Miami Dolphins fans did not mince words when sharing their thoughts on head coach Mike McDaniel’s play-calling.
On Monday, the Dolphins suffered a disheartening 31-12 loss to the Tennessee Titans, dropping them to 1-3 on the season. Miami’s offense struggled mightily to move the ball downfield throughout the contest, recording just 78 total yards through the air while converting 2-of-12 third down attempts and going 1-of-3 on fourth.
Dolphins supporters in attendance did not refrain from voicing their displeasure as Miami struggled to find much of any success on the offensive side of the ball. After entering halftime down 9-3, McDaniel and co. were showered with a chorus of boos while trotting off the field and into the locker room.
Then in the fourth quarter, droves of fans began to make their way to the exits at Hard Rock Stadium well before the closing whistle sounded. Not only were they soundly beaten by a Titans team that entered the game with an 0-3 record, it happened after Tennessee’s starting quarterback, Will Levis, had to be replaced by backup Mason Rudolph due to a shoulder injury in the first quarter.
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Much of the Dolphins’ offensive woes can be attributed to the absence of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed his second-straight game on Monday while continuing to recover from his third concussion in two years. After suffering the frightening injury in the third quarter of Miami’s Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he was placed on injured reserve and subsequently sidelined for the ensuing four contests.
In the absence of Tagovailoa, backup signal-caller Tyler Huntley did little to inspire against the Titans, completing 14-of-22 passes for 96 yards. The 26-year-old managed to find more success on the ground, however, rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
Despite the fact that the Dolphins were forced to play without their star quarterback, fans were unwilling to cut McDaniel and his coaching staff any slack – especially when considering that the Titans managed to score 31 points without starter Will Levis, who injured his shoulder early on while attempting to dive for a first down.
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Tyler Huntley struggled to find success through the air in relief of Tua Tagovailoa (
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Taking to social media, one X user wrote, “Mike McDaniel has no idea what to do without Tua. its actually crazy to me how bad these play calls are,” with another adding: “Mike McDaniel is doing about as bad a coaching job as it’s possible to do in the NFL at the moment. People say that he was the one that saved Tua. The last few weeks it looks more and more like it was the other way round.”
A third asserted: “The #Dolphins have completely checked out. They are showing the world that they have absolutely no intention of playing for Mike McDaniel in any way that resembles the game of football. The fact there is a piece of paper that exists that has him coaching through 2028 is sickening.”
It remains to be seen what, if any, adjustments the Dolphins will make after suffering a third-consecutive blowout loss. When asked if he’d consider giving up the play-calling duties last week, McDaniel told reporters: “I wouldn’t hesitate to change that procedure, because it is my call. I would change it in a heartbeat if I thought someone else gave the team a better chance to win.”
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