Mike McDaniel’s aggressiveness hasn’t paid off through six games.
The Miami Dolphins are desperately searching for offensive answers through six games. Defenses have slammed the door shut on coach Mike McDaniel’s gameplan, holding the Dolphins to a league-low 11.7 points per game after averaging nearly 28 points last season.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s return will boost production, but only so much can be swept under the rug. Deep passes to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle can help mitigate potential false starts and turnovers, but poor decision-making in short-yardage situations is a troubling trend for McDaniel and the Dolphins.
Miami has attempted 15 fourth-down tries, according to ESPN, a high number for a team that has played four different quarterbacks over the first six games. Only the Cleveland Browns (18) and New York Giants (16) have gone for it more. That said, both the Browns and Giants have also played one more game than the Dolphins.
Miami has 15 fourth-down tries on the year and gained first-down yardage on just 2 — 2. Four teams have converted just two fourth-down attempts through seven weeks — Miami is the only one of them with more than four attempts.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers have converted 1 of 2 attempts, and the New York Jets are 1 of 5 through seven games.
Yet, no team has been worse than Miami’s 13.3% success rate on fourth down. The Dolphins have no issue getting chunks of yardage with Tagovailoa behind center, but Miami’s struggles on fourth down have been an issue for multiple seasons. Its 44% fourth-down conversion rate was the fifth-lowest last season.
It’s important to remember that the Dolphins have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons under McDaniel, and the offense did complete 54% of fourth-down attempts in 2022. There’s time for McDaniel and company to correct course, but the clock is ticking with little room for error.
