Miami Dolphins Are Officially In Crisis Mode

The Miami Dolphins are at their breaking point. With the Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers, their season could be over if they don’t get back to winning in their last two games. Their playoff spot is slipping away and unless they get help from other teams, they could be out. Miami has been streaky all year long with win streaks, loss streaks, wins, and losses. They have been consistently inconsistent. With the season on the brink of being wasted, what’s really going on?

It starts with the quarterback and Tua Tagovailoa seems different from his mid-season form. Tua started off the season with a bit of swagger and confidence and as we near the playoffs, it seems long gone. His poise definately isn’t there and he’s forcing his throws. Throws that would be accurate and on time are sailing over WRs heads or just slightly off the mark. Tua went from takinng care of the football to a multiple interception game. Whether its the pressure of the playoffs, frustration with the refs for bad calls, or anything in between he’s not playing at the same level he was midseason.

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The offense itself is struggling. Why? That’s on Mike McDaniel to figure out. An offense that was firing on all cylinders seems to be imploding at the most crucial moments. The big plays are still there and their speed hasn’t gone away, but they’re inconsistent which is becoming a common theme. Teams struggle and not every play or series is going to go off without a hitch but they’re not overcoming their mistakes like they were when they were winning. Have defenses figured out the offense? Maybe a little, but it goes back to inconsistency specifically out of their WR group. Teams pay a lot of attention to Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle but when the offense was at it’s best, their depth was getting more involved.

Guys like Trent Sherfield and River Cracroft were making consistent plays. Is Tua Tagovailoa relying too much on their top guys and not looking for the other routes? Are the other WRs not getting the separation they used to? Is the run game not being balanced enough to force defenses to play up tighter to the line? There’s a ton of questions that need answers as Mike McDaniel heads to the make-or-break part of the season. A true test of a great coach is getting the team back on track and making the playoff push. Is Mike McDaniel capable of that for the Miami Dolphins? He’ll have to be as they face two divisional opponents to close out the season.