National Football League

Dolphins observations: Miami hands down thorough beating to visiting Chargers

Published Nov. 2, 2014 4:50 p.m. ET

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- At the midway point of the 2014 season, everything clicked for the Miami Dolphins in Sunday's 37-0 victory over the visiting San Diego Chargers.

Moving to 5-3, the Dolphins extended their winning streak to three games as they manhandled the Chargers on both sides of the ball.

It was the first time that the Dolphins shut out an opponent since Dec. 10, 2006, against the New England Patriots.

Led by quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins offense accumulated 441 yards of total offense and was forced to punt only twice.

On defense, the Dolphins secondary made one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, Philip Rivers, look like anything but.

Here are five takeaways from the Dolphins:

1. No more slow starts.

A week removed from putting up just 56 yards of total offense in the first half of their Week 8 victory in Jacksonville, the Dolphins compiled 282 yards of total offense in the first half Sunday.

Tight end Charles Clay, who had just one receiving yard last week, caught the first touchdown of the game on a 6-yard pass from Tannehill. On the Dolphins' first two drives of the game, Clay pulled in receptions of 18 and 24 yards, respectively.

Finding the end zone on their first two drives of the game, and getting points on their first four, the Dolphins took a 20-0 lead into halftime. It was the most points they've scored in the first half since notching 24 against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.

"I thought the team played well today," head coach Joe Philbin said. "I thought it was a total team effort in all phases of the game."

2. Tannehill puts it all together.

With the offensive line keeping him upright for the majority of the game, Tannehill looked every bit the part of a franchise quarterback.

Completing 24 of 34 passes, Tannehill finished the afternoon with 288 yards and a season-high three touchdown passes, including a 14-yarder to wide receiver Jarvis Landry that made it 30-0 in the third quarter.

With 47 yards on four rushing attempts, Tannehill has also now rushed for 30 or more yards in four consecutive games.

"It was a great team win," Tannehill said. "I think we saw good things from all three phases. Jarvis (Landry) making big plays in the return game, the defense, obviously, with the shutout, and the offense scoring points. So, I think we finally put a full game together and now we have to build on that."

Having built a comfy 37-0 lead, backup quarterback Matt More replaced Tannehill to start the fourth quarter.

3. Rivers held in check.

Entering Sunday's contest with the third-best passer rating in the NFL, Rivers was at the mercy of the Dolphins defense for the majority of the afternoon.

Sacked by defensive tackle Randy Starks on the first play of the game, Rivers' day didn't improve much from there.

Completing 12 of 23 passes for a season-low 138 yards, Rivers was picked off by the Dolphins secondary three times. He had thrown five interceptions all season prior to Sunday's game.

"There's really no excuses," Rivers said. "I didn't play good at all, and that's stating the obvious. I don't think anybody on our team thinks we played anywhere close to what we're capable of. That's what happens when you get beat like we did."

Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens replaced Rivers with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

4. Grimes picks two.

Squashing any hopes the Chargers had of a second-half comeback, cornerback Brent Grimes' two third-quarter interceptions all but assured the Dolphins would end the day victorious.

Intercepting Rivers on back-to-back drives, Grimes second interception of the game came when the Chargers quarterback threw into double coverage in an attempt to hit wide receiver Keenan Allen on a deep pass.

Grimes has three interceptions in his past two games.

With 26 return yards Sunday, Grimes has now returned four interceptions for a total of 80 yards and one touchdown this season.

5. Defensive line creates chaos.

When Rivers wasn't throwing interceptions, it usually meant that the Dolphins defensive front had him on his back.

Beginning with Randy Starks sack on the first play of the game, the Dolphins recorded four sacks in the game.

Oliver Vernon's sack in the third quarter forced a fumble that defensive tackle Jared Odrick recovered. It would be Rivers' last play of the game.

"We were firing on all cylinders," Odrick said. "It was good, we gotta continue it. We know there are going to be more bumps in the road, especially coming up this week. There are going to be no easy wins."

Up next: Next Sunday in Detroit against the Lions

You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.

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