The Miami Dolphins are now 1-4 after allowing the Carolina Panthers to score 14 fourth-quarter points in a 27-24 loss. With the season already all but lost, the seat has never been hotter for head coach Mike McDaniel, and the time has come for a change to be made.
The Dolphins Need To Fire Mike McDaniel
The writing was on the wall for McDaniel after the Indianapolis Colts blew out the Dolphins 33-8 in Week 1 and the team held a players-only meeting. Two more losses to the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills ensued before they defeated the New York Jets 27-21 in Week 4. However, a loss to arguably the worst team in the NFL should be the final nail in the coffin for the guy who has been caught vaping on the sideline more times than he was won playoff games.
For all the initial excitement about the Dolphins' offense after acquiring Tyreek Hill to pair with Jaylen Waddle, it yielded zero playoff wins, the closest they would get coming when Skylar Thompson nearly pulled off an upset over the Bills in Buffalo. The only time Tua Tagovailoa started a playoff game, the Chiefs blew out the Dolphins in Kansas City and Tua had a QBR of 15.7.
The Week 5 loss to the Panthers encapsulates everything wrong with McDaniel. Lack of preparation and inability to exploit what teams do poorly, while simultaneously getting exploited on defense. The Panthers entered the day as the 23rd ranked run defense - the Dolphins rushed for 19 yards. On the flip side of that coin, the Dolphins' defense allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for over 200 yards. They are a soft team whose "Speed kills" M.O. has been figured out by every good team in the NFL, and as it would appear, a lot of bad ones, too. Rip the band-aid off, move on from McDaniel, sell some pieces before the trade deadline, and prepare for a rebuild.
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