SEAN DONOVAN
Early in the first quarter, Tannehill was injured on a Calvin Pace sack. He limped off the field and was tended to by the Dolphins' trainers. He was replaced by Matt Moore.
The game was well in hand after the first stanza, and Tannehill did not return.
“We were up big and Matt was doing a good job,” Tannehill said after the game, according to ESPN's James Walker. "I just couldn’t get it all the way warmed up all the way. I could bend it. But I didn’t want to hurt our team basically."
Tannehill added that he would've returned to the game if an "emergency situation" arose.
Moore filled in admirably, just as he did in in the second half of last season. He completed 11-of-18 attempts for 131 yards in the relief effort. He also connected with tight end Anthony Fasano for a 4-yard touchdown pass that increased the Dolphins lead to 27-3 in the third quarter.
The injury was described as a thigh bruise and a hyperextended left knee. The rookie will undergo an MRI Monday.
"I'm optimistic about getting ready to go for next week," Tannehill told ESPN. "I’m just taking it one day at a time and doing everything I can to get healthy again.”
At 4-3, the Dolphins are one of the NFL's surprise teams. A huge part of the team's success, and current three-game winning streak, has been the steady play of its young quarterback.
Tannehill will obviously need to be cleared before getting back on the field, but the rookie expects to be ready for his Week 9 matchup against fellow 2012 first-round pick Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts.
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