The Miami Dolphins spent the first 26 minutes at Tampa Bay on Monday night looking very much like a team worn down by two weeks of unending national scrutiny.
They trailed the Buccaneers 15-0 in a game much more lopsided than that score. But reason for optimism remained: Tampa Bay had squandered a 21-0 lead at Seattle a week earlier.
Although Miami performed much better in the second half, it couldn't prevent Tampa Bay from getting its first victory following eight season-opening losses with a 22-19 win.
A Dolphins victory wouldn't have made the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito harassment-racist controversy disappear, but it would have provided a much-needed positive jolt. We'll have to see what a loss to the previously winless Bucs does to the team's psyche.
Miami (4-5) will turn its attention to San Diego, which visits Sun Life Stadium on Sunday afternoon ... at least, when it's not distracted by the Martin-Incognito news.
Here are a few takeaways from Miami's loss.
1. Can anyone here run the ball?
Miami had 2 rushing yards (on 14 attempts) for the entire game. Two.
That was worst running production in the team's history.
The Dolphins did use a two-minute offense to score a touchdown at the end of the first half and threw the ball effectively through most of the second half. But lack of a running game could have helped stabilized things early. No dice.
2. Actually, somebody did run the ball -- the opposition.
Tampa Bay had 140 yards rushing on 37 attempts for a 3.8 average.
Former University of Miami star Mike James looked like he was headed for a big night with 41 yards on five carries before being sidelined with a reported ankle injury suffered when he got to Miami's 1 on the Bucs' opening drive.
Miami's front needed to start strong against the run but failed.
3. The Dolphins offensive line went sackless most of the night, then surrendered two costly ones.
A line missing two former starters (Martin, Incognito) struggled to own the line of scrimmage all night, but at least it prevented Ryan Tannehill from hitting the ground.
Then, trailing 22-19, Miami faced first-and-10 on its own 33. On the first play following the two-minute warning, the Bucs blitzed and William Gholston and Da'Quan Bowers sacked Tannehill for an 8-yard loss.
On the next play, Gerald McCoy got around right guard John Jerry for a 10-yard loss.
That gave the Dolphins third-and-28 from their own 15. Game, set, match.
Miami has allowed 37 sacks on the season most in the NFL and one more than both Oakland and Pittsburgh.
4. Tannehill and Rishard Matthews worked very well.
Slot receiver Matthews has replaced Brandon Gibson, who suffered a season-ending injury at New England on Oct. 27.
Matthews had 11 catches for 120 yards and a 2 touchdowns on Monday night. He was especially effective on Miami's scoring drive at the end of the second quarter when he caught all six balls throw his way for 51 yards, including 6 on the scoring catch.
Tannehill looked so good on the two-minute drill, he probably would have been helped by a more no-huddle, hurry-up attack in the second half.
5. Special teams, for the most part, did their best to put team in position to win.
Brandon Fields' directional punt went out of bounds at the 1 with Miami trailing 15-7 early in the third quarter. The Bucs survived to punt, which Marcus Thigpen returned 34 yards to Tampa Bay's 29. That helped set up Caleb Sturgis' 40-yard field goal.
Field punted five times for a 51.4 yard average. Sturgis was 2 of 2 in field-goal tries.
Thigpen fair caught a ball on his own 5 with three minutes left despite having room to catch and run. He should have let the ball hit the ground and possibly bounce into the end zone.
Charlie McCarthy can be reached at mac1763@bellsouth.net or on Twitter @mccarthy_chas.
