Ryan Tannehill didn't score Sunday. He didn't screw up, either.
With Miami's defense continuing to be its stout self, the Dolphins' offense complemented it perfectly with a simple formula: Take what was given through the air and finish with the run. That was good enough for a 17-13 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The rookie quarterback Tannehill completed 17-of-26 passes for 223 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass, but more importantly, he didn't throw an interception or fumble.
“We got behind early, but our defense did a good job holding them to two field goals," Tannehill said after the game, according to the Dolphins' website. "We knew there was no need to press. We just had to stay on our game, and I think we did a good job of that both in the running game and passing it when we needed to.”
Dolphins running back Reggie Bush tallied 48 yards rushing with a touchdown on the ground, and he picked up 24 yards receiving. Fellow tailback Daniel Thomas pitched in with 37 total yards on 11 touches with a rushing score of his own.
Tannehill did a good job evading pressure to extend plays and trusted his receivers to catch balls in traffic, which resulted in nine of Miami's 13 non-penalty first downs being gained via the air.
“The offensive line did a great job of creating a pocket, and the receivers did a good job of getting open when they saw me move," Tannehill said.
