Mike McDaniel looks as defeated as his Dolphins.
At his media availability, both immediately after the 27-24 loss to the Panthers and on Monday, the head coach’s body language said everything he didn’t.
McDaniel was asked about meeting with owner Stephen Ross after the Dolphins lost a 17-point lead to the Panthers.
“He was really frustrated, as I was,” McDaniel said. “We talked about the challenge ahead to get ready for the Chargers. That was kind of the extent of it.”
The way things are going, McDaniel isn’t likely to keep his job much longer. The Dolphins are 1-4, and he is 9-13 since the start of the 2024 season.
Miami made the postseason in McDaniel’s first two seasons, giving him a 29-27 overall record in three-plus seasons.
Chargers running back Omarion Hampton wasn’t around for the end of Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Commanders.
Hampton left the game with an ankle injury and his status heading into Week 6 will be something to keep an eye on. Daniel Popper of TheAthletic.com reports that Hampton was in a walking boot as he made his way out of the locker room.
The Chargers already lost Najee Harris for the season, so any missed time for Hampton would leave them very thin in the backfield at a moment when they have other injury issues on their offensive line. Left tackle Joe Alt missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and right guard Mekhi Becton hurt his hand in his return from a concussion.
The injuries contributed to a poor outing by the offense and the Chargers will have to hope to get some bodies back to improve their chances of extending their losing streak to three games against the Dolphins next Sunday.
The Dolphins were sitting pretty when they were up 17-0 in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but there were no smiles when the game ended.
Carolina cut the lead to 17-10 before halftime and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner on the final play before the two-minute warning. They fueled the comeback with Rico Dowdle running for 206 yards on 23 carries, which doesn’t come as much surprise given that Miami came into the game ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed.
The Dolphins’ own rushing offense accounted for 19 yards and they allowed three sacks in a loss that head coach Mike McDaniel chalked up to “preparation and execution” after the game. McDaniel said “we thought we were prepared for this, and clearly we weren’t.” The run defense was particularly nettlesome to the head coach.
“If you can’t get it right during the game, they will continue to do the least risky thing,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “It’s not how you win football games in this league. We have to figure that out immediately. I’ll start on the plane. . . . We need guys playing on the same page. You don’t give up that many line of scrimmage yards unless you’re uncoordinated in certain ways. If play calls need to change for that to occur, [we will]. It can’t continue to go on like this. It’s already gone on too long.”
Most Dolphins fans would agree with that and some have said the same about McDaniel’s tenure, but there’s no sign of an imminent change on that front in Miami.
The Panthers looked like they were on the road to a disaster in the first half of Sunday’s home game against the Dolphins, but they wound up pulling out a remarkable win.
Quarterback Bryce Young hit tight end Mitchell Evans for a touchdown with two minutes left to play to give the Panthers their second lead of the fourth quarter and their defense forced a Dolphins three-and-out with a Patrick Jones sack to give themselves a chance to run out the clock. They did exactly that after Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones was called for pass interference on a third down.
The 27-24 win came after the Panthers fell behind 17-0 in the first half. Young had a fumble and an interception that led to 14 of Miami’s points and the Panthers couldn’t find an answer for tight end Darren Waller in the early going. Both Young and the defense found better footing from there, however.
Waller didn’t catch a pass in the second half of the game and the Dolphins punted on six of their final seven possessions. Young avoided further miscues and kept feeding running back Rico Dowdle to good effect. Dowdle ran 23 times for 206 yards, including a one-yard score that put the Panthers up 20-17 with 6:10 to play. The Dolphins answered with a long touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle put the Dolphins back up less than two minutes later.
Dowdle left the game after a 16-yard run to kick off the game-winning drive, but Trevor Etienne pitched in with two good runs and Young hit wide receiver Xavier Legette and rookie wideout Jimmy Horn for sizable gains. The pass to Horn was a 17-yarder on fourth down and Young finished the day 19-of-30 for 198 yards and two scores to go with the interception.
Tagovailoa was 27-of-36 for 256 yards and three scores, but three sacks and a non-existent running game helped the offense sputter after their hot start.
The Panthers are now 2-3 and they’ll host the Cowboys on Sunday in Week 6. The 1-4 Dolphins will return home to host the Chargers.
Panthers running back Rico Dowdle is having a career day against the Dolphins and he pushed his team into the lead in the fourth quarter.
Dowdle scored from a yard out and the Panthers now lead 20-17 with 6:10 left to play. The Dolphins led the game 17-0 in the second quarter, but their offense has disappeared since tight end Darren Waller’s touchdown catch.
Dowdle set up the score with a 43-yard run and he now has 20 carries for 185 yards on the day. That’s a career high for Dowdle, who is playing a larger role this week with Chuba Hubbard out of action.
The Panthers also benefitted from a hip-drop tackle penalty on Dolphins defensive end Chop Robinson.
The Dolphins have picked up two first downs while punting on five straight possessions. They have time to rally back for a win, but it remains to be seen if their offense can find anything that works.
