National Football League

Dolphins still see plenty to work on after win over Bears

Published Oct. 20, 2014 10:27 p.m. ET

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Hana Ostapchuk

DAVIE, Fla. -- Sunday's 27-14 victory over the Chicago Bears was exactly what Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor had been waiting to see all season. At least in the first half.

Ryan Tannehill started quickly, completing his first six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown by the end of the first quarter for a flawless 158.3 passer rating. Tannehill's first incompletion didn't come until late in the second quarter.

Rookie receiver Jarvis Landry went so far as to say the team should have put up 50 points against Chicago. But despite Tannehill's exceptional first-half performance, Lazor wasn't satisfied.

"We've got a long way to go before we could reach that kind of thing," Lazor said. "To be honest with you, I was very disappointed with a lot of the play yesterday."

Tannehill was successful in putting a pair of touchdowns on the board in first half, but the Dolphins struggled to put the game away in the fourth quarter.

Defensive end Cameron Wake had a strip sack and fumble recovery on Chicago's 16-yard line, which gave Miami the opportunity to seal the deal early in the fourth quarter. But the offense managed just two yards and had to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis that extended the lead to 24-7 but kept the Bears within striking distance.

On the Bears' next drive, the Dolphins defense recovered a fumble on Chicago's 35-yard line, but after gaining just 16 yards, they had to settle for a 37-yard field-goal attempt that was blocked.

The Bears had life and scored on the ensuing drive to pull within 10 points. The Dolphins answered with a 12-play, 65-yard drive, stalling out at the 1-yard line. Instead of going for it on fourth down, though, the Dolphins settled for another field goal to push the lead to 13 points.

"We should have had more points on the board," head coach Joe Philbin said after reviewing the tape. "I didn't feel like it had to be that close at the end of the game."

Another problem area on an otherwise stellar day for the offense was the fact Tannehill was sacked four times. Coaches were unclear whether they thought Tannehill or the offensive line was to blame.

"I think it's easy to say, 'yes, quarterback's throw the ball away,' but we know sometimes it's more realistic than others," Lazor said. "I think it was shared responsibility, I do."

Tannehill finished the day 25 of 32 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 48 yards rushing.

"Ryan got better. There are some specific signs of him getting better," Lazor said. "I saw anticipation improve. I saw some good pocket-presence. I'm excited about where he can go."

You can follow Hana Ostapchuk on Twitter @HanaOstapchuk or email her at HANAMARIE13@AOL.COM.

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