Titans stomp Dolphins for first win of the season

The Tennessee Titans (1-3) picked up their first win of the season during an ugly "Monday Night Football" matchup, knocking off the Miami Dolphins (1-3), 31-12.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways from Tennessee's win.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa can’t get back soon enough 

While Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion in Week 2, has his shortcomings, Miami's last two games have shown why it signed the 26-year-old to a four-year, $212.4M extension this past offseason. During last week's road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Miami only scored three points with QBs Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle at the helm.

The Dolphins decided to make a quarterback change for Monday's contest with the Titans, starting the recently signed Tyler Huntley. However, the offense continued to have trouble, racking up a mere 184 yards. Huntley was kept in check by the Titans defense, throwing for 96 yards while adding 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

In fairness to Huntley, he's only been in Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel's complex system for a few weeks, but he still made several mistakes and had some egregious overthrows. 

Overall, the Dolphins have averaged the fewest points (7.5) and second-fewest yards per game (194.5) without Tagovailoa this season. Opposing defenses have successfully limited Dolphins playmakers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane, and the only clear path to turning things around is getting Tagovailoa back in the lineup. The Pro Bowl signal-caller is expected to return in time for Miami's Week 8 home clash against Arizona. 

The Titans should stick with Mason Rudolph at quarterback 

Rudolph, who signed a one-year deal with the Titans this past offseason after spending his first four seasons with Pittsburgh, made his 2024 debut after starter Will Levis suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter. While he didn't light up the box score, Rudolph played a mistake-free game, completing nine of his 17 passes for 85 yards, and ultimately may have created a quarterback controversy in Tennessee.

Levis is only in his second season, but the Kentucky product's turnover issues were a major reason why the Titans began the season 0-3. Those struggles persisted on Monday, as Levis threw another ill-advised interception before getting injured, his sixth of the season and ninth turnover in total, both of which lead the NFL.

During his postgame news conference, Titans HC Brian Callahan told reporters that Levis is “100%” his starting quarterback when healthy. However, seeing as though Levis hasn’t shown flashes of being a franchise quarterback, it might make sense to continue starting Rudolph. 

The 2018 third-rounder Rudolph is nothing more than a placeholder, but he is 8-4-1 in his career as a starter and probably gives Tennessee its best chance of winning moving forward. Callahan has a season-defining decision on his hands entering the team's Week 5 bye.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier made a mistake letting OG Robert Hunt and center Connor Williams get away

Last season, the Dolphins finished sixth in the NFL in rushing yards (2,308) and first in yards per carry (5.1) but haven't had much success on the ground to begin 2024. After rushing for just 65 yards during last week's loss, the Dolphins ran for 106 yards on 30 attempts (3.5 ypc) on Monday.

Of course, Tagovailoa's concussion has helped opposing defenses shut down Miami's rushing attack. Nonetheless, it's clear the team sorely misses Hunt and Williams, both of whom signed elsewhere this offseason. Without an effective running game, the Dolphins stand little chance of turning their season around, especially if they have to continue rolling out backup quarterbacks. 

Tennessee should consider trading WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs 

Although the Titans finally won their first game of the season, they are facing an uphill battle to reach the postseason. Considering only four teams have started 0-3 and went on to make the postseason since 1990, the playoffs seem like a long shot for Tennessee. As things stand, it might be in the Titans' best interest to start preparing for 2025, and trading Hopkins to Kansas City should be on the table.

Hopkins, an impending free agent, didn't make much of an impact during Monday's win, hauling in two of his four targets for 31 yards. Even so, the five-time Pro Bowler is still a quality wide receiver in his age-32 season and would be an ideal acquisition for the Chiefs. Kansas City desperately needs reinforcements at wideout after its battered receiving corps took another hit on Sunday, with Rashee Rice suffering what is expected to be a long-term knee injury.

It's worth noting that the Titans traded their 2025 third-round pick to the Chiefs as part of the offseason trade that sent CB L'Jarius Sneed to Tennessee. While it's uncertain whether Hopkins is worth a third-rounder, the Titans should at least explore trying to re-acquire their draft pick.