Dolphins trail Cowboys 27-14 at the half; Second-half live chat

The first half was not pretty for the Miami Dolphins, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The offense eventually found a rhythm, with the starters playing deep into the second quarter, but the defense still cannot tackle and gives up big plays on the ground. The Dallas Cowboys lead the Dolphins 27-14 at the break.

The good news is, once the Miami offense did find that rhythm, they became efficient and scored twice on Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills passes. The Tannehill to Stills connection also had the highlight of the first half for Miami with a 55-yard completion.

The defense, however, continues to struggle. They still are not up to full strength, with Cameron Wake not playing, and the second-string unit was mixed-and-matched into the starting lineup throughout the first quarter, but the inability to cleanly tackle will dominate the storylines throughout this week. Cowboys backup quarterback Dak Prescott, who became a big story over the past week in Dallas after a good showing in Preseason Week 1, continued to look good in his second outing in the league.

Tannehill finished the game 12-for-20 for 162 yards with two touchdowns. He was sacked one time for four yards as Miami seems to have found a guard combination, Laremy Tunsil on the left and Jermon Bushrod on the right that works. Tannehill’s passer rating was 119.2 on the night and he also used his legs, picking up 16 yards on two carries.

Backup quarterback Matt Moore was taken to the locker room and is being evaluated for a concussion after being hit in the head as he attempted to slide follwing a nine-yard run.

Kenny Stills has three receptions for 71 yards and the two touchdowns on four targets in the game.

For the Cowboys, Tony Romo started the game at quarterback, going 4-for-6 for 49 yards before Prescott took over. The rookie is 9-for-12 for 139 yards with a score thus far, giving him a 140.6 passer rating. Running back Alfred Morris ran the ball 13 times for 85 yards with a touchdown. Prescott added another touchdown on the ground.

The second half will feature the backups for both teams looking to gain experience and make a case to make the 53-man roster. Use the comments below to discuss the rest of the game.