The good news is that coach Mike McDaniel didn’t see any blame being placed on others after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense struggled in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
The bad news? One of the Dolphins’ worst offensive performances of the season happened at a time when they could not afford it.
“This particular game, I don’t think was up to the standard regardless of whoever’s in there,” McDaniel said Monday. “I think everyone is very, very aware after today’s meetings that, that is not anything that we want Miami Dolphin football to look like.”
The Dolphins offense turned the ball over four times in a game they needed to win to improve their playoff chances.
Miami also dropped to 1-4 this season against teams currently in the playoffs, with losses to Green Bay and Buffalo (twice). The Dolphins did defeat the Rams in Week 10, who are tied for the NFC West lead.
This is similar to last year when the 11-win Dolphins only beat one team that had a winning record before the matchup.
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler recently said the team has been in “playoff mode” since they got off to a 2-6 start. They have mostly bounced back, going 4-2 since Week 10 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
However, in the two losses during that stretch, they have struggled.
In their Thanksgiving loss to Green Bay, Miami was beaten up in the trenches, rushing for just 39 yards while allowing 114 yards on the ground. They missed at least a dozen tackles on defense and were 4 of 14 on third downs.
On Sunday, the Texans used a fake punt to gain 35 yards and held Miami to just 224 total yards.
Tagovailoa had his second-lowest passer rating (60) of the season. He faced constant pressure from Houston’s pass rush, playing behind an offensive line missing three starting tackles, which allowed three sacks.
Tagovailoa had a strip-sack and three interceptions, which led to 10 points for Houston, including a pick on Miami’s last attempt at a comeback on the final drive.
“I’ve got to protect the ball. I’ve got to play better ball for our guys,” Tagovailoa said. “Especially in a situation where the team is counting on me to go and drive our offense down to potentially tie the game up, and that’s not what I did. That’s not how you win games in this league.
“Very disappointed with how I played today and with how I conducted myself on the field, with our guys, with our team. I just need to be better in all aspects with that.”
