Dolphins’ McDaniel, Tagovailoa cite communication breakdowns in home opening loss to Patriots

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel took responsibility after Sunday’s 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium, saying late-game miscues ultimately cost his team the chance to win.

“Everything falls on me in the end,” McDaniel said of the Dolphins’ struggles on the final drive. “We had the opportunity to win the game and we robbed it from ourselves.”

McDaniel pointed to breakdowns in communication between players and coaches, particularly during the late confusion in the huddle that stalled Miami’s final possession.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said the entire sequence left him frustrated.

“Yeah, that, that was really frustrating,” Tagovailoa said. “It was frustrating with the communication, with the guys inside the huddle and then what the personnel is, and the play for those guys. Do we have too many guys in? Why do we have another guy running in? Just the whole operation of that was not up to standard, was not up to par. I gotta do a better job with our guys in that sense.”

Tagovailoa, who threw for 307 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, acknowledged hearing boos from fans as the Dolphins fell to 0-2.

“Many come here to come and see their team play and we go out there and we don’t look the part as we have in previous years, so it’s all understandable and it comes with the game,” Tagovailoa said. “You get the boos, you get the cheers. For us mentally as players, we’ve got to stay even keel, stay together and continue to trust one another.”

Tagovailoa also assessed the blindside of his offensive line after right tackle Larry Borom and right guard Keon Smith filled in for injured starters Austin Jackson and James Daniels.

“I think they did a great job for what we asked of them,” Tagovailoa said. “There’s a lot of situations that could have been avoided with our operational deals, but I think they did a great job for the most part.”

Despite falling to 0-2, Tagovailoa said the team has no time to dwell with a short week before facing the undefeated Buffalo Bills (2-0) on Thursday night.

“You’ve got to learn from this game and move on quick,” Tagovailoa said. “You go in tomorrow, watch it with the guys, get a gist of what the game plan’s going to look like going into Thursday. That’s when you sort of have your recovery as well.”

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill said Miami has to use the setback as motivation moving forward.

“We definitely can use this as a momentum, to look real good back there,” Hill said. “Not only to myself but to (Jaylen) Waddle and also (De’Von) Achane. It was a good feel. I felt like old times, so hopefully we can continue that momentum and go to the next week. Just keep doing the same thing, keep taking down the field. That’s one of our biggest strengths. If we’re able to run the ball and then also attack downfield.”

Hill also praised rookie Malik Washington’s 74-yard punt return touchdown, which briefly gave the Dolphins a lead with 7:18 left in the fourth quarter.

“That was huge. That was very good, man, especially in that moment,” Hill said. “Making a big play here. Not bad for a fifth round draft pick.”

“It turned the crowd up and also I was like, I really don’t wanna go in, so he did his thing, man. He got us going, but unfortunately, they returned back. So I’m very proud of Malik. Like I said, man, I see flashes of myself in Malik every day. He comes in, tail off every day. He’s eager to get better, so he’s gonna continue to get better soon,” Hill added.

Despite Washington’s late-game heroics, Miami’s celebration didn’t last long as Patriots running back Antonio Gibson responded with a 90-yard kick return touchdown on the ensuing kickoff.

Defensive tackle Zach Sieler added that the defense needs to grow together after back-to-back losses.

“We have to play better as a unit,” Sieler said. “We have to keep building that camaraderie and that trust, and we’ll get there.”

Sunday’s defeat marked Tagovailoa’s first career loss to the Patriots, dropping his record against New England to 7-1. It also gave Miami its first 0-2 start since 2020.

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