The Miami Dolphins showed some fight on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, but ultimately fell to their AFC East foes by a score of 31-21 — dropping the club’s record to a discouraging 0-3 to start the 2025 NFL season.
It has been a nightmare start for the Dolphins, as even though most didn’t predict a Super Bowl victory this season, a playoff berth seemed reasonable. After dropping games against the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and the aforementioned Bills to begin the year, fans of the club from South Florida would just take a singular win at this point, with playoff talk feeling like a fantastical pipe-dream currently.
A report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapport ahead of Thursday night’s contest claimed Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s job was relatively safe at this stage, regardless of the outcome of the game. He said owner Stephen Ross, “likes him, believes in him and has invested in him.” He did give a caveat, however. “If fans suddenly stop showing up to the stadium, or if players stop playing for him, that can alter [McDaniel’s job safety].“
McDaniel’s job status will certainly be a storyline to watch throughout the rest of the 2025 season, but for now, we’ll focus on Thursday’s game and review the good, bad and ugly from Miami’s loss to Buffalo.
GOOD
Dolphins hang tight with Bills
Moral victories aren’t nearly as fun as actual victories, and if you ask Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel how he he feels about them, he’ll tell you they have no place in the NFL.
“I’m never proud of a loss. We came here to win. I refuse to take moral victories as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins,” the head coach told ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
Still, the Dolphins played better than many predicted heading into the contest — keeping it a tight game deep into the fourth quarter before a late field goal from Buffalo gave the Bills a double-digit lead. The silver lining to Thursday’s dark cloud outcome is that the team clearly hasn’t quit on McDaniel as their leader and the players have continued to play hard for their coach despite the disappointing losses that are piling up to begin the year.
The next step the team must take if they really want to help McDaniel’s job security is to actually win the games they’re playing in. They’ll get the opportunity to claim their first victory of 2025 a week from Monday when they host the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
BAD
Zach Sieler commits egregious penalty to extend fourth-quarter drive for Bills
Zach Sieler is one of the Dolphins best players — although his play in 2025 hasn’t been up to par just yet. However, on Thursday night, it was an error committed by Sieler while playing special teams that ultimately contributed greatly to Miami’s defeat at the hands of Buffalo.
With just over ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the score tied 21-21, the Dolphins defense forced the Bills to punt, which should have given Miami the ball back with a chance to take a lead against their division foes. Instead, Sieler plowed through Buffalo’s long-snapper, extended his arm in an attempt to block the kick, but missed the ball and tumbled into the Bills’ punter, sending him crashing to the turf. The result of the play was a roughing the kicker penalty and an automatic first down for Buffalo. They would put the ball into the endzone and take a touchdown lead — one they never surrendered.
Sieler will have better days while dressed in aqua and orange, but Thursday’s major gaffe is one he’ll remember for a long time.
UGLY
Tua Tagovailoa is regressing quickly
It was just two seasons ago when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa set the NFL on fire while throwing for a league-leading 4,624 passing yards while manning one of the most potent offenses around.
Those who have studied his game in 2025 see a player who is a far-cry from that quarterback this season.
On Thursday, Tagovailoa played a decent game overall, despite only passing for 146 yards. He threw two touchdown passes while keeping the score close against Josh Allen and the Bills. It was a very “point-guard” type of performance.
However, the quarterback looks physically like a shell of his former self — with subpar arm-strength and sketchy pocket presence holding him back from completing many of the passes that could have led his team to victory. Obviously, the passer’s past concussion issues are coming into play — with the quarterback seemingly “seeing ghosts” in the pocket while playing behind a young and inexperienced offensive line. But one must wonder what is causing the drop in arm strength from a player who already wasn’t known for having a cannon.
Whether it’s a change in footwork — which, admittedly has looked off so far in 2025 — or the result of injury issues like the hip ailment that forced Tagovailoa to miss the end of the 2024 season, something seems different with the 27-year-old.
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The Dolphins’ have dropped their first three games of 2025 and find themselves in a deep hole to begin the year. They’ll have some extra rest before their Monday Night Football clash with the New York Jets, but will that be enough to finally get them a win this season? Will you predict a victory against another less-than-stellar AFC East club? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Fins up!
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