The walls are closing in on Mike McDaniel. During Sunday’s 33-27 loss to New England, a plane circled overhead with a banner demanding he and GM Chris Grier be fired. Every step McDaniel took onto the sideline was met with jeers from his own crowd. The pressure is everywhere — from the skies to the stands — everywhere but inside his own locker room.

Yes, the Dolphins players have always been quick to defend their head coach. And tonight, Jayden Waddle came to McDaniel’s rescue. “Not bothered. Mike’s always going to be himself. He’s always poised and always looked out for the team’s best interest….To be honest, I really don’t like to see it. I don’t like the internet and stuff like that….We don’t listen to all that rat poison… I don’t really be into all of that,” he said.

The first two games of the season have been bad for the Dolphins. They’ve been poor across the board. We all knew the secondary was always going to struggle, maybe the front too. But the defense has underperformed dramatically.

The Dolphins’ defense has been a revolving door. Dating back to Week 18 of last season, Miami has allowed points on 13 straight opponent drives. To open 2025, they picked up right where they left off, giving up points on 10 consecutive possessions — the longest such streak by any team since at least 1993. That should put things into perspective. And that 0-2 record will most likely turn into 0-3 after Thursday’s standalone game vs the Bills.

But this isn’t entirely on McDaniel. If it were, the players would’ve been the first ones to point it out. And it isn’t just Waddle, either. Multiple players have stepped up to defend their head coach. “He’s a players’ coach who believes in his players,” left tackle Patrick Paul said. “He inspires us and speaks confidence into us and makes us go out there with a sense of urgency and confidence through the technique that all these coaches that he’s brought in for us. We love him,” he added.

Linebacker Chop Robinson echoed that sentiment. “At the end of the day, it’s not him out there on the field. It’s us out there playing the game, making the mistakes on the field and stuff like that. So at the end of the day, it may look bad for him, but it’s really on us. We’ve got to get it better,” he said.

The fact that the locker room still backs him after those two horrid games tells you just how much the players themselves are at fault. McDaniel hasn’t won tactical battles, sure. But poor individual performances are the primary reason for the Dolphins’ poor start to the season. So, it’d be safe to think that Mike McDaniel is somewhere out there stressing about his job, but in reality, he’s actually counting his blessings more.

Mike McDaniel views the Bills game as a blessing

Yes, two days to regroup, then straight into Buffalo. For most teams, that would feel like walking into a storm. Mike McDaniel, though, is framing it as an opportunity — not a wildfire. It’s actually a blessing, says Mike McDaniel. “Thursday night games, after a loss they can be a blessing because you have no time to think about anything else,” McDaniel said.

Of course, the Bills are living rent-free in Mike McDaniel’s head — how could they not? But another humiliating loss, and the firing chatter only grows louder. Most coaches would lose sleep staring down arguably the best team in football. McDaniel? He admits the sleeplessness is real, but he’s spinning it as fuel.

“I think the team is understanding, is that every moment that you spend thinking about anything but the opponent is going to serve you in the worst. So I think it’s extremely important that the guys are solely focused, as I am on the Bills and nothing else, because that’s all that does matter. And truth be told, that’s the formula for Week 3 every year, regardless of your record,” he added.

And the reason behind McDaniel’s positive outlook is the locker room’s support. His behaviour would’ve been very different if he had lost the locker room as well. He’d basically be counting down the clock. But right now, he couldn’t be less concerned about losing the job.

“I think if I worry about my job security, I won’t be doing my job,” McDaniel said. Regardless of the locker room support, if the record doesn’t get better, the front office wouldn’t hesitate to make some tough calls. The Bills game can make or break his Dolphins’ future. So, what needs help?

The Dolphins had every chance to steal the game late, but their execution fell apart. On their last two drives, they piled up mistakes, false starts, delay-of-game penalties, three sacks, and a costly interception from Tua Tagovailoa. To make matters worse, confusion with substitutions kept the clock running down, forcing a rushed throw that ended in another pick on fourth down. After the loss, McDaniel didn’t dodge responsibility, admitting the breakdowns and pointing out that the staff is already working on fixing their in-game communication.