The Miami Dolphins‘ awful Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans has the potential to define the team’s season — if Mike McDaniel allows it.
All of the Dolphins’ goals — AFC East title, homefield advantage, Super Bowl championship — remain in front of them.
But they all just got a lot harder. It’s hard to put into words just how damaging that result was for the Dolphins — to their playoff path, to their health, and to their psyche.
It’s the kind of loss that can cause a team to spiral — particularly one that has the NFL’s third-hardest remaining schedule.
Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel To Reveal True Colors
The Dolphins are the NFL’s best team when things are going well. They have scored 30 or more points in more than half of their games. They have six wins of two or more touchdowns.
But what happens when the good times end?
How many games have they won that they shouldn’t have?
History suggests the Dolphins will beat the New York Jets on Sunday.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
Even after the disaster on Monday Night Football, they’re 17-3 in their last 20 games at home and 15-4 since the start of the 2022 season when favored. (The Dolphins, as of Wednesday afternoon, were laying 8.5 points vs. the Jets).
But Sunday could be the last time the Dolphins are favored this regular season, with the gauntlet of Cowboys-Ravens-Bills to close.
And considering how good of a feel oddsmakers have for the Dolphins (Week 14 notwithstanding), that’s a problem.
Since McDaniel took over as head coach, the Dolphins are just 3-9 straight up as underdogs.
Put another way, when the going’s gotten tough, they have not met the moment.
As we explain in our Week 15 Pro Football Network Miami Dolphins Podcast, this is a chance for McDaniel to change the narrative and prove he’s the coach his bosses believed he was when they hired him nearly two years ago.
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