Miami In the visitors’ locker room, the mood after the game was more determined than dejected. The Buffalo Bills were a 14-point underdog, but the visiting Miami Dolphins had just given them a tougher game than anyone could have predicted, especially without their main quarterback.
In many ways, the season was a roller coaster, as Mike McDaniel’s first season as head coach came to an end in a 34-31 wild-card loss. Making it to the postseason was a satisfying accomplishment, but Tua Tagaloas’ concussion protocol kept him from starting at quarterback, which was disappointing. The defense played with unexpected sharpness, and McDaniel blamed a harsh delay-of-game penalty on a fourth-and-1 for the infraction. There was the thrill of a potential upset and the knowledge that the season that had once raised expectations for the Super Bowl was done.
After five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, including as offensive coordinator in 2021, McDaniel brought a reputation as an innovative, offensive-minded coach to Miami. His job was to help Tagaloe, the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2020, who had had a difficult first two seasons, reach his full potential.
The outcomes for the first three games were perfect. With his incredible exploits, Tagovailoa had the Dolphins supporters shouting “M-V-P” as the team got off to its best 3-0 start in four years. However, an apparent head injury sustained by Tagovailoa during a victory against the Bills in Week 3 set off a series of events that would alter the storyline.
Acclamations of McDaniel’s handling of one of the best offenses in the league throughout the first few weeks gave way to incisive queries concerning Tagovailoa’s playing status four days following the Bills game. When Tagovailoa was taken off the Cincinnati Bengals field on September 29 due to a concussion, those inquiries quickly escalated into harsh criticism.
McDaniel went through a variety of feelings in his first season. He held back tears after Tagovailoa was briefly hospitalized in Cincinnati and giggled on stage during Tagovailoa’s preseason charity luau. There were various NFL investigations, one of which led to a modification of the concussion policy, a winning and losing streak of five games, and a postseason berth—Miami’s first in six years. It was a season filled with controversy and victories, and it concluded with concerns regarding the team’s quarterback situation.
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