MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is considering a quarterback change after Tua Tagovailoa’s continued struggles this season, which were magnified in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that eliminated Miami from playoff contention for the second straight season.
Tagovailoa threw for just 65 yards through three quarters, and the areas in which he has appeared to regress were evident again, from questionable decision-making to a lack of mobility that has hampered him throughout the season.
“The quarterback play last night was not good enough,” McDaniel said Tuesday, “and so for me, everything is on the table.”
McDaniel said he would give “more clarity” on his quarterback decision on Wednesday. Miami’s other quarterbacks are Zach Wilson, who has been Tagovailoa’s backup most of the season, and rookie Quinn Ewers.
“We’re in the process of game planning for the Cincinnati Bengals,” McDaniel said, “so in that process we’re trying to determine who will give us the best chance to win.”
The Dolphins’ slim postseason hopes slipped away for good in frigid Pittsburgh on Monday — this after a four-game winning streak had briefly resurrected their season hopes and pulled them out of the 1–6 hole they dug to start the year.
There are three games left, but for a franchise carrying the league’s longest playoff-win drought, the focus should immediately shift to making sure they don’t find themselves in this same position for a third straight season.
That begins with answering the question of whether they are best suited to win high-stakes games with Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024, or someone else.
Tagovailoa earned that big payday after making the Pro Bowl and leading the league in yards in 2023, but he has not returned to that form and has failed to deliver in big moments, with three wins in his last 15 starts against teams with winning records.
McDaniel, who has mostly avoided criticism of his quarterback, indicated Tuesday that his expectations from that position have not been met.
“The bottom line is, we have to have a certain standard at each position,” McDaniel said. “All positions are the same. There’s no one entitled to preferential treatment. And when there’s a better option, it’s my job to attack that. … Ultimately, we need to have better play at that position.”
Over the past three games, Tagovailoa has completed 65% of his passes and failed to throw for more than 200 yards twice. On Monday, he threw a poor pass that was picked off on Miami’s second possession — his league-leading 15th interception and a new career high.
“The biggest thing is you have a standard of performance,” McDaniel said. “You have 11 guys trying to work together as one. It takes all 11. Oftentimes, heavy is the crown. There’s misplaced blame, and it’s not always one person’s fault. Generally, it’s not one person’s fault. But realistically … the team deserves to have the best chance to win the football game. That means taking care of the football, being able to make plays, move the chains and get the ball to the open guys.”
What’s working
Nothing that had fueled the Dolphins’ four-game winning streak worked on Monday. They couldn’t run the ball despite previously producing four straight games of at least 150 rushing yards. The passing game was nonexistent. Miami’s defense had a strong start, forcing punts on Pittsburgh’s first three drives, but unraveled as the game went on.
What needs help
Even when the Dolphins were having success running the ball, McDaniel noted that a defense would eventually find a way to slow the Dolphins’ rushing attack, forcing them to win with the passing game. The Steelers did that on Monday, limiting Miami to 63 yards rushing, but when the Dolphins needed their passing game to carry them, Tagovailoa and the offense couldn’t generate enough through the air to sustain drives.
Stock up
TE Darren Waller. After being held to three catches over the previous two games, Waller caught seven passes for 66 yards and Miami’s only two touchdowns.
Stock down
McDaniel. The Dolphins failed to play with any tempo or pace late despite trailing big in the fourth. The lack of urgency was criticized by ESPN’s Troy Aikman, who said on the broadcast he was “flabbergasted” by McDaniel’s decision to waste so much time then try an onside kick and call a timeout in the waning minutes.
“This is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I’ve seen in quite a long time,” Aikman said.
Injuries
S Minkah Fitzpatrick is week-to-week with a calf injury. McDaniel said the injury does not appear season-ending.
Key number
14 — The number of consecutive games the Dolphins have lost when the temperature at kickoff was 40 degrees or lower.
Next steps
With the playoffs now officially out of reach, the Dolphins will turn their attention to the future, perhaps seeing which of their young players could be key pieces to build around. The Dolphins have a lot of inexperienced players on their roster who could potentially get increased reps over the next three games, starting with Sunday’s matchup against Cincinnati.
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