The Miami Dolphins ventured to Carolina fresh off their first victory but playing their first of many games without starting wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee). It didn’t go well as the Dolphins lost, 27-24, blowing a 17-0 lead in the process, to fall to 1-4 on the season.
Coach Mike McDaniel, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and the defensive front seven were all under pressure to deliver a winning performance and none came through.
This game started well for the Dolphins, but they hit a plateau in the second quarter and never recovered. They made a play or two in the fourth quarter but they gave up more plays in the final period. Oh, and they allowed 239 yards rushing
Here’s what we learned from Sunday’s stunning collapse:
Tua is so-so but comes through late
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (27 of 36, 256 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, 122.0 passer rating) had a clutch 46-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with 4:42 remaining to give Miami a 24-20 lead. Waddle ran past cornerback Mike Jackson on the scoring play. But the magic didn’t last long. Tagovailoa overthrew Waddle on a crucial second and 10 in the fourth quarter with less than two minutes remaining, He was sacked on third down before the Dolphins punted.
Tagovailoa didn’t show much magic in his first game without Hill since late in 2023, a 30-0 victory against the New York Jets. Tagovailoa was pressured more and more as the game wore on, and the Panthers seemed to focus more on defending tight end Darren Waller in the second half. Waller wasn’t targeted in the second half.
Tagovailoa was 17 for 21 for 151 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions in the first half for a strong 128.4 passer rating. He was sacked twice, though. — Chris Perkins
Waddle surfaces as receiving threat (kind of)
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had six receptions for 110 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Dolphins a 24-20 lead with 4:42 left. However, Waddle, who entered the game with 17 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns, was largely contained. He had a respectable four receptions for 47 yards in the first half.
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Third-down struggles
The Dolphins, who entered Sunday’s game No. 2 in the NFL on third downs offensively, converting 48.9 percent of the time, had five consecutive failed third downs. They started out well, converting five of their first seven third down attempts. The Dolphins ended 5 of 13 on third downs.
Front seven still struggling, especially vs. the run
The Dolphins’ front seven, which remains the biggest disappointment on the team as a group, had mixed results against Carolina but the run defense was abysmal, allowing Panthers running back Rico Dowdle 206 yards on 23 carries and had runs of 53 and 43 yards. Dowdle, who rushed for 1,079 yards with Dallas last year, entered the game with 83 yards on 28 carries.
Edge rusher Bradley Chubb had a fumble recovery and fellow edge rusher Jaelan Phillips had a sack while having some success as a pass rusher, but for the most part the front seven was gashed against the run and didn’t pressure quarterback Bryce Young (19 of 30, 198 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 90.7 passer rating) consistently.
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler continues to be a non-factor, which is also the case for fellow defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. Linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson continue to make tackles downfield, yards past the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Anthony Waever must be better, which is the case for the players on the front seven.
Waller starts hot but cools in second half
Tight end Darren Waller, who had three receptions for 27 yards and two touchdowns in his debut last week against the New York Jets, ended with five receptions for 78 yards, all coming in the first half. He wasn’t targeted in the second half for some reason. Still, Waller provided a much-needed first-half spark.
Another game, another early lead
The Dolphins scored on the game’s first possession for the third consecutive week, taking a 3-0 lead. The Dolphins took a 7-0 lead at Buffalo three games ago in a 31-21 loss and took a 3-0 lead against the New York Jets two weeks ago in a 27-21 victory.
Indianapolis scored a touchdown on the game’s first possession in the Colts’ 33-8 victory over the Dolphins in the opener and New England scored a touchdown on the game’s first possession in the Patriots’ 33-27 win. It didn;t matter this time, though. The Dolphins blew a 17-0 lead.
Four edge rushers at same time
The Dolphins used their top four edge rushers – Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips. Matthew Judon and Chop Robinson – on a third and eight play in the first quarter. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler was in the middle. Panthers quarterback Chase Young hit rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a 29-yard gain and a first down on the play as Phillips looped inside on a stunt.
The Dolphins haven’t used all four edge rushers many times this season, preferring instead to use three of the four at certain times.
Dolphins’ run defense struggles despite eight-man fronts
The Dolphins’ defense, which was struggling against the run (it entered 30th at 158.0 yards per game), showed frequent eight-man fronts against Carolina in an effort to stop the run. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was the eighth man in the box, often leaving rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. as the single deep man.
Carolina was without starting running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) and started Dowdle instead. But the Panthers still rushed for 83 yards in the first half. Every opponent has rushed for at least 100 yards against the Dolphins, who were No. 9 against the run last year and No. 7 in 2023.
Pass protection shows leaks
The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game surrendering eight sacks, tied for 18th-fewest. They gave up three sacks to Carolina, which had a league-worst two sacks entering the game. They registered two sacks in the first half. One sack came when rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea got juked at the line of scrimmage by defensive end Derrick Brown.
