Miami Dolphins

2022 - 12 - 11

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Three Takeaways: Week 14 at Chargers (MiamiDolphins)

The Dolphins took an 8-3 record out west to California and return back to South Florida an 8-5 team. An opportunity to respond and get back on track will ...

"Those types of things happen when you're hustling to block and when you're hustling and straining as offensive linemen, sometimes when the ball does come out, you can find yourself in a fortunate situation," McDaniel said of the first touchdown. Sunday night, in Los Angeles, it was a 60-yard dime in the third quarter that brought Miami to within three. "I thought the defense played well enough for us to win," McDaniel said. It was Hill's second touchdown of 50-plus yards following a wild offensive fumble return for a 57-yard touchdown in the first half. It's easy to point fingers one way or another, but what I'll challenge the team is to do exactly as I'm going to do, which is you're just accountable and look at everything you can do better." Still, games never feel over with the Dolphins quick-strike ability on offense. Unfortunately, we had to learn it the hard way. Tagovailoa was just 10-of-28 throwing the football with just two completions on seven throws of 10-plus air yards between the numbers. The Dolphins took an 8-3 record out west to California and return back to South Florida an 8-5 team. Coming into the game, the Chargers were allowing a league-high 5.4 yards per rush. It's very disappointing for us to go out there as an offense and show what we showed. One area the Dolphins offense had really exploited defenses this season was the intermediate passing game.

4 quick-hit takeaways from Dolphins' loss vs. Chargers (Dolphins Wire)

The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers met on Sunday evening at SoFi Stadium. There were a few things we learned from the matchup.

There were also two plays, one for each, that the targets weren’t aware of the location of the ball. The quarterback and head coach will need to work on a plan to adjust. When he wasn’t in, he was getting his ankle taped and iced. There were multiple balls that were in the hands of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle that probably should’ve been brought in for receptions. Justin Herbert hit Austin Ekeler for a 16-yard gain, putting the ball at the one-yard line. Miami’s loss was their second in as many weeks and their fifth on the season which significantly impacted their postseason odds.

What must happen for Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs and what ... (Miami Herald)

Exploring the Miami Dolphins' playoff scenarios, both for a wild card and the AFC East title.

And the odds of Miami winning the division would be only 29 percent if the Dolphins win at Buffalo, even though Miami would then own the tiebreaker with the Bills. That scenario would leave the Dolphins and Ravens with the same record and Miami with the fifth seed because it owns the tiebreaker with Baltimore. So if the Dolphins and Jets are tied after next weekend, there’s a decent chance a playoff berth will be on the line when the teams meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 18. But if the Jets win the Jan. (The Chargers have a slightly better conference record than the Jets.) But the Chargers own the tiebreaker with Miami and have an easier remaining schedule. 1 and then close at home against the Jets, who have a defense far superior to the Chargers unit that held Tua Tagovailoa to 10-for-28 passing and limited the Dolphins’ offense to 219 yards.

Miami Dolphins Mike McDaniel is failing his offense (PhinPhanatic)

The Miami Dolphins have now lost two games in a row and typically that wouldn't be a big deal but the way they lost them is.

Whether the problem is Tua Tagovailoa or not, he and McDaniel now go hand-in-hand, and clearly, they both are struggling for answers. When did McDaniel make the changes to open his offense and force the Chargers to play differently? For the second week in a row, Tua has been off his game, or has he been?

Dolphins-Chargers Week 14 Five Biggest Storylines ... And How ... (DolphinMaven)

1. The Tua-Herbert Showdown. BEFORE THE GAME: Yes, this game is about more than QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, the fifth and sixth picks in the 2020 NFL ...

DURING THE GAME: Staley was faced with two critical decisions on fourth-and-goal situations on the Chargers' first drive of the game and on their last drive of the first half, and he went the aggressive route both times. The closest might have come early in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins were at the Chargers 45, but it was fourth-and-11 and they were within six points. The idea was to not let Miami's speedy receivers run free in the secondary, and it obviously worked on this night. The bigger issue when it came to the coaching battle was the defensive scheme the Chargers put together to combat the Dolphins passing game, with L.A. Staley has chilled out a bit on the ultra-aggressive decisions in 2022, but would it really surprise anybody if we saw some of those from either McDaniel or Staley in this game and that one of them could become a determining factor in the outcome? The Dolphins special teams have not had a great season, but if this game turns into the shootout that easily could materialize, it could come down to a big play on special teams. DURING THE GAME: It's Tua who has had the better 2022 season and is the one in the NFL MVP conversation, but at least on this night it obviously was Herbert who was the better player. DURING THE GAME: This game almost did come down to special teams, if only the Dolphins had been able to recover the final onside kick after it bounced off the leg of Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer. Phillips had one of the team's four sacks and had a second stolen by a ridiculous roughing-the-passer penalty when he gently (as gently as possible) landed on top of Herbert. In fact, he was as big a reason as any that the Chargers won, passing for 367 yards despite rarely having the ability to settle in the pocket before the pass rush was in his face. DURING THE GAME: Armstead indeed did start at left tackle for the Dolphins and he looked solid as usual, though he did get beat by veteran linebacker (and former Dolphins player) Kyle Van Noy for a sack in the second quarter. The game shouldn't be seen as a referendum on the two QBs, but it's also clear that each has the ability to deeply impact the outcome of this matchup.

Mike McDaniel on Dolphins' drubbing at Chargers: Certain guys ... (Palm Beach Post)

McDaniel identified issues on both sides of the ball, finding players going away from what they were taught trying to be a hero.

The box score doesn’t read, ‘asterisk, it was cold.’ " "You got to pay the piper at some point. "It’s kind of like playing in Miami," he said. "It wasn't one player," he said. Whether or not that benefits us moving forward is for the team to determine." "It’s hot. Not even when you face a third straight daunting road game and this one at your rival and AFC leading Bills, who will be looking to made a statement after losing a bizarre September game in Miami, 21-19. I think that’s something that you have to be upfront that, ‘hey, it’s going to be cold,’ but it’s also something that no one cares. "You talk about a frustrating film to watch," McDaniel said. "It wasn't one position. Miami is 8-5, two games behind the Bills. While Herbert passed for 367 yards, Tagovailoa was 10 of 28 for 145 yards.