Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel takes blame for Bills loss but NFL analyst disagrees, ‘It’s on somebody’

NFL analysts believe Miami Dolphins loss to the Buffalo Bills wasn’t on Mike McDaniel

After the Dolphins players held a players-only meeting after Week 1, the writing looked to be on the wall for head coach Mike McDaniel.

With the intensity of prime-time football added, McDaniel actually called a very good game of football, utilizing short yardage while his quarterback got to grips and using the run game effectively.

However, it was clear pre-game that the Dolphins quarterback’s confidence was ‘shot’, and ultimately, his late interception and Zach Sieler’s roughing the punter penalty earlier in the fourth quarter cost them.

CBS’s Pete Prisco wrote on X: “I’ve criticized McDaniel a bunch, but this isn’t on him. His team played hard, and he called a good game. But it’s on somebody ….”

Jonathan Jones, also with CBS, commented: “Mike McDaniel dialed up some great calls to extend crucial series all night long. A team captain roughed the punter, and the highest-paid player threw a terrible pick.”

Albert Breer believes that the Dolphins haven’t quit on their coach just yet: “As for the Dolphins, they rallied. Doesn’t look like the coaches have lost their team yet. And the schedule isn’t too arduous over the next few weeks.”

The Dolphins are 0-3, but it genuinely did look as if the players were fighting for him on the field, with two mistakes the difference between a probable win over a Super Bowl contender.

Tyreek Hill‘s comments post-game would only reinforce that point: “His p— was hot. The way he coached and the way he led men today was a beautiful thing.”

Tua Tagovailoa explains what he saw on Terrel Bernard’s interception

The Dolphins were 1st and 10 on the Bills’ 21-yard line with three minutes to go, having taken four minutes off the clock already, when Tagovailoa threw his interception.

Coming out of shotgun, Tagovailoa looked for Jaylen Waddle and instead found Terrel Bernard, the Bills linebacker who was paid handsomely in the offseason.

He explained to the media what he saw on that crucial play, almost in the red zone and only down seven: “Yeah, I thought I was in rhythm and timing of the play.

“Seeing the flat defender go over the top of Jaylen, Jaylen’s turning around. I think that was really good play by the defender.

“I had some color in my face trying to maneuver the throw as well. 10 out of 10 times, if we’re looking at that same thing, I think I’d still try to work that timing of hitting that spot. And I think the linebacker made a great play on that.”

It is his second crucial interception in the fourth quarter with under five minutes to go in as many weeks, having thrown one against the New England Patriots down four points.

The Patriots killed the clock and scored a field goal, just as the Bills did on Thursday Night Football.