Four days after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes in a 34-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the Miami Dolphins couldn’t find the end zone during a 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
Not that they didn’t get close to it.
The Dolphins had four possessions that penetrated the Baltimore 25-yard line and had one field goal show for it.
“I think for us offensively just started with the little things,” Tagovailoa said of the change in games for the Dolphins. “We’re off a little bit here on this play, we’re off a little bit there on that play, and we just couldn’t find our flow in that. And then when we did find our flow, we had some penalties, we had some issues going on with that. So I would say first off that all starts with me and got to continue to get our guys better in that aspect.
“But this isn’t a game where we’re discouraged. It’s one of those games where you wish you could have done more or whatever you could to help the guys go out there and execute the way we wanted to execute offensively.”
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Miami’s self-destruction started on the Dolphins’ second possession. With Miami leading 3-0, wide receiver Tahj Washington fumbled away his first NFL reception at the Dolphins 7-yard line to set up the Ravens’ first touchdown.
Riley Patterson missed a 35-yard field goal on Miami’s next possession. The Dolphins tried the field goal after right tackle Larry Borom’s false-start penalty on fourth-and-1 snap at the Baltimore 12.
Trailing 14-3 the next time it got the football, Miami lost a 36-yard connection from Tagovailoa to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Ravens 7 because of a tripping penalty against running back Ollie Gordon.
A 35-yard punt return by Malik Washington gave Miami an opportunity to get back in the game. But the Dolphins moved 4 yards in three snaps and settled for a 43-yard field goal by Patterson with 7:57 remaining in the first half.
Another touchdown opportunity on Miami’s next possession went by the boards when a fourth-and-2 pass from the Baltimore 13 fell near nobody in the end zone.
The Dolphins had six points to show for 225 first-half yards – 116 more yards than the Ravens had.
“I would say it’s frustrating offensively, and all the guys felt that same way,” Tagovailoa said. “Frustrating because we knew we were a little off here, we were a little off there and we had some mistakes, we had some penalties -- some crucial ones at that -- and we just weren’t able to capitalize. And so we felt we were moving the ball pretty well in the first half. We just weren’t showing anything for it, really.”
After the first half ended with a sack of Tagovailoa on a Hail Mary opportunity, the Dolphins drove from their 8 to the Ravens 14 for their best second-half scoring chance before Malik Washington lost a fumble at the Baltimore 10-yard line.
Miami’s final possession ended when rookie safety Malaki Starks intercepted a deep pass by Tagovailoa at the Baltimore 15.
The former Alabama All-American completed 25-of-40 passes for 261 yards with no touchdowns and one interception on Thursday night.
Now 2-7, Miami plays the Buffalo Bills at noon Nov. 9 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“We had a pretty heartfelt conversation in there after the game,” Tagovailoa said. “And, yeah, after that conversation, I feel like guys are going to go away, they’re going to do what they need to do, but when we come back on Monday, we’re ready to work.”
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