Dolphins’ McDaniel explains embarrassing loss, said team is better than this
After watching his team drubbed in their opener, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday that Miami is “a much better team than we displayed” in a 33-8 loss to Indianapolis.
He called Sunday’s performance “a collection of how to lose games in the National Football League. There was a second-and-forever where we had a defensive holding. It was a great lesson and covered all the bases....
“It’s a young team having to learn some very hard lessons. It was not the way our team wanted it to look. We got some strong humility today. The taste is terrible. They are eager to fix it.”
McDaniel insisted “there was a lot of preparation for Week 1.” But.. “I don’t think it looked it. What does that mean? Guys let the bells and whistles of a season [opener] get the best of them. My job is to prevent that. [This was] not good enough.
“You can’t overcook a success. You can’t overlook a failure. You have to look at the tape. It will be a very critical day tomorrow to be accountable and learn from this. We’ve got two games in 11 days [next Sunday at home against New England and Thursday, Sept. 18 at Buffalo]. No time to sulk.”
McDaniel said some of the team’s shortcomings were elementary:
“Our technique and fundamentals were lacking in the game. The way we lost probably is an overall better way to learn an absolute lesson that never changes. If you ever let the game or desire to achieve be bigger than the nuts of bolts of executing - not dropping people in protection, not over-running tackles -then you are going to have those results.
“The biggest thing is our captains understand, could feel it during the game, and I’m very motivated to get together with the team, watch the tape and keep it real. The Patriots are not going to feel sorry for us in the least, nor should they.”
Asked about whether the pressure on McDaniel will grow after this loss, the coach said: “I don’t see this job void of pressure, or entitlement. The most important thing is I worry about doing my job. That’s what the team will get from me for sure.”
McDaniel said Tua Tagovailoa’s performance — which included two interceptions, 114 yards passing and a dismal 51.7 passer rating — “left [something] to be desired. There were a couple of plays he should have been better on. It’s not all on him. There are throws he makes nine times out of 10. He didn’t make them.
“That being said, it’s hard to play quarterback when you have surprise blitzes... someone doesn’t pick it up. Someone coming out of huddle the wrong way when they’ve been nailing it a week plus, stuff we’ve been working on. It’s definitely not all on him. There are too many people that failed at execution of their jobs for him to have any extra on his shoulders. Like the rest of the team, [it] wasn’t good enough to win games in the National Football League. That was obvious.”
Asked about a blitz that the team didn’t pick up and led to a sack, McDaniel said: “It wasn’t that it was that exotic. It was that a running back or receiver didn’t do the responsibility on a play. What does that mean? That means guys weren’t focused on the right things. You can see focus but you don’t know what’s going on in a person’s mind. It was collective execution.”
On Indianapolis’ defensive coverages, McDaniel: “The plays for the plan didn’t get executed. It’s my job to make sure they get executed. I have a lot to do as a leader. I have a lot of leaders in the locker room I depend on that need to see this the right way.”
McDaniel said a safety (seemingly Ifeatu Melifonwu) “could have saved” a TD pass that Storm Duck was beaten on.
Injury updates
McDaniel said he did not know the severity of injuries to cornerback Storm Duck (ankle) and guard James Daniels (pectoral). Both left the game.
Defensive tackle Benito Jones (oblique) and right tackle Austin Jackson (toe) also departed.
Here’s my column on owner Stephen Ross needing to start paying more attention and fix this. Enough is enough.
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 4:47 PM.
