Tannehill Steps Up In Clutch
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For much of Sunday's game between the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks, Fins quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggled. But when his team needed him most, Tannehill sprinkled in a little magic to lead the Dolphins to victory, 24-21.
Tannehill led the Fins to 17 points in the final 8:08 of the game, including the game winning field goal on the final play of the game. Tannehill got the Fins in field goal range by calmly moving the team 65 yards in six plays in just 92 seconds.
"You need to win some games like this. I think it's important for a quarterback to do that. Any quarterback – Ryan Tannehill, certainly," said head coach Joe Philbin. "Any quarterback in this league has to demonstrate the ability to do this."
Dolphins running back Reggie Bush was even more effusive in his praise.
"I think it just speaks to his maturity as a player and as a quarterback," Bush said. "But it juts speaks to his maturity as a player and as a quarterback that he was able to go in there and make the plays when we need them."
It was Tannehill's first fourth-quarter comeback victory and was the first time the Fins overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter since 2005.
"It took a team effort. The line gave me time to see down field and make the throw (when) Davone (Bess) got open a couple times and everyone just did their job," Tannehill said. "That's the thing you come to find out – if everyone does their job and does it well, you're going to execute. We got a lot of reps at two-minute in practice this week and so we felt really comfortable out there. No panic."
Perhaps most importantly, the win snapped a three game losing streak and kept the Dolphins' slim playoff chances alive. Miami's going to have to earn a playoff bid in the next two weeks with a home game against the Patriots and then a game in San Francisco against the 49ers.
Still, the Fins have to like what they saw out of Tannehill. He was 18-26 for 253 yards, threw one touchdown and one interception and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes. Overall, Tannehill had a quarterback rating of 97.1, his second-highest of the season.
Overall this season, Tannehill has thrown for 2,373 yards, seven touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 72.9 for the season, which for a rookie not named Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck, is pretty good.
But, Miami can't rest on its laurels and enjoy the victory for too long with Tom Brady and the Patriots coming to town next Sunday, a fact that isn't lost on the Dolphins' franchise quarterback.
"Seattle's a good team. They have good players all around and they played a good game today, but our guys really went out and played hard for four quarters and made a play when it came down to it at the end," Tannehill said. "That gives us a little bit of confidence moving forward. We play a tough New England team next week so we've got to have a good week of preparation and be ready to go."
