(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
The Miami Dolphins were 12½-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, but despite hanging tough for much of the game, head coach Mike McDaniel refused to take solace in a competitive effort.
“I’m never proud of a loss,” McDaniel said after the 31-21 defeat. “We came here to win, and I refuse to take moral victories as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. It wasn’t good enough.”
The Dolphins have now lost seven straight to Buffalo and 14 of their last 15 meetings overall. Their record dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 2019, and McDaniel’s personal mark fell to 8-12 since last year’s wild-card loss to Kansas City.
A Familiar Script in Buffalo
The night started with promise. Dee Eskridge’s 52-yard kick return set up Miami’s first opening-drive touchdown of the season. But Buffalo responded with 14 unanswered points, threatening to blow the game open until Matt Prater missed a 39-yard field goal that gave the Dolphins life. Miami capitalized, stringing together a 16-play drive to tie the score before halftime.
The Dolphins again knotted the game at 21 in the fourth quarter and forced a Bills punt. But disaster struck when defensive tackle Zach Sieler was flagged for roughing the punter, extending Buffalo’s drive and leading to the decisive touchdown.
“I’ve got to be better,” Sieler admitted. “I can’t be making stupid errors like that.”
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s interception on the following possession sealed the loss.
Positives, but Not Enough
While the Dolphins fell short, there were bright spots. Miami converted 10 of 15 third downs and ran for a season-high 130 yards. Tyreek Hill caught his first touchdown of the season, while Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert contributed key plays in the passing game.
Still, Tagovailoa echoed his coach’s stance on accountability.
“No moral victories, that’s for sure,” Tagovailoa said. “Never good to lose, regardless of how a certain individual may have felt they performed. This is a team sport. We win together, we lose together.”
Pressure Mounts on McDaniel
McDaniel entered the week facing speculation about his job security, with fans flying a banner over Hard Rock Stadium last Sunday calling for him and general manager Chris Grier to be fired. He dismissed the gesture as not personal, insisting his focus remains on fixing the team’s issues.
Star wideout Tyreek Hill backed his coach, praising his leadership after the game.
“I love Coach McDaniel. I love him to death, man,” Hill said. “To see how he coached and how he led me today, it was a beautiful thing to see. Can’t wait until next week.”
Looking Ahead
The Dolphins’ 0-3 start is historically bleak — only one of the 117 NFL teams since 2000 to start with that record has reached the postseason. Yet Hill stressed that Miami still has the leadership to turn things around ahead of a Week 4 clash with the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
“It’s all about how do you want to be remembered?” Hill said. “Do you want to be the 0-3 team that threw in the towel, or the team that found a way to turn it around? We’ve got great captains and a beautiful thing going right now.”
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