ClutchPoints
The Miami Dolphins entered the 2025 season with little to no optimism. Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, 33-8, did absolutely nothing to alleviate that. In fact, it only made head coach Mike McDaniel’s seat scorching hot.
McDaniel was already under heavy criticism coming into his fourth season. After improving from 9-8 in his first year to 11-6 in Year 2, last season was more or less a disaster. The Dolphins finished 8-9, missed the playoffs and, perhaps most concerning, appeared fractured in the locker room.
The “hipster head coach,” as some have called him, faced scrutiny for reportedly losing the locker room. Former players and analysts went on record last offseason suggesting there was a blatant lack of respect for McDaniel. Veteran defender Bradley Chubb even hinted at the issue in July, offering a candid reflection on the team’s culture.
“I’m going to say last year we were lying, honestly. Point blank. Period. We felt it, you know what I mean?” Chubb said, according to an article fron the Palm Beach Post. “We put our toe in the water, but we didn’t dive all the way in. We didn’t go all the way there with each other. We weren’t making the extra effort to go the extra mile. I would say this year we’re doing that. I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out for us, but we are putting forth that foot to change it. … If it works out, it works out. If not, we’re going to get back to the drawing board.”
If Sunday was any indication, it doesn’t look like much has changed. In fact, it may have gotten worse.
One of the excuses for last season’s collapse was the absence of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed six games due to injuries. Tagovailoa went 6-5 as a starter in 2024, but his time on the sideline left McDaniel scrambling for answers.
The hope in Miami was that a healthy Tagovailoa could stabilize the offense in 2025. Instead, he looked like a major liability against the Colts.
The Dolphins’ first five possessions were a nightmare: interception, fumble, punt, another interception and a turnover on downs after Tagovailoa overthrew a checkdown. By then, the Colts had control of the game.
Tagovailoa’s stat line painted an ugly picture. He went 14-of-23 for 114 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a lost fumble while being sacked three times. His passer rating was an abysmal 2.7.
While the quarterback’s struggles stood out, McDaniel was quick to point out that Tagovailoa wasn’t the only problem.
“When you lose the turnover game (minus-3), you turn the ball over on downs, you run into the kicker, you have 12 guys in the huddle, and you only have 20 minutes with the ball in your possession, that’s a formula for failure and nothing else,” McDaniel said after the loss. “We have one direction to go from here —...
