Ryan Tannehill ripped up the Chicago Bears' defense as the Miami Dolphins rolled to a 27-14 win at Soldier Field. Our takeaways:
- Ryan Tannehill was flawless early. The quarterback diced up Chicago's defense with an on-point quick passing scheme. Tannehill completed his first 14 passes and finished 25-of-32 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns (123.6 rating). The signal-caller also did it with his feet. The former college receiver ran for 48 yards on six carries -- including a big 30-yard keeper on a fourth-and-1 play. The biggest negative was Tannehill's tendency to take sacks when in field-goal range; he cost Miami points on a couple occasions.
- This was the type of Bill Lazor-led offense we expected entering the season. The Dolphins used a lot of misdirection early and got Tannehill out of the pocket for easy passes. Miami utilized eight different receivers with at least two catches. Most notable was tight end Charles Clay, whom the Bears could not cover. Clay had four receptions for 58 yards and a score. Lamar Miller carried the load (18 totes) but Lazor also mixed and matched with Daniel Thomas (eight carries) and Tannehill. Expect to see the quarterback on more runs in the future.Â
- Chicago's turnovers killed them once again in a loss. Jay Cutler had another brutal drive-killing interception on what was either a terrible decision or a bad miscommunication (inexcusable at this stage of the season). Cutler also lost a fumble on a strip sack -- which came after a Brandon Marshall offensive pass interference. The subsequent drive ended in another lost fumble, this time by Dante Rosario. The Bears fell to 0-3 at home.
- The Dolphins' pass rush got to Cutler early and often, not giving the quarterback room to step up. Cameron Wake beasted out on a beautiful rush move to get the strip-sack. Coming into the game, the Dolphins' shorter corners were questioned facing the tall Bears receivers. However, the pesky group held its own. Cortland Finnegan, in particular, was all over the field.
- Matt Forte was, again, the Bears' best offensive weapon. He had just two carries in the first half. On the first drive of the second half he was the focal point -- 43 total yards and a touchdown catch. Chicago forgets too often about Forte.
- Bears' rookie corner Kyle Fuller left the game with a hip injury. It was a rough day for the entire Bears' secondary. The linebacking corps also looked lost, repeatedly. Chicago did get pressure on Tannehill, but it wasn't enough to overcome the poor field position they were put in all game.
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