The Miami Dolphins’ 2022 season came to a close on Sunday, as they crashed out in the AFC wild-card round at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Even with Tua Tagovailoa ruled out for the contest, the Dolphins still managed to make it quite interesting against the reigning AFC East champions. From the five scoring drives on offense to the three takeaways, Miami did not throw in the towel after it trailed by a 17-0 score in the second quarter.
In the end, the Bills got the last laugh after they stopped Miami on a fourth-and-6 play in the late stages of the fourth quarter.
Mike McDaniel is already looking ahead to the 2023 campaign with the hopes of building on his first season as Dolphins head coach. Regarding his debut season as a head coach in the NFL, McDaniel came away from it with multiple takeaways.
“I’ll definitely need some time to reflect on it, for sure,” McDaniel said during his postgame press conference. “This was — you talk about working your whole life in one direction for a singular goal, this place feels right. I feel very fortunate. I feel very bound and determined to always improve. I think there’s always good and there’s always bad. I think the second that you start thinking that you’re problem-less or that you’ve figured it out is when stuff passes by.
“I know one thing — without question, I know I did the very best that I could for all the people involved, which is extremely important to me. … I know there will be plenty of things that I’ll get better at which is the way I look at the expectation for myself and my job. That will never change; that will be the same thing every year, but my primary concern is that I do everything possible to try to put people in positions for success, because that’s what this role can offer.”
The Dolphins checked off multiple goals that they set out for themselves before the start of the season. For one, they clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the 2016 campaign. They also ranked in the top 10 in multiple stats over the regular season, including in total yards per game (364.5).
Miami will now shift its attention to what may end up being a chaotic offseason.
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