finished the game with five field goals, including three from longer than 50 yards.

GENTRY ESTES: The Titans win a game! (And it was without Will Levis)

Scenario: Titans 16, Dolphins 6 with 6:00 left in third quarter after first TD of the game

Tony Pollard finally gave the Titans an explosive spark with a 41-yard run down the left sideline to set up 1st and goal midway through the second quarter. It was the longest play of the game for either team.

One play later, Tyjae Spears made a nifty move out of the wildcat formation and scored galloping into the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown run.

GOOD AND BAD: Winners and losers from Tennessee Titans absolute beatdown of Miami Dolphins

Scenario: Titans 22, Dolphins 12 with 3:36 left fourth quarter after failed two-point try

Miami had its best drive of the game midway through the fourth quarter on a 7-minute drive that was capped off by a Tyler Huntley 1-yard TD run in a 16-point game. Down by 10 now, Miami opted to go for a two-point conversion. But Huntley’s pass was intercepted by Quandre Diggs.

Tennessee held onto its two-score lead and cruised to its first victory of 2024.

Tennessee has had a nearly perfect start to the season so far.

The No. 4 Vols are coming off a bye week and are getting ready to face the Arkansas Razorbacks in what will be another tough test on the road. Given the Vols’ 4-0 start, including two wins over ranked teams, Tennessee is getting a lot of love and playoff hype at this early point in the year.

ESPN recently updated its bowl projections courtesy of writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach. Here is where they both had Tennessee positioned in the 12-team playoff as well as how far they expect the Vols to advance.

Bonagura has Tennessee as the No. 6 seed in the field and facing No. 11 Clemson in Neyland Stadium in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Schlabach also has the Vols facing the Tigers, but he has Tennessee as the 7-seed and Clemson as the 10-seed. This game would also be played in Knoxville.

Both also predicted the Vols to win their first-round matchups and advance to the CFP quarterfinals. Bonagura had Tennessee facing off with No. 3 Miami in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. Schlabach has Tennessee playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. That is as far as he had the Vols advancing as he is projecting they lose to the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, Bonagura has the Vols advancing to the semifinal before falling to Ohio State. Both writers have Tennessee losing to the Buckeyes, just at different points in the bracket.

The Vols are certainly in an advantageous situation to make the 12-team playoff field. These projections are assuming the Vols continue to pick up big wins along the way during the season. The first step toward making the playoffs is beating Arkansas on Saturday, which is what head coach Josh Heupel and his team are focused on this week.

“First of all, I know it’s going to be a great environment there,” Heupel said Monday. “This is a really good football team. They’re a couple plays away from being undefeated. You look at the way that they played this past weekend, they’re playing extremely physical, both sides of the line with scrimmage. Defensively, one of the best teams in in the country.”

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The Tennessee Titans face off against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 4 with both teams on losing streaks.

The Dolphins have dropped the last two games and have suffered quarterback injuries in each of their losses this year. Now, it’s Tyler “Snoop” Huntley who will get his chance to start for Miami in hopes of giving the team some life on offense.

Meanwhile, Will Levis leads the Titans to Miami, the last place he won a game as a starting quarterback nine months ago. Levis is 0-3 so far this season, and his eight turnovers in those games have been a big reason behind the team’s futility.

The Titans will have a great chance to bounce back this week facing a banged-up Dolphins team that hasn’t scored a touchdown on offense since Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion back in Week 2.

However, the Titans shouldn’t underestimate the Dolphins’ high-octane offense. Huntley is a dual-threat quarterback that can find ways to advance the ball with his arm and legs. Throw in explosive playmakers like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Devon Achane and teams can fall behind early against the Dolphins.

Miami’s defense will also look to build some offense and force Levis into turnovers, which could mean that the unit is a little more aggressive than what we have seen in the first three weeks.

If the Titans offense can withstand the pressure and execute their game plan without committing mistakes, Tennessee should win this game. However, Tennessee has often gotten in its own way in games earlier in the year, which is why the team is still winless after three games. The growth that the team has showcased in practice has to translate onto the field in order to mean something, and this is an opportunity to prove to themselves and the rest of the league that Tennessee is better than its record suggests.

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