Titans’ Rudolph takes over at QB in win over Huntley, Dolphins

MIAMI — The Tennessee Titans got their first win of the season after quarterback Mason Rudolph replaced an injured Will Levis midway through the first quarter Monday. The Titans earned a 31-12 road victory over the Miami Dolphins, who were starting their third quarterback in four games.

Tyler Huntley got the start after the Dolphins signed him from the Baltimore Ravens‘ practice squad on Sept. 16 as they continue to try to find a solution in the absence of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, but Huntley wasn’t the answer under the bright lights of Hard Rock Stadium.

The Titans’ defense swarmed and limited Miami to 184 total yards, and their running game was able to get things done on the ground — with 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

Things looked extremely bleak for the Titans after their 0-3 start to the season. The win over the Dolphins changes things entering the bye week. The Titans feel they should have won two of their first three games, but now they will have some momentum heading into their bye.

Titans coach Brian Callahan will have a lot to think about regarding his quarterback situation before Tennessee is back on the field.

Levis left the game after going 3-of-4 passing for 25 yards. He threw the game’s only interception for a league-leading ninth turnover.

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Will Levis leaves game after diving for the 1st down marker

Will Levis gets hurt trying to extend his run for a first down and Mason Rudolph takes over at quarterback for the Titans. (edited)

QB breakdown: Rudolph came in and executed the Titans’ offense like the veteran he is. It wasn’t pretty, but he made enough plays to set Tennessee up to score. His best throw was a 26-yard laser to Tyler Boyd that set up a 53-yard field goal before halftime. Rudolph finished 9-of-17 passing for 85 yards and no turnovers.

Promising trend: The Titans’ rushing offense showed up in a big way. Their previous high was 61 yards in the opener against the Bears. Tony Pollard led the way with 82 yards, and Tyjae Spears scored the Titans’ only touchdown of the game with a 7-yard run out of Wildcat formation.

Eye-popping stat: Nick Folk, at age 39, became the oldest player in NFL history to make three field goals of 50 or more yards in a game. He finished 5-for-5 on the night. — Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 13)

An ugly start to the season got worse for the Dolphins.

The game marked the Dolphins’ third straight loss, and their record is their worst start under coach Mike McDaniel. Miami struggled to move the ball with Huntley for most of the night; Huntley led an 85-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter, which remarkably gained more yards than the Dolphins’ previous 10 drives combined (84 yards). Huntley punctuated the scoring drive with a 1-yard run.

But after the defense held the Titans to a three-and-out and got the ball back with 2:27 left down 22-12, Huntley was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, and the safety thwarted any hope of a comeback. Huntley finished with 96 passing yards after going 14-of-22.

With Tagovailoa out for at least two more games, the Dolphins are at risk of their season slipping away during what was thought to be the easiest part of their schedule. They remain the only team this season not to hold a lead for even a second, their lone win coming thanks to a field goal as time expired in Week 1.

Describe the game in two words: Hanging on. Like, for dear life, Dolphins fans. If this product doesn’t drastically improve over the next three weeks, not even the return of Tagovailoa will salvage this season. Huntley was less effective than Skylar Thompson — which could be expected considering he signed with the team less than two weeks before making his first start. After finishing the first half with 77 total yards, Miami mustered just 7 yards in the third quarter as Tennessee ran away with the game.

Eye-popping Next Gen Stat: Without the threat of a downfield passing game, the Titans stacked the box on eight of the Dolphins’ 17 designed rushing attempts to their running backs. The strategy largely shut Miami’s run game down, as Jaylen Wright and De’Von Achane combined for 47 yards on 19 carries. Huntley led the team with 40 rushing yards and Miami’s first touchdown since Week 2 by scrambling late in the fourth quarter, but the game was all but over by then.

Early prediction for next week: The Dolphins will lose to the New England Patriots. Huntley clearly is not totally comfortable within this offense, and while another week of practice should help, New England will likely sell out to stop the run with its ninth-ranked run defense and force Huntley to win with his arm. If he doesn’t improve, it’ll spell three straight losses and a 1-4 record at the bye for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations entering this season. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: at New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)