The Miami Dolphins almost won. And then they didn’t. After storming to a 17-0 lead against the Carolina Panthers, Miami watched it slip away in a 27-24 loss. The disappointment was palpable. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s starting quarterback, didn’t sugarcoat anything in the post-game presser. He’s doing everything he can. But to turn their losses around, the Dolphins have to fix the kinks… immediately.

“I am 100% showing up, getting myself ready. Getting the guys that are going to be in the game as ready as possible for us to give us a chance to go out there, score, do what we need to do to help us win a ball game.”

Tua spelled out the issues with razor clarity. The team isn’t about giving up. But missed third downs in the second half and blown chances piled up and ultimately gave way to their fourth loss of the season. That 1-4 record now weighs heavily on everyone, especially Tua as he further notes:

“It’s tough. No one wants to start the season one and four. You know, it’s not like our team goes out there and we want to give up this or we want to not convert our third downs in the second half. You know, there are just so many things that go into it. And we got to figure this out.”

Throughout the game, they went 5-13 on third down efficiency. Tua Tagovailoa took 3 sacks and lost 27 yards. Nine penalties cost them 64 yards. While the offense fizzled out in the second half, the defense let the game slip away.

Carolina’s running back Rico Dawdle ran wild for 234 (rushing and receiving) yards across 26 carries and hauled in a touchdown, cutting through Miami’s defense repeatedly. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young just had to do the rest, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

Following that brutal outcome, even Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel had to admit things didn’t go as he’d originally planned.

Mike McDaniel’s post-game admission

Coach McDaniel thought that the Dolphins’ defense was well prepared against the run game. But even with him previously hyping up the defense; seeing their early lead go up in flames, he knew they had to do better. Speaking about his team’s 1-4 record, the coach noted: 

“That’s not good enough. We are a much better team than letting a 17-0 lead eviscerate. So we will be extremely focused on getting that stuff corrected immediately, cause we have no time to waste.”

McDaniel’s plan was to stop Carolina’s run. Instead, Rico Dowdle broke off 53,43, and 25-yard runs. For Miami, that defensive breakdown was too big to ignore. McDaniel’s frustration is further magnified because his team lost focus after a strong start.

The defensive lapses exposed in this loss need urgent correction. All the while, the offense must avoid late-game drops and get better on third-down situations. Tua Tagovailoa’s intense clarity and Mike McDaniel’s frank admission hint that the talent is surely there, but the mistakes have piled up. The path forward: no more blown leads, and figuring out how to stop the run. The Dolphins aren’t out, but the clock’s ticking to turn Miami’s season around.