MIAMI – In the aftermath of their 31-12 defeat to the Tennessee Titans on Monday night, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel hinted at potential changes to the team’s struggling offense, which has been the worst in the NFL through four games.
The Dolphins finally scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, ending a 10-quarter drought without one, but their overall performance was still lacking. They averaged a mere 11.3 points per game and suffered their worst start under McDaniel, who admitted that the team was “not even close to good enough.”
McDaniel attributed the team’s struggles to a “tremendous disconnect between preparation and execution,” and vowed to reassess every aspect of the team’s performance. The Dolphins managed just 184 total yards against the Titans, with 85 of those coming on their lone touchdown drive. They also converted only 2 of 12 third-down attempts and committed 10 penalties.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley, starting in place of the injured Skylar Thompson and Tua Tagovailoa, completed 14 of 22 passes for 96 yards, but was plagued by miscues with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Huntley acknowledged that he needed to improve his timing with Hill and the rest of the receivers.
The Dolphins’ playbook was scaled back for Huntley, but McDaniel praised the quarterback’s efforts, saying he “did some good things.” With Tagovailoa still sidelined with a concussion, the team is searching for answers on offense. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle emphasized the need for playmakers to be “extra open” for their quarterback, while fullback Alec Ingold stressed that the responsibility for the team’s struggles didn’t fall solely on the quarterback’s shoulders.
Ingold urged the team to take ownership of their performance, saying, “It’s a performance-based industry… We need 10 other guys to be performing and executing.” The Dolphins face a tough road ahead, with a trip to New England in Week 5 looming. Safety Jevon Holland, who was part of the 2021 Dolphins team that started 1-7 before finishing 9-8, emphasized the importance of sticking together and reverting back to fundamentals to overcome their current slump.
Leave a Reply