Without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was unable to play due to a hip injury, the Miami Dolphins beat down the Cleveland Browns 20-3 on Sunday to improve to 8-8 and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Backup QB Tyler Huntley played a very solid and efficient game in relief of Tagovailoa, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill praised the abilities of the man nicknamed “Snoop.”
Huntley completed 22 of 26 pass attempts for 225 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. His fine play allowed Hill to come up with nine receptions and 105 receiving yards.
The Dolphins only led 6-3 at halftime, but Huntley scored a rushing touchdown early in the third quarter to open up the game in their favor. Their defense held down Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who completed only 24 of his 47 pass attempts, threw one interception and had no touchdowns.
At 8-8, Miami is still very much living on the edge as far as trying to reach the postseason. They will not only need to defeat the New York Jets next weekend but also get some help from the Kansas City Chiefs, who will have to down the Denver Broncos in Week 18, in order to get a wild-card playoff spot.
It has been a frustrating, up-and-down season for a Dolphins team that was hoping to build on what it did last season when it went 11-6 and appeared in the playoffs for the second straight year. It had to deal with Tagovailoa suffering the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career, which led many to urge him to retire for the sake of his health.
He ignored those calls and returned after missing four games, with Huntley filling in for him in three of those contests. Soon after Tagovailoa’s return, the Dolphins, who had struggled offensively without him, won three games in a row.
While many doubt if Tagovailoa can be a true franchise signal-caller, he has completed a stellar 72.9 percent of his pass attempts and thrown for 2,867 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games this year. He has thrown just seven interceptions this season, which represents a meaningful improvement in that category.
