After a strong preseason start, Miami Dolphins fans eagerly anticipated a successful NFL season kickoff. Unfortunately, the narrative flipped as they suffered their second straight defeat against the New England Patriots. Despite quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s solid performance, he didn’t shy away from delivering a stern warning to head coach Mike McDaniel, addressing the team’s disappointing results.
“I’m going to go have a conversation with Mike (McDaniel) and Darrell Bevell. And the players. Anyone who knows football knows it was not clean and it was not right. We have to get it fixed,” Tua Tagovailoa said, as reported by Joe Schad.
Although the Dolphins significantly improved from their lackluster debut against the Colts, their progress remains insufficient, casting doubt on their competitiveness for the 2025-26 NFL season. Fans remain troubled by persistent communication issues leading to avoidable penalties, which raised questions about Mike McDaniel’s ability to elevate the team’s performance.
Tua Tagovailoa’s assertive comments highlighted his impressive individual performance in stark contrast to the team’s overall showing. He completed 26 of 32 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing the Patriots‘ Drake Maye. Despite these numbers, Tagovailoa chose not to focus on individual accolades, instead emphasizing collective improvements spearheaded by head coach McDaniel—whose leadership remains a hot topic—and quarterback coach Bevell.
Dolphins’ HC Mike McDaniel breaks silence on team’s performance in final drive
The Miami Dolphins kept pace with the New England Patriots through the first half, but couldn’t sustain their momentum in the latter quarters, resulting in a decisive defeat. Head coach Mike McDaniel delivered constructive criticism post-game, inadvertently echoing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s recent comments.
“I’m very frustrated — there’s some coaches and players that did not execute communication with the game on the line … Our communication and substitution was not up to par — but ultimately I hold responsibility for all things,” McDaniel said at the press conference.
Even though acknowledging their shortcomings speaks highly of the Dolphins’ ambitions, the team has little time to correct its terrible start to the season. If it does not manage to get out of this slump soon, other franchises could complicate its goals for the season early on. In addition, Mike’s position as head coach could be in jeopardy, as some fans have been calling for his departure for several years.