The Dolphins under coach Mike McDaniel have developed two distinct trends. They perform well against losing teams, not so well against winning teams.
The script flipped last week in a bad way, when Miami blew a 17-0 lead against the previously 1-3 Panthers. The Dolphins have a chance to defy recent history against good teams on Sunday, against the 3-2 Chargers.
The Dolphins are 1-14 in their last 15 games against teams with winning records. They’ve lost eight in a row against winning teams.
The good news is that the Dolphins are 5-1 in their last six homes games. And the Chargers have plenty of injuries, fueling two straight losses..
A loss on Sunday would drop the Dolphins to 1-5. They next go to Cleveland, to face the currently 1-4 Browns. Miami then visits the Falcons, before a Thursday night home game against the Ravens followed by visits from the Bills and the Commanders.
Then comes the bye, in Week 12. However it shakes out, the Dolphins need to start winning some games. Otherwise, big changes could be coming in the bye week — if not sooner.