With the Miami Dolphins losing to the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon, 33-27, the fans have been highlighting the ineffectiveness in late-game situations that led to the defeat. Including Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's interception that led to the loss, he and head coach Mike McDaniel would speak after the game about the late-game confusion.
Miami trailed 12-0 early, and although the team played better as the game went along, they were still trailing with the game on the line towards the end of the fourth quarter. In the last two possessions of the game, the first ended in an errant throw from Tagovailoa that was a pick, and the final was a turnover on downs by a sack, putting an end to a potential game-winning drive.
Tagovailoa would express the frustrations with himself and the team's execution, saying that the “whole operation was not up to standard,” according to The Miami Herald.
“We have until the 15-second mark until it cuts off with communication with Mike [McDaniel],” Tagovailoa said when talking about the play calls coming from the coach. “…Frustrated with guys with communication, inside the huddle. Do we have too many guys in? The whole operation was not up to standard, not up to par. The presnap communication, the timing, that is where the alert is. Trying to find the urgency back for our team.”
“The interception [on the penultimate possession] was trying to make a play on fourth down; I wanted to give one of those guys a chance,” Tagovailoa continued. “The sack [to end Miami’s final possession] was trying to maneuver in the pocket.”
Dolphins' Mike McDaniel on the frustrations with late-game execution
There's no denying that there are fans who are also frustrated, as a banner was flown over the Dolphins' stadium, calling for the firings of head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier. Like Tagovailoa, McDaniel would also speak about the execution and communication, saying that it was “not up to par.”
“I’m very frustrated,” McDaniel said, via The Miami Herald.. “There’s coaches and players that did not execute communication with the game on the line. Our communication and substitution were not up to par. But ultimately, I hold responsibility for all things. I will make sure that things that should be ironed out [will be] so that we won’t fall victim to the same thing again.”
“We have to tighten up our football entirely, we can’t wait until the second half to get a stop, we can’t have a monumental special teams play negated by a monumental special teams play,” McDaniel continued. “Guys are very frustrated. Like I told the team, it makes me even more venomous for the way the team responded to a start we didn’t want again…”
Still, the team could rewrite the narrative of their season so far through two games as Miami takes on AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills, on Thursday night, looking for the team's first win of the season.