October, the month reality hits
The Dolphins, who entered Sunday’s game with a 6-6 record in October under McDaniel, are now 6-7 in October. That’s a sobering number considering the Dolphins are 7-4 in September in the McDaniel era. They were 2-2 in October 2022, 3-2 in October 2023 and 1-2 in October 2024.
“The biggest thing that I talk to the players about is the month of October and how you’re set up to be distracted,” McDaniel said last week, later adding, “The month of October needs to stand on its own and it needs to be above September or you’re not going to like the ultimate result.”
The Dolphins have October games remaining against the Los Angeles Chargers, at Cleveland, at Atlanta and against Baltimore.
Dolphins are road weary under McDaniel
The Dolphins are now 10-19 (.343) in regular season road games under McDaniel entering Sunday’s game, and 10-21 (.323) including playoffs. Miami is 0-3 on the road this season, having lost the opener at Indianapolis (33-8) and a Thursday night game at Buffalo (31-21).
Dolphins get first INT, turnovers coming in bunches
The Dolphins’ secondary, an anticipated weakness entering the season, recorded its first interception when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick grabbed an overthrown pass by Panthers quarterback Bryce Young to wide receiver Xavier Leggette in the second quarter.
It was the second turnover of the game – Chubb recovered a fumble in the first quarter – and the Dolphins’ fifth turnover in the last six quarters. They had three turnovers against the New York Jets, two defensive fumble recoveries and a special teams fumble recovery. The Dolphins are now even in turnover margin after entering the game at minus-2.
Jack Jones struggles
Cornerback Jack Jones had a pass interference call on third and five with 55 seconds left aaoinst wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, and had a crucial holding call in the fourth quarter against McMillan near the goalline, a penalty that led to the Panthers’ go-ahead touchdown at 20-17.
Jones, who gave up a touchdown reception to wide receiver Xavier Leggette in the second quarter despite good coverage, had a seeming holding/pass interference penalty flag picked up earlier. The Dolphins’ cornerbacks haven’t been good this season but they also haven’t been the weakness many projected. Still, these were hurtful penalties.
Dolphins’ run defense is at record futility levels
Some Dolphins personnel were quoted this week as seemingly unaware of Carolina backup back Rico Dowdle’s capabilities (he was a 1,300-yard gainer in Dallas last year). Well, they certainly know who he is now, after his 20 carries and three catches for 234 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Incredibly, this Dolphins defense has allowed the most rushing yards in franchise history through a season’s first five games, at 874, after the Panthers’ 239. The next-worst performance came from the infamous 1-15 2007 squad, getting gashed for 871 yards on the ground. The third-worst was the decimated roster of the 2019 team that yielded 848. — Steve Svekis
Alec Ingold has another butterfingers moment
Ingold muffed an in-stride pass down the left sideline from Tua Tagovailoa that would have gone for 20-30 yards. Unfortunately, the Dolphins’ attempt to integrate the fullback into the passing game has been a bust. Among 49 passes that have hit Ingold’s hands, that was Ingold’s seventh drop. One drop in every seven prime pass-catch opportunities is awful. That is in addition to an additional two fumbles in 60 touches, also a rough number.
That was the first time the Dolphins had worn aqua jerseys on the road in almost 3 years
The previous occasion where Miami hadn’t worn white jerseys away from Hard Rock Stadium was on Oct. 9, 2022 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in the Dolphins first game after the scary concussion absorbed by Tua Tagovailoa in Cincinnati 10 days earlier – coincidentally also while wearing aqua tops. The Dolphins lost those consecutive games by a combined score of 67-32.
Updating that impressive 14-plus-play touchdown stat for Tua
According to pro-football-reference.com, since 2001, the Miami Dolphins have had 36 touchdown drives that have involved at least 14 snaps in the regular season. In the 310 regular-season Dolphins games from 2001 through Tua’s first start, in October of 2020, Miami had cashed in for six points on 20 of those long slogs (15.50 games per such touchdown). Sunday’s 14-play methodical march to paydirt was the 16th in the Dolphins’ 83 games since Tagovailoa was named the starting quarterback. Tua himself has been the starter for 14 of them in his 67 starts (4.79 games per such touchdown drive, a massive 3.24 times the frequency as from 2001-20).
Tua’s immobility and fragility showed up early in the third quarter
Hanging on to a 17-13 lead, the Dolphins had a third-and-8 at the Dolphins’ 28. Tua Tagovailoa leaked to the right and started running….but instead of being able to take on a defensive back near the sticks, Tua slid 5 yards short. He has to protect himself, but that is likely a first down with a faster, larger and more durable quarterback.
On deck: Los Angeles Chargers, Hard Rock Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m.
The fourth incarnation of the Tua-Herbert Bowl. The Dolphins are 2-1 in those matchups between the quarterbacks selected fifth and sixth in the 2020 draft, though both quarterbacks have played well. Tua Tagovailoa has a 96.5 passer rating in the troika, while Herbert owns a 97.0.
