The Miami Dolphins made it close, but they aren’t in any position to complain about how they got a win, they’re just happy that it occurred. On Sunday it came down to a two-point conversion, but they did manage to escape with a 21-17 win over the visiting New Orleans Saints.
Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel got the team to 5-7 on the season and knows that wins have been difficult to come by this year.
“You try not to get caught up in the style of victory,” McDaniel said after the game. “The idea is to end the game with more points than the opponent. I’m very proud of the group.”
The Dolphins have now won four of their last five contests and McDaniel said that “says everything about the guys we have on this team. It’s easier said than done for sure. We have more reasons to stay together, more conviction, more relief, every time you’re in the victory [lane].”
Tua Tagovailoa struggles for the Miami Dolphins…again
Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t had a great year. He’s had some really good moments and then he’s also had plenty of games like today. He was 12-23 passing for 157 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and he was sacked four times.
On a day where Tua was bad again, McDaniel was nice about it, but you can tell he’s frustrated with his quarterback’s play.
“I wouldn’t say Tua [Tagovailoa] played his best game,” McDaniel said. “On the pick, he could have thrown it to Darren Waller. He also had what De’Von [Achane] would say is a very catchable ball. Julian [Hill] had one [drop]. It was a little herky-jerky in the pass game. There were some plays made in the second half by Tua, but there were plays made that we would like to have back. That’s collective.
“At some point, we’re going to have to execute in the near future. If you have success running the ball, eventually people will overcommit, and you will need to pass to win.”
Tua sported a woeful 55.9 passer rating on the day, proving yet again that his huge contract extension was a mistake.
De’Von Achane was incredible again for the Miami Dolphins
The lone superstar on offense this year has been running back De’Von Achane. He had another big day against the Saints, averaging 6.1 yards per carry for 134 yards and a touchdown.
McDaniel is well aware that the Dolphins wouldn’t have five wins without him.
“I can’t say enough great things about De’Von,” McDaniel said. “He’s making players miss a ton and also getting some dirty yardage driving the pile. We were relying on him not just to be a good player, but take a step [as a leader]. It’s not just his play. He’s more vocal.
“We line him up everywhere and ask him to do a lot of jobs. He takes pride in being on top of his assignments. He also does a lot of work without the ball. We send him on fake jet sweeps to get other people involved. The thing that makes De’Von great is he’s not satisfied; he was frustrated he didn’t have two touchdowns” because he couldn’t catch a slightly errant pass from Tagovailoa on a third down in the second quarter.”
Anyone else get the feeling that McDaniel would really just love to tear into Tua at some point publicly?
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