Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill beginning to earn Captain Comeback label
LOS ANGELES — Ryan Tannehill is earning a new reputation — as a clutch fourth-quarter quarterback.
After throwing two touchdown passes in the final four minutes of Sunday’s 14-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams, Tannehill has now led the Miami Dolphins to four comeback wins this season. He turned the trick in consecutive weeks on this California road trip after outdueling Philip Rivers' Chargers in San Diego last week.
But Sunday’s comeback might have been the most improbable.
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The Rams had shut down the Miami offense most of the day. Tannehill was sacked four times, his receivers were blanketed, and running back Jay Ajayi had trouble finding running lanes. And on a rainy day when neither team established much of a passing game, the Rams’ 10-0 lead felt significant.
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"We found a way when it counted. I told the guys right before that first touchdown drive, 'Hey everyone take a deep breath, we're going to win this game,'" Tannehill said. "And that's what we did."
That Tannehill kept firing is a credit to the confidence head coach Adam Gase is developing in him, especially in those critical late-game situations. Gase honed his play calling while coaching Peyton Manning in Denver. Working with the five-time MVP in the two-minute drill has stuck with Gase in his first head coaching job with Miami. Gase is aggressive by nature — he frequently has to be reminded to be patient with the running game — and now he trusts that his quarterback will make the right decision and will hit the big throws.
Sunday against the Rams, none was bigger than Tannehill’s final throw. Down four points with less than a minute remaining, Tannehill fired a pass to diving DeVante Parker in the front of the end zone. It was a bold move on second-and-2, but Tannehill's perfect placement eliminated risk — Parker would either catch it, or it would be incomplete.
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“Hell of a job. Hell of a job,” receiver Jarvis Landry, who scored the Dolphins’ first touchdown, said. “He did exactly what big-time players do. You know, they make the plays when it counts. He did that for us.”
Tannehill has his teammates and coaches believing it can happen every week. And now the Dolphins return to Miami at 6-4, riding a five-game winning streak and with a chance to play themselves into the postseason.
"As long as there is time on the clock, I'm going to believe we can win," Tannehill said. "I have a lot of faith."
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
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