MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is contemplating a quarterback change after Tua Tagovailoa’s continued struggles this season, which have been magnified in Monday evening’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that eradicated Miami from playoff rivalry for the second straight season.
Tagovailoa threw for simply 65 yards by three quarters, and the areas through which he has appeared to regress have been evident once more, from questionable decision-making to an absence of mobility that has hampered him all through the season.
“The quarterback play final evening was not ok,” McDaniel stated Tuesday, “and so for me, every part is on the desk.”
McDaniel stated he would give “extra readability” on his quarterback resolution on Wednesday. Miami’s different quarterbacks are Zach Wilson, who has been Tagovailoa’s backup many of the season, and rookie Quinn Ewers.
“We’re within the strategy of recreation planning for the Cincinnati Bengals,” McDaniel stated, “so in that course of we’re making an attempt to find out who will give us the perfect probability to win.”
The Dolphins’ slim post-season hopes slipped away for good in frigid Pittsburgh on Monday — this after a four-game successful streak had briefly resurrected their season hopes and pulled them out of the 1–6 gap they dug to begin the yr.
There are three video games left, however for a franchise carrying the league’s longest playoff-win drought, the main focus ought to instantly shift to creating certain they don’t discover themselves on this identical place for a 3rd straight season.
That begins with answering the query of whether or not they’re finest suited to win high-stakes video games with Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024, or another person.
Tagovailoa earned that massive payday after making the Professional Bowl and main the league in yards in 2023, however he has not returned to that kind and has didn’t ship in massive moments, with three wins in his final 15 begins in opposition to groups with successful data.
McDaniel, who has principally prevented criticism of his quarterback, indicated Tuesday that his expectations from that place haven’t been met.
“The underside line is, we have now to have a sure customary at every place,” McDaniel stated. “All positions are the identical. There’s nobody entitled to preferential remedy. And when there’s a greater choice, it’s my job to assault that. … In the end, we have to have higher play at that place.”
Over the previous three video games, Tagovailoa has accomplished 65% of his passes and didn’t throw for greater than 200 yards twice. On Monday, he threw a poor cross that was picked off on Miami’s second possession — his league-leading fifteenth interception and a brand new profession excessive.
“The largest factor is you’ve a normal of efficiency,” McDaniel stated. “You’ve gotten 11 guys making an attempt to work collectively as one. It takes all 11. Oftentimes, heavy is the crown. There’s misplaced blame, and it is not all the time one particular person’s fault. Usually, it is not one particular person’s fault. However realistically … the workforce deserves to have the perfect probability to win the soccer recreation. Which means caring for the soccer, with the ability to make performs, transfer the chains and get the ball to the open guys.”
Nothing that had fueled the Dolphins’ four-game successful streak labored on Monday. They could not run the ball regardless of beforehand producing 4 straight video games of at the very least 150 speeding yards. The passing recreation was nonexistent. Miami’s defence had a powerful begin, forcing punts on Pittsburgh’s first three drives, however unravelled as the sport went on.
Even when the Dolphins have been having success operating the ball, McDaniel famous {that a} defence would finally discover a technique to sluggish the Dolphins’ speeding assault, forcing them to win with the passing recreation. The Steelers did that on Monday, limiting Miami to 63 yards speeding, however when the Dolphins wanted their passing recreation to hold them, Tagovailoa and the offence couldn’t generate sufficient by the air to maintain drives.
TE Darren Waller. After being held to 3 catches over the earlier two video games, Waller caught seven passes for 66 yards and Miami’s solely two touchdowns.
McDaniel. The Dolphins didn’t play with any tempo or tempo late regardless of trailing massive within the fourth. The shortage of urgency was criticized by ESPN’s Troy Aikman, who stated on the printed he was “flabbergasted” by McDaniel’s resolution to waste a lot time then strive an onside kick and name a timeout within the waning minutes.
“That is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I’ve seen in fairly a very long time,” Aikman stated.
S Minkah Fitzpatrick is week-to-week with a calf harm. McDaniel stated the harm doesn’t seem season-ending.
14 — The variety of consecutive video games the Dolphins have misplaced when the temperature at kickoff was 40 levels or decrease.
With the playoffs now formally out of attain, the Dolphins will flip their consideration to the longer term, maybe seeing which of their younger gamers may very well be key items to construct round. The Dolphins have a whole lot of inexperienced gamers on their roster who might doubtlessly get elevated reps over the following three video games, beginning with Sunday’s matchup in opposition to Cincinnati.
