Stick a Fork in the Season (and Tua)

Stick a Fork in the Season (and Tua)

The Miami Dolphins are officially eliminated from the 2025 playoffs with their ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While even the most die-hard Dolphins fan knew the playoffs were a long shot, this was nonetheless an opportunity to squash many narratives about this team. A Monday night game, cold weather, and an opponent with a winning record were the stage for the Fins to show what they were truly made of.

Although the team played a solid first half, particularly on defense, they fell apart in the second half. This was against a Steelers team that ranked 28th in defense and had several key players out injured. They were even starting their number 4 offensive tackle.

This game was very winnable for the Dolphins, but sadly, they looked like the 1-6 team, not the one that had won 5 of its last six games. Bad quarterback play and questionable time management led to a second-half collapse, with the only points scored in garbage time. The team that came out in the second half did not look at all like the first half team.

So, fans must sadly stick a fork in this season. It’s done—nothing for the team to play for now other than a winning record. Many players will be playing for their jobs/contracts. Devon Achane will enter the final year of his contract and will no doubt want a sizable deal. Mike McDaniel’s future may be back in question again. Time to stick a fork in him as well?

The Tua experiment is over. No one seems to know exactly what is going on with this deterioration of his play.

Is he hiding some injury?

Is it a mental issue?

He ran the ball to get a first down, and like he did the previous week, came up short by sliding too early. He seems to have no sense of where the markers are. In the first quarter, he made a throw that hung forever and was intercepted. Tua was never known for a strong arm, but his velocity has diminished, and there is no room for him to regress in this area.

He has not shown he can lead the team when the run game isn’t working or when they are behind and need to throw the ball. No doubt, this off-season, owner Stephen Ross and whoever the General Manager is will be discussing what to do with their first-round pick.