The Miami Dolphins showed some signs of life over the weekend with a strong performance in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The victory had to feel like a breath of fresh air to head coach Mike McDaniel, who was able to snap a three-game losing streak and perhaps gain some temporary relief from hot seat conversations. The win also meant he didn’t have to provide a post-defeat press conference. It was a post-victory presser instead.
That might’ve been a relevant detail to anyone around the league who was starting to feel like his post-defeat pressers included hints about his feelings on the job.
“The way McDaniel has presented himself at post-defeat news conferences struck some as an indication the job had gotten the better of him,” wrote The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
“‘Sometimes people want to get fired and are relieved,’ another coach said.”
The Dolphins still have a long way to go if they want to turn their season around, but they certainly made a statement against Atlanta. They came away with a 34-10 victory on the road after dominating in multiple facets of the game.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played like he was tired of the outside noise, as he finished the game 20 of 26 for 205 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. In the passing game, four different players tallied a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, on defense, the Dolphins held the Falcons to 213 total yards, 11 first downs and 10 points. At one point in the fourth quarter, the score was 34-3 Miami.
The challenge for McDaniel’s squad now is that it has a tough stretch coming up. Its next three games will come against the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders. Those teams are all having different seasons, but all three are dangerous when they’re firing.
Many have already thrown in the towel on this Dolphins season, but the franchise has shown before that it’s capable of in-season turnarounds. If McDaniel wants to give himself the best chance possible to keep his job, a resurgence from Miami over the remainder of the season would likely go a long way.
Otherwise, if the Dolphins start dropping games again, it’s a safe bet that people around the NFL will resume paying close attention to how he carries himself in his postgame pressers.
