The Sports Xchange

DAVIE, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t much better in Sunday’s 17-10 victory at Washington than he was a year ago, despite what he showed during training camp and preseason.

Tannehill was 22-for-34 passing for 226 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He had a 93.5 passer rating, slightly better than last year when he had a 92.8 passer rating and ranked 14th in the NFL.

Tannehill did some good things Sunday, such as hitting tight end Jordan Cameron on a 27-yard pass that stood as Miami’s longest offensive play. But he also missed tight end Dion Sims in the end zone (he was wide open) and missed wide receiver Kenny Stills on the sideline (he was also wide open).

The offense only produced one touchdown, which is what they did in a little more than one half of work in the third preseason game against Atlanta, so there’s still work to be done. But Tannehill pointed to the bottom line.

“We found a way to win,” he said, “and that’s what I like.”

The guards – Dallas Thomas on the left and Jamil Douglas on the right – were the subject of lots of scrutiny during training camp and preseason, and they ended up doing pretty well in Sunday’s 17-10 victory at Washington.

They didn’t allow any of the three sacks, and on at least one play Thomas did a nice job picking up a pass rusher who blew by Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert.

–Defensive end Derrick Shelby had an ugly shiner below his left eye and it was almost swollen shut after the game because he was poked in the eye. Shelby said he will start wearing a visor to prevent such accidents in the future. Shelby didn’t seem as though he wanted to expound on the incident, saying it’s something that “happens all the time that nobody calls.”

–Left tackle Branden Albert left Sunday’s game briefly, but it wasn’t because of his surgically-repaired right knee. It was because of a concussion scare. Albert, the 2013 Pro Bowl selection who is recovering from two torn ligaments in his right knee (ACL and MCL) was cleared by doctors during the game and returned to the field.

Linebacker Chris McCain, a starter entering training camp, was inactive for Sunday’s game. That was a bit of a shock except to those who noticed his role was dwindling throughout training camp and that he wasn’t involved in the special teams in Friday’s practice. That’s often a bad sign for non-starters.

Notes: Tight end Dion Sims (concussion) was motionless on the field for a few minutes Sunday after hitting his head on the ground when he dived for an errant pass. Sims indicated on Twitter he is fine, but he will likely miss this week’s game at Jacksonville. … Wide receiver DeVante Parker, the rookie first-round pick from Louisville, played only one snap. He missed most of training camp and preseason while recovering from offseason foot surgery. … Tight end Jordan Cameron, who had a quiet offseason, collected four receptions for 73 yards, including a 27-yarder that stood as the team’s longest offensive play of the day. … Defensive end Cam Wake, the four-time Pro Bowl selection, had a sack wiped out by penalty. It would have been the only tackle Wake registered all day. … Running back Lamar Miller, who rushed for 1,099 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season, was held to 53 yards on 13 carries Sunday. Miller, curiously, had just three carries for two yards at halftime.