National Football League

Dolphins observations: Everything clicks as Miami evens up record

Published Oct. 19, 2014 5:16 p.m. ET

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After a disappointing loss against the Green Bay Packers at home last Sunday, the Miami Dolphins could have felt the pressure heading to Soldier Field to face a hungry Chicago Bears teams desperate to record its first home win of the season.

Instead, they responded with their most complete game of the season and quarterback Ryan Tannehill's strongest performance in their 27-14 win to even their record at 3-3.

Much like their game against the Oakland Raiders, the offense was efficient and productive from the outset. Tannehill was confident and decisive in the pocket and spread the ball among his weapons. The Dolphins had 24 first downs compared with 14 for the Bears, and they totaled 393 yards of offense and 5.7 yards per play. Tannehill was a force, finishing 25 of 32 for 277 yards and a career-high 123.6 passer rating.

Can the Dolphins build off this success into Week 8? We'll have to wait for that but for now let's review five takeaways from their third win of the season:

1. Tannehill almost perfect in the first half.

When Tannehill is on his game, he looks every bit the part of a franchise quarterback. He was nearly perfect in the first half with a 155.1 rating, completing 14 of 15 passes for 176 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The only blemish was the four sacks he suffered, which he shares equal blame with the offensive line. In his first play of the game, Tannehill took too long to decide what to do. However, those moments were far and few between. He was decisive and able to get all of his receivers involved -- including Brian Hartline -- often on second and third reads.

His 14 straight completions was the best start by any NFL quarterback this season and it came two games after he completed a string of 14 consecutive throws. If that weren't enough, he was lead his team through the first half in rushing with several big-time plays.

2. Receivers made big plays.

The Dolphins as a team ranked 25th in passing yards heading into Sunday, but with a resurgent Tannehill, the air attack was lethal. It wasn't just that the receivers were making plays, they also were able to pick up extra yards after the catch.

Hartline caught his first pass since Week 4 in London. Tight end Charles Clay had a big first half with three receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown, and rookie Jarvis Landry had four receptions and 46 yards.

Another player stepping was Mike Wallace, who recorded his fourth touchdown catch of the year.

3. Lots of slippage in the first half.

As strong as the Dolphins looked in the early going, the damage could have even been greater were it not for the slippery conditions at Soldier Field.

Several times, players slipped and tore up the field with their cleats. Tannehill once went down by himself on a carry that could have been a first down.

It worked to the Dolphins' benefit on their first touchdown, when a slip in coverage left Clay wide open for the 13-yard reception in the end zone.

4. Rough day for Sturgis.

The winning margin would have been even bigger if not for the usually reliable Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis going wide right on a 50-yard field-goal attempt in the first half and a blocked attempt in the fourth quarter that gave the home team a glimmer of hope.

Just one drive later, however, Sturgis nailed the 19-yard field goal to put the game out of reach. Leading up to the game, he was 9 for 10 on field goals.

5. Dolphins secondary doing its part.

With concerns that cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan and Brent Grimes might be at a disadvantage against the taller Bears receivers, the Dolphins secondary as a whole went out and put the clamps on the Bears' receivers.

Finnegan made a huge play in the red zone during the first half as he backtracked to dislodge the ball away from Alshon Jeffery and put a stop to what would have been a touchdown. He also forced tight end Dante Rosario into a fumble early in the fourth quarter that was recovered by defensive tackle Randy Starks.

Late in the first half, safety Reshad Jones secured the fourth Dolphins interception of the season. Not only was the interception huge to build momentum, but Jones' 50-yard return also put the Dolphins in excellent field position.

Up next: at Jaguars next Sunday.

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.