It wasn't Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson, but the Titans' 28-27 win over the Dolphins on "Monday Night Football" was a shocking upset in its own right. And like Iron Mike three decades earlier, the Dolphins were victims of a whirlwind of body blows by the Titans, who overcame two late turnovers by mounting two late scoring drives.
A 13.5-point underdog, the Titans were down by 14 points with 4:34 to play after two fumbles set up two Raheem Mostert touchdowns. But the Titans responded with two late touchdowns that included Derrick Henry's game-winning score with 1:49 left. Will Levis' successful 2-point conversion to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine following his touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins on the Titans' ensuing drive ended up being the deciding point.
The Dolphins' comeback bid ended when Tua Tagovailoa was sacked by Harold Landry on Miami's final play from scrimmage. Miami played large chunks of the game without Tyreek Hill, who sustained an ankle injury in the first half.
Here's a closer look at the NFL's biggest upset win of the year so far.
Why the Titans won
Really, the Titans were the better team all night. But mistakes nearly cost them the game before Levis engineered two scoring drives in the final five minutes. The second-year quarterback was 7 of 9 for 80 yards on the Titans' first drive that included a 23-yard strike to Westbrook-Ikhine one play before Hopkins' touchdown grab. Levis' 36-yard completion to Hopkins on the Titans' ensuing drive set up Henry's game-winning score.
Levis (who threw for 327 yards on 23 of 38 passing) was money, but the Titans' defense was also lights out. The unit held Miami to 4 of 13 on third down and 2 of 5 in the red zone. Landry had three of the Titans' five sacks of Tagovailoa, who was constantly under duress.
Why the Dolphins lost
Miami's defense was softer than Teflon late in the game. As was a common theme on the night, Miami allowed too many big plays late in the game while allowing Levis and Co. to pull off the stunning upset. Specifically, the Dolphins were unable to pressure Levis, who was sacked just once.
The Dolphins lost despite fumbles by Levis and cornerback Eric Garror (on a special teams play) that led two Mostert touchdowns. They also received another touchdown off a turnover on Zach Sieler's five-yard pick-six of Levis early in the first quarter. That's 21 points the Dolphins got off turnovers in a losing cause.
Aside from the defense's collapse, Hill's absence was a huge reason for the Dolphins' loss. Without Hill, the Dolphins' offense lacked the big play threat that has become a trademark of their offense.
Turning point
The game appeared to be a wrap when Mostert scored his second touchdown. But Tyjae Spears kept hope alive when he turned a short Levis pass on second-and-15 into a 21-yard gain with just over three minutes left. The Titans scored three plays later, and the comeback was on.
Play of the game
We're going back to the first half on Levis' 45-yard completion to Hopkins that set up Nick Folk's field goal that gave the Titans a 10-7 lead at intermission. Those points ended up contributing to the Titans' upset.
Quotable
"He tells me sometimes, 'Hey man, just throw it up to me.' ... Each and every week, I feel like I'm slowly believing that sometimes it is OK just to throw it up to him. ... Glad that we were able to get him the ball as much as he did today." -- Levis on Hopkins, who finished the night with 124 yards on seven grabs
What's next
Miami will stay in South Beach and will take on a Jets team that snapped their five-game losing streak after knocking off the Texans this past Sunday. Speaking of the Texans, Tennessee will host Houston this Sunday in a matchup between division rivals.