MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Select Miami Dolphins players met with local reporters on Monday at the Baptist Health Training Complex – one day after the team collapsed in a 27-24 loss against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips recorded three tackles, including one for a loss, two quarterback hits and a sack in 53 snaps.
Phillips, though, had an interesting answer when asked what positives he sees five weeks into the 2025 season.
“I think there’s a lot of positive things to take, even as a defense, how we played in the first half really and the turnovers, that’s something we’ve been emphasizing,” he said. “I thought we came out and played like a really, really solid team. Like you said, all the pieces we have on offense, special teams have been good all year, so it’s not like we’re just a dumpster fire and we can’t do anything right. I think that we do a lot of good things; we just have to marry those good things together and keep playing complimentary football and take advantage of momentum swings and not fold when we’re up 17-0.”
Phillips can say one thing, but the numbers on paper tell a different story.
Start with coughing up a 17-0 lead to a Panthers team that’s gone 26-63 since the 2020 season.
Follow that with the Dolphins’ inability to stop the run – no matter the opponent.
To make matters worse, Panthers starting running back Chuba Hubbard missed Week 5 with a calf injury, meaning more touches for backup Rico Dowdle.
Not only did Dowdle score a touchdown during Carolina’s comeback, he also rushed for 206 yards on 23 carries – while the Dolphins managed just 19 yards on 14 attempts.
Plain and simple: Miami’s run defense stinks.
Realistically, if cornerback Jack Jones doesn’t punch the ball out at the Miami 1-yard line against the New York Jets in Week 4, the Dolphins are staring at a 0-5 record.
In that game, the Dolphins coughed up a 43-yard touchdown run to quarterback Justin Fields.
“I think ultimately, you do everything as a head coach and responsibility falls on your shoulders with all failures of result for sure. In each scenario, them bucketed, they’re all kind of unique to their own, but the bottom line is you have no time to waste, there are no egos that can be involved,” McDaniel said Monday.
The Dolphins were supposed to take care of the beginning portion of their schedule, but it has instead turned into a nightmare – starting in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, now 4-1.
“I don’t think there’s any sort of conflict between players and coaches, so I don’t think there’s a concern where it’s like players are pointing fingers at coaches and vice versa, that can kind of cause strife in the locker room,” Phillips said.
Entering Week 6, the Dolphins’ defense is allowing 386.6 yards per game — fourth worst in the league behind Cincinnati (391.2), Baltimore (408.8) and Dallas (412.0).
In their four losses, the Dolphins’ defense has allowed 33, 33, 31 and 27 points.
The schedule now turns to a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.
Herbert, of course, is forever linked to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was drafted one pick ahead of him in April 2020.
A loss would drop the Dolphins to 1-5 – putting their already slim playoff hopes on life support and adding even more pressure on owner Stephen Ross to cut the cord and begin the search for a new head coach and general manager.
With all the negative noise surrounding the organization, it will be interesting to see how the team responds on its home field.
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