Dolphins players react to blown lead in loss to Panthers: ‘That’s unacceptable’

Through three quarters of Sunday’s bout between the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers, Miami was ahead in the scoreboard and on track for a victory thanks to standout performances from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

However, Miami still picked up its fourth loss of the season after Carolina scored 14 points in the final frame alone. For reference, the Panthers scored 13 points across the opening three periods of the game combined.

Miami blew a 17-0 lead in embarrassing fashion, and some of the more prominent folks connected to the team reacted to its collapse. Tagovailoa didn’t mince words when speaking on how the loss makes him feel and indicated that the Dolphins need to work out their issues sooner rather than later.

Head coach Mike McDaniel made some noteworthy comments as well. He made it clear that he believes Miami to be a far better team than its blown lead would suggest.

McDaniel said nobody is going to have sympathy for the Dolphins following their loss, and they should feel the way that they are feeling in light of letting the game slip away.

Miami’s longtime leader from the sidelines had harsh words about the team’s running defense as well. Through five games, the Dolphins have allowed a league-high 174.2 rushing yards per game in the 2025 season.

The Panthers tore up Miami’s defense in the running game, even with running back Chuba Hubbard sidelined. Hubbard was Carolina’s top rusher by leaps and bounds through its first four games of the season, but Rico Dowdle ran for 206 yards on 23 carries in his absence.

Tight end Darren Waller said the fact that Miami blew a 17-0 lead is “unacceptable.” He followed up his Dolphins debut with another great game, as he totaled 78 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. His longest reception was for 34 yards as well.

The Dolphins will likely have to look a whole lot better than they did on Sunday if they want to avoid picking up another loss on Oct. 12. Miami has a game against the 3-1 Los Angeles Chargers scheduled for that day.