For the third consecutive week, it wasn’t the Miami Dolphins day.
The Cleveland Browns trounced the Dolphins 31-6 to bring Miami to 1-6 on the year. Head coach Mike McDaniel said the loss wasn’t a result of his guys now wanting it enough.
“The guys are tired of… they wanted to f–king win, OK?” McDaniel told reporters after the game.
McDaniel also answered questions about his job security:
Very little went right for the Dolphins in what was arguably their worst performance of the year. It started with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw for just 100 yards while giving up three interceptions for the second week in a row. Miami benched Tagovailoa halfway through the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa’s turnovers made things easier for a Browns offense that had three touchdowns despite recording just 206 yards of offense.
“The effort was there,” McDaniel told reporters. “The execution and discipline… these things lead to losing football games.”
The Dolphins are now 1-6, and things aren’t getting easier anytime soon. They’ll face a tough stretch ahead against the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders.
At this point, Miami’s playoff hopes are already looking slim, and the Dolphins are just looking to salvage their season.
Things start with McDaniel and the coaching staff, but Tagovailoa has to be better to give the Dolphins a chance. He’s thrown for 1,313 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, which is bad for any quarterback, let alone one who is making $53 million a year.
McDaniel said after the game that he was open to making personnel changes, though he didn’t mention Tagovailoa specifically. McDaniel also added that he has to be better moving forward.
“If you are negatively affecting the football team routinely, I don’t have a choice but to assess a different player,” he said. “I have to coach a lot better as well. We’re going to find who and what we’re made of.”
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