Nov 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs off the field following a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Though the team has had two postseason appearances under McDaniel’s guidance, it doesn’t change the fact that the Miami Dolphins continue to fall short of expectations set by fans, analysts, and other football professionals.While the offense has been explosive, it’s not consistent enough to where the team can be dependable in key moments and high-pressure games; Thanksgiving Night was a prime example.We can’t blame the cold weather on how the Dolphins performed, because it seems that their running game has been largely nonexistent for the last couple of weeks. Sure, they were able to win some games, but they weren’t high-pressure games.
The Miami Dolphins finished Thursday’s game with just 14 carries for 39 yards, and since Week 9’s loss against the Buffalo Bills, Miami has averaged 63.25 yards per game on the ground.
From the beginning of Thursday’s matchup against Green Bay, Miami’s defense struggled early, and were turning the ball over left and right. It’s not just the work of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, even though he fell to 0-8 in cold weather games, in order to win a football game, the entire team has to be on one.
Not only does Tagovailoa struggle in cold weather games, but the Miami Dolphins have dropped each of their past 12 games where the weather has been 40 degrees or below.
The team’s inability to stay consistent, on top of the injury list extensively growing week-by-week, many have wondered if McDaniel truly is the right leader if the Dolphins want to make it deep in the postseason or even punch a ticket at all.
Other teams across the league have been quick to move forward with coaching staff, most recently being the Chicago Bears and their now former head coach Matt Eberflus after a disappointing Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions, what’s stopping Miami from doing the same?
Luckily for the Dolphins, they’re back at home for their next regular season contest against the New York Jets. With a victory over the Jets, the Dolphins can be sitting at the .500 mark. The New York Jets have the second worst record of any team in the AFC East, sitting at 3-8.