The Miami Dolphins season is not going according to plan. They find themselves 1-4 and lost a winnable game against the Carolina Panthers. The reason? Their rushing defense is very, very weak. After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the situation.
David Furones of Sun Sentinel reported that McDaniel was not happy with how the teamās rushing defense is playing. āIt canāt continue to go on like this, and itās already gone on too long,ā McDaniel said.
The Dolphins were winning 17-0 at one point and ended up losing 27-24. Even with a game script that almost forced the Panthersā to throw, Carolina stuck to running and that way it found success versus Miami.
Dolphins were decimated by a backup running back
If a team allows 239 rushing yards in a game is very bad. If the opposing team does that with a backup running back itās flat out embarrassing. Out of the 239 rushing yards, Panthersā Rico Dowdle was responsible for 206 of them. Bear in mind, Dowdle is the backup of Chuba Hubbard, who missed todayās game due to a calf strain.
Rico Dowdle #5 of the Carolina Panthers
Dowdle averaged nine yards per carry and also scored a touchdown. It was an absolute masterclass from Dowdle who prior to this game had only 83 yards all season. This just shows how bad the Dolphinsā rushing defense is.
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Mike McDanielās future is very cloudy
Before the season started, much was said about how McDaniel managed the locker room. His relaxed persona and how his players behaved shed some doubts about his authority. That, and the fact that the team has underdelivered sparked conversations about his job as the teamās head coach.
Now, the team is 1-4, just lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL and were embarrassed by a backup. His second-half playcalling was also incredibly shaky. Hence, they lost a 17-point lead. Whether he finishes the season or not remains to be seen, but he needs to righten the ship fast if he wants to keep his job.
