The Miami Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night with a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card round at Arrowhead Stadium, and the loss was particularly hard on head coach Mike McDaniel.
“They beat us, out-coached us, outplayed us,” McDaniel told reporters after the loss.
He added: “We came here to win, and it didn’t happen. We had high expectations for ourselves. It’s emotional. It’s gut-wrenching.”
The Dolphins put together a solid regular season behind a high-powered offense led by Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, going 11-6 to secure a playoff berth for the second straight season.
However, Miami’s offense fizzled out while playing in subzero temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium.
Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in passing yards and averaged 272 passing yards per game during the regular season, threw for just 199 yards and one touchdown against one interception against the Chiefs.
The Alabama product is now 1-7 in his career while playing in temperatures below 50 degrees, which is unacceptable.
That said, McDaniel told reporters after the game that Tagovailoa isn’t being blamed for the loss.
“Everyone has to get better. We’re not blaming one player. Some good plays. Some bad plays. Some good calls. Some calls to have back,” McDaniel said. “For this unit, seven points isn’t good enough. We need to learn and try to take another step.”
While the Dolphins finished the season with a winning record and secured a playoff berth, one of the biggest questions surrounding the team throughout the entire 2023 campaign was whether or not they could beat a team with a .500 record or better.
They beat the Dallas Cowboys 22-20 on Christmas Eve to silence some of those doubts, but with Saturday’s loss, the Dolphins closed out the season 1-6 against playoff teams, which is highly disappointing.
Additionally, the Dolphins haven’t made it past the Wild Card round since the 2000 season.
Miami now enters the offseason with several questions to answer, one of which should be how it can improve an offense that is already so potent.
