He almost bailed them again.
With a swift roll to his left, a quick peak down field, and a career-defining 46 yard pass, Ryan Tannehill nearly played the role of hero for the fourth time this season.
But this time, it just wasn't enough.
Elvis Dumerville made sure of that.
And now, a day removed from their 26-23 heartbreaker, the Miami Dolphins enter the bye week with more questions than answers. But let's be honest, there's really only one question.
How much more can Ryan Tannehill take?
When's that final, season ending, career altering hit going to happen?
When Mario Williams comes to town in two weeks? When Chandler Jones gets to pin his ears back in three?
When a ferocious, unrelenting, unforgiving defensive line like Cincinnati's terrorizes South Beach on Halloween night?
When?
Okay, maybe that's more than one, but you get the idea. Five games into the season, it's no longer a question of if Tannehill will get hurt, but when. And the scary thing is, it's getting worse!
Going into yesterday's game, all the focus was on protecting Ryan Tannehill. Keeping him upright. Keeping him off the IR. And for the offensive line to respond by giving up a season high SIX sacks is nothing short of humiliating.
Everybody played a part in it.
And everybody should be ashamed.
Richie Incognito half jokingly said last week that "everybody should be fired" if they keep it up.
Still laughing, Richie? At this point, I don't see why not.
Something's got to give, and it's got to give soon for these Miami Dolphins. Jeff Ireland has a week to make a move, if that's the route they so choose. Joe Philbin has a week to make changes within, another route, and a more likely one, Miami could take.
Use Nate Garner. Move Tyson Clabo. Move John Jerry. Roll Tannehill out. Max protect more.
Something has to change.
Anything is better than what Miami has now which is, as far as I'm concerned, nothing more than a record setting group of under-acheiving big men, falsely accused of being offensive linemen.
They may be good guys. In-fact, I know they are.
But, as the saying goes, good guys finish last.
Ryan Tannehill has kept this team above water, and he's done an admirable job at that. But it's only a matter of time until the big Texan, with an even bigger Texan heart, doesn't get up.
And when that happens, all the good that has come out of Miami this season will be for not. And there's certainly been a lot of good. This is a playoff team with Ryan Tannehill upright.
They're a .500 team, at best, when he's not.
It's taken the Miami Dolphins 13 years to find a franchise quarterback. And with all Tannehill's done this season, culminating in his 4th and 10 "Heisman" moment yesterday, I think it's safe to say the search has ended.
But with every sack, and every hit, Ryan Tannehill's longevity grows thinner and thinner.
And when Tannehill goes down, so do the Miami Dolphins.
So does the division.
So do the playoffs.
Joe Philbin told the media yesterday that "it’s hard to function as a team when you are going backwards."
If the sacks don't stop, not only will the Miami Dolphins be going backwards on the field, and in the standings, but as a franchise altogether.
It may be early, and at 3-2 this team remains in excellent position going forward.
But make no mistake about it, the offensive line has this once promising season hanging in the balance.
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