Tua Tagovailoa threw for just 114 yards in the Dolphins' Week 1 loss to the Colts, but he has never lost to the Patriots (7-0).
Tua Tagovailoa threw for just 114 yards in the Dolphins' Week 1 loss to the Colts, but he has never lost to the Patriots (7-0).AJ Mast/Associated Press
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is ever the optimist, and he was able to find a positive in his team’s 33-8 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
“I think the positive is that that was a miserable experience,” McDaniel said. “It was embarrassing flat-out, and in that there’s nowhere to hide.”
As bad as Week 1 was for the Patriots, who lost, 20-13, at home to the Raiders, it was infinitely worse for the Dolphins, who host the Patriots in Week 2.
This past Sunday in Indianapolis, the Dolphins’ offense committed three turnovers, gained just 211 yards, and only held the ball for 21:17. Their defense allowed 418 yards, 24 points off turnovers (including a turnover on downs), and became the first defense in 47 years to allow a score on every possession.
The loss served only to inflame the hot seat of McDaniel, whose job is likely in jeopardy this year. McDaniel went 20-14 with consecutive playoff appearances in 2022-23, but he didn’t win a playoff game either time, and he regressed to 8-9 last year.
“The good news and the positive is I don’t see how it could be worse,” McDaniel said. “It’s just a shame. You work behind the scenes for months on end and you don’t show any of it; it’s frustrating. I’ll call it what it is. It was embarrassing and not anything that paying fans sign up for.”
Another ray of sunshine for McDaniel this week — the Patriots are coming to town.
The Dolphins have clobbered the post-Tom Brady Patriots, winning four in a row in the series and eight of the last nine. The last time the Patriots won in Hard Rock Stadium, Antonio Brown caught a touchdown pass (2019).
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw for just 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Colts, is 7-0 in his career against the Patriots. Only a trio of Hall of Famers — Dan Marino, Joe Namath, and John Elway — have had longer winning streaks against New England. Last November, Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-15 win in Miami.
Those games, of course, came with Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo as head coach, and with Mac Jones mostly at quarterback.
The Patriots don't have a great history in Miami.
The Patriots don't have a great history in Miami.Doug Murray/Associated Press
First-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he doesn’t feel this week the weight of trying to end the Dolphins’ recent dominance over the Patriots. One, Vrabel wasn’t the Patriots’ coach for any of those games, and two, Vrabel went 2-0 against Tagovailoa when he was coach of the Titans, winning, 34-3 in 2022 and 28-27 in 2023.
“I feel the opportunity to go on the road and win a division game. That’s what I feel and that’s where our thought process is,” Vrabel said.
On Sunday, the Patriots will face a Miami team whose dynamic offense has surprisingly fizzled since the start of the 2024 season. The Dolphins had the fewest 25-plus-yard passing plays in the NFL last year (15), and Tyreek Hill, a five-time All-Pro and one of the fastest players in the league, has not had a catch longer than 30 yards in his last 17 games.
This from a Dolphins offense that exploded when McDaniel and Hill arrived three years ago, finishing top three in yards per play in 2022 (6.3) and 2023 (6.5). Last year, the Dolphins ranked 23rd (5.1), and after one game this year they are 25th (4.6).
“I think that’s also important, is continuing to take the shots downfield whether the shell provides it or doesn’t,” Tagovailoa said.
The Dolphins also will be without starters at right tackle and right guard because of injuries. But the Patriots can’t afford to take the Dolphins or any team lightly, not after Raiders quarterback Geno Smith ripped up their defense for 362 passing yards. The Dolphins still have Hill and Jaylen Waddle, an accurate passer in Tagovailoa, a dynamic run game led by Davone Achane, and a creative play-caller in McDaniel.
“Tua does a fantastic job of knowing where he wants to go with the ball — quick delivery, he’s extremely accurate,” Vrabel said. “Then the speed with Waddle, Tyreek, and the whole team … You either have to do what the Colts did, which was turn [the ball] over, or you’re going to have to make a play along the way and make them earn it.”
The Dolphins may have put forth the most embarrassing performance in the NFL in Week 1. But the Patriots have a poor history in Miami, and they will face a team that seems desperate and focused to put forth a better effort.
“We have a very close team that I think was caught by surprise. So back on the grind,” McDaniel said. “Week 2 is generally a big week where you can see a lot of improvement, and that’s obviously where our mind-set is and where our focus lies.”
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.