The five biggest Miami Dolphins-Tennessee Titans storylines… and how they unfolded

The Miami Dolphins' woes continued on Monday night as they dropped their third straight game, losing 31-12 to the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins lost for the fifth straight time in prime time since last season, a streak that included another loss to the Tennessee Titans last December.

The loss dropped the Dolphins record to 1-3.

We examined the five biggest storylines leading up to this Week 4 match, so it's time to go over them again to see how they unfolded.

Before the game: The Dolphins will have a third different starting quarterback in three weeks, with Tyler “Snoop” Huntley getting his chance after Tua Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson started in Weeks 2 and 3. This difference, along with his scrambling ability, is something the Dolphins are looking for Haven't had this position for a long time.

During the game: As with Thompson against Seattle, Huntley didn't play particularly well and didn't get much help from his teammates. Huntley missed a few shots he needed to make, most notably to Tyreek Hill, and drops from Hill and Jaylen Waddle didn't help him either. The passing numbers were very forgettable, but Huntley led the team in rushing with 40 yards.

Before the game: It will be a challenge for the Dolphins' offensive line without left tackle Terron Armstead, who will be replaced in the starting lineup by either veteran Kendall Lamm or rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul, in what would be his first NFL start.

During the game: In fact, it was Patrick Paul who started at left tackle in place of Armstead in his first NFL start, and it was another tough outing for this group. De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright combined for 47 yards on 19 carries, a paltry 2.5 average. And we don't need to mention the low mileage issues.

Before the game: Titans second-year quarterback Will Levis has struggled mightily so far this season, leading the NFL in turnovers for three weeks. Still, the Dolphins saw the good Will Levis when Tennessee came to Hard Rock Stadium for that unforgettable Monday night game last December. Levis passed for 327 yards on the night, 65 yards more than his second-highest total as an NFL quarterback. Levis, of course, led two late touchdown rushes to help the Titans stage a stunning comeback from a 27-13 deficit.

During the game: As it turned out, Levis didn't play a role because of a shoulder injury, but only after he gave the Dolphins a turnover when he threw the ball directly to Emmanuel Ogbah after he ran into coverage on a zone blitz. Coming into the game, Mason Rudolph was essentially asked to simply not turn the ball over, a sensible strategy given the Dolphins' offense's woes.

Before the game: Levis' favorite target that evening in December 2023 was, unsurprisingly, star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had seven catches for 124 yards, the touchdown that brought Tennessee to six points and the longest play of the game-winning drive, 36. scored -yard pickup on the very first play. The Dolphins defense can't allow Hopkins to let loose like that again, and that's where Jalen Ramsey can and wants to step in. Remember last year's frustration with DC Vic Fangio and his refusal to let Ramsey shadow a wide receiver? Well, that's expected to change in 2024 with new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and we saw a little of that last week when Ramsey went up against DK Metcalf at times. We expect Ramsey to be tasked with guarding Hopkins on more snaps than not in this game, and it will be an exciting battle to keep an eye on.

During the game: Due to the circumstances of the game, the Titans weren't particularly interested in throwing, which resulted in Hopkins being virtually a non-factor. He only caught two passes for 31 yards, although he also scored a DPI against Kader Kohou on a third-down situation in the third quarter. As it turned out, the Dolphins didn't really have Ramsey's shadow Hopkins, but that didn't matter in this game.

Before the game: A big topic of conversation surrounding the Dolphins and their offense during training camp has been what new tight end Jonnu Smith could bring to the position given his athletic ability and yard-after-catch prowess. Three games into the season, we're still waiting for Smith to make an impact, and this would be a great time to start considering he'll be facing the team he started his NFL career with in 2017. Smith is one of five former Tennessee players on the Dolphins' roster, along with starting center Aaron Brewer, starting linebacker David Long, Jr., tackle Kendall Lamm and defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand.

During the game: And…we're still waiting. It was another uneventful game for Smith, who didn't catch a pass and was targeted only once. Given the current struggles on offense, it's kind of strange why the Dolphins don't involve Smith – or any tight end, for that matter – more in the passing game. It's not like the tight ends do a great job of run blocking or pass protection either. It wasn't a much better night for Brewer or Hand, while Lamm was limited to special teams and Long couldn't play because of his hamstring injury.