The Miami Dolphins are sitting near the bottom of the AFC with a 1-5 record after Sunday’s 29-27 loss to the L.A. Chargers.
The only team preventing them from being in the basement of the AFC East is the winless New York Jets - the only team Miami has beaten so far this season.
But how different would this season be right now if the Dolphins just figured out how to close out games?
The Dolphins battled back from a 26-13 deficit with 12:47 left in the fourth on Sunday only to let another potential win slip away in the final 46 seconds of the contest.
It was the fourth time this season the Dolphins have lost a game when they are either tied or ahead in the fourth quarter.
It was the third time they’ve lost after leading a game with less than eight minutes remaining.
“The work we put in is unbelievable. We just have to go in and reap the benefit of it,” linebacker K.J. Britt said after Sunday’s loss. “We’re knocking on a win. The last four games have come down to the last drive. If we win four of those or three of those ball games. We’re knocking on it. We just have to kick the door in.”
On Sunday, Miami clawed its way back with a pair of touchdown drives with the second ending on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Darren Waller in the corner of the end zone with 46 seconds left to put the Dolphins ahead 27-26.
And then, both their special teams and their defense let the Chargers take a win away.
Nyheim Miller-Hines returned the ensuing kickoff to the L.A. 41-yard line, already giving the Chargers a decent start.
Justin Herbert escapes a would-be sack by barely managing to throw the ball away on first down. He again escapes the grasp of Jaelan Phillips on second down and tosses a pass in the flat to Ladd McConkey, who then jukes past Dante Trader Jr. and speeds 42 yards to the Miami 17 to virtually guarantee a decent field goal try.
Cameron Dicker nails a 33-yarder - his fifth of the game - with five seconds left.
Tagovailoa then throws his third interception to Derwin James as time expires and Miami is left lamenting another defeat.
“It’s more frustrating because of the amount of work we put in throughout the week,” Jaylen Waddle said. “Football is one of those games where you put in the work and the results aren’t always what you hope for.”
The Dolphins continually see that hard work not be enough in the final period and have let games slip away in different ways.
Against New England in Week 2, Malik Washington’s explosiveness on kick returns - something the Dolphins have been seeking for some time - put them ahead 27-23 with 7:18 remaining in the fourth against a division rival they entered the season expected to be able to surmount.
They go on to allow a 90-yard return for a touchdown to Antonio Gibson on the ensuing kickoff.
Miami’s final two drives end with Tagovailoa throwing an interception and being sacked on consecutive plays resulting in a loss on downs.
At Carolina last week, the Dolphins’ passing game ignited even after surrendering a 17-0 early lead as Tagovailoa found Waddle for a 46-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 left. But the Panthers ran all over the Dolphins’ defense (239 rushing yards) and snatched away the victory with under two minutes left. A pass interference call on Jack Jones on a third down pass by Carolina with 55 seconds left that could have forced a punt and given the Dolphins one last chance seals the loss.
Even at Buffalo in week 3, the Dolphins were tied at 21 early in the fourth quarter before the Bills took the lead with 7:17 left. Terrel Bernard’s interception of Tagovailoa in the red zone ends Miami’s last-ditch hopes of a comeback.
“We just have a great group of leaders that won’t let the team collapse and fold,” Waddle said. “We have a lot of great guys, young guys, that can take the next step to where this team needs to go. We have 11 games left and we can make them what we want.”