Dolphins’ McDaniel on Tagovailoa’s play, what must improve, Achane feats, more
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel made no apologies for a too-close-for-comfort 21-17 win against a dreadful Saints team on Sunday, a game in which Miami nearly squandered a 16-0 lead before a key late stop.
“You try not to get caught up in the style of victory,” he said. “The idea is to end the game with more points than the opponent. I’m very proud of the group.”
McDaniel said the fact the Dolphins have won four of their past five “says everything about the guys we have on this team. It’s easier said than done for sure. We have more reasons to stay together, more conviction, more relief, every time you’re in the victory [lane].”
▪ On a day the passing game struggled, McDaniel said: “I wouldn’t say Tua [Tagovailoa] played his best game. On the pick, he could have thrown it to Darren Waller. He also had what De’Von [Achane] would say is a very catchable ball. Julian [Hill] had one [drop]. It was a little herky-jerky in the pass game. There were some plays made in the second half by Tua, but there were plays made that we would like to have back. That’s collective...
“At some point, we’re going to have to execute in the near future. If you have success running the ball, eventually people will overcommit, and you will need to pass to win.”
Tagovailoa closed 12 for 23 for 157 yards and an interception and a poor 55.9 passer rating.
McDaniel added that “the Saints had a really good plan. They were very pass committed, had reroutes on [Jaylen] Waddle every snap. They’re removing a run defender [when they do that]. It’s important when they do that to make them pay.”
▪ On Minkah Fitzpatrick’s two-point interception return (”a pick two”) on a Saints’ two-point attempt that could have tied the score:
“We talked about that a month ago, the rare pick safety on a two-point, this was the second time I’ve been part of it, first time I’ve seen it on the right side of it.... He took an unbelievable angle, did it from the slot position. He utilized his great ball skills, didn’t hesitate for one second.”
▪ On Achane, who topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season for the first time in his career:
“I can’t say enough great things about De’Von. He’s making players miss a ton and also getting some dirty yardage driving the pile. We were relying on him not just to be a good player, but take a step [as a leader]. It’s not just his play. He’s more vocal. We line him up everywhere and ask him to do a lot of jobs. He takes pride in being on top of his assignments. He also does a lot of work without the ball.
“We send him on fake jet sweeps to get other people involved. The thing that makes De’Von great is he’s not satisfied; he was frustrated he didn’t have two touchdowns” because he couldn’t catch a slightly errant pass from Tagovailoa on a third down in the second quarter.
Here’s my column with lots of notes and thoughts, including defensive issues that are beginning to gain clarity.
This story was originally published November 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM.
