Mike McDaniel believed it was just a matter of time before his Miami Dolphins would finally play a complete game of team football.
“You have a firm belief that you don’t just create out of thin air,” McDaniel said on Tuesday. “You base it upon the teammates that you have and the type of football that you think you’re capable of playing.”
The Dolphins had shown some promise in their previous two games. Their offense came alive when Tua Tagovailoa returned against Arizona in Week 8, and they played one of their best games of the season at Buffalo in Week 9. However, they lost both games, which led to their second three-game losing streak of the season.
In Monday night’s 23-15 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Miami’s defense played well, and the offense was able to perform well enough to overcome some mistakes. The Dolphins (3-6) are still in second place in the AFC East and remain in the playoff race, though they have little margin for error going forward.
“There was a lot of noise that could distract you from what we all had known,” McDaniel said. “We knew we lost a couple games that we could have had, and you can use that in one of two ways: It can make you worse, or it can make you better.
So, I was very happy with the way the guys have persevered, stayed together, came across the country, and found a way to get a win.”
Tua Tagovailoa said he hopes Monday’s win marks the beginning of a stretch that can turn the Dolphins’ season around. He is confident it can happen if they keep playing the way they did against the Rams.
The quarterback threw for just 207 yards but completed 9 of 12 passes for 137 yards on third downs, spreading the ball around to eight different receivers. The Dolphins converted 6 of 13 third downs, while the Rams only converted 3 of 12.
Tyreek Hill, who had been dealing with a wrist injury, scored his first touchdown since Week 1, ending the longest touchdown drought of his career.
“I would say the confidence is always there,” Tagovailoa said, “but to be able to see the product out there, to see what we can do and play complementary football in that sense… I think this is something that we can continue to build on.”
