Mike McDaniel sends clear message to Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins ahead of tough Week 3 clash vs Bills

The Miami Dolphins have started the 2025 NFL season 0-2, and things will only get tougher in Week 3. They’ll visit the Buffalo Bills on the road, and HC Mike McDaniel has delivered a clear message to Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the team about how to handle this big test.

It hasn’t been the debut Miami fans hoped for this year. After two straight losses, the Dolphins now face a difficult AFC East clash against the Bills. However, despite the challenge, McDaniel believes playing on prime time is actually a good thing for the team.

The head coach explained that, even though they enter Week 3 as clear underdogs, the short turnaround gives the Dolphins a chance to quickly move past last week’s defeat and focus entirely on Buffalo.

Mike McDaniel doesn’t see the Bills matchup as a negative

Right now, many fans view the Bills as the best team in the entire NFL. The Dolphins, meanwhile, sit at 0-2 and rank near the bottom of the league’s power rankings.

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Week 3 will kick off with Dolphins vs Bills, and while the limited preparation time could be seen as a disadvantage, McDaniel insists it allows his squad to reset faster and concentrate on the next challenge instead of dwelling on the past.

“Thursday night games, after a loss they can be a blessing because you have no time to think about anything else and quite literally I can paint a picture that 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,” HC Mike McDaniel told reporters on Monday. “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.”

Could the Dolphins move on from Mike McDaniel?

McDaniel is already on one of the hottest seats in the NFL. Expectations in Miami were high, but so far, the results have been disappointing, and fan frustration is growing.

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Tua Tagovailoa repeats one word to describe feelings after Dolphins’ loss to Patriots

According to reports, if the Dolphins don’t reach midseason with a winning record, the front office could decide to part ways with McDaniel and begin planning for a rebuild in 2026.