Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins offense was humming early Sunday; the Dolphins took a 17-0 first half lead and Darren Waller caught all five passes thrown to him for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Alas, Waller wasn’t targeted again and the Dolphins punted on six of their final seven possessions, succumbing 27-24 in a gut-wrenching loss at Carolina to fall to 1-4.
So what happened? Why did Miami stop throwing to Waller?
“Any time you have any productivity in this league, they make adjustments as well,” McDaniel said in response to why Waller wasn’t thrown the ball in the second half.
“The critical things were we were in a ton of third-and-longs because we got zero or no production on the run opportunities. You are trying to be as balanced as you can, understanding if they know you’re going to pass every play, you probably won’t have production that way.
“They said we’re going to stop your run game with our front. And they did. Whatever we were doing, we could have done a better job. Any play I would have picked other than the ones I was calling. You are not going to get far if you can’t establish the line of scrimmage.”
McDaniel cited “critical mistakes and critical points in the game, whether they’re penalties or the critical situation missed assignments. Bottom line is that is not good enough. We are a much better team than letting a 17-0 lead eviscerate. We will be focused on getting that stuff corrected immediately.”
McDaniel also said “preparation and execution” were among other reasons for the loss. “We thought we were prepared for this, and clearly we weren’t.”
Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (83) reacts after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Matias J. Ocner [email protected]
Miami’s offensive line was poor, allowing three sacks and creating no holes for a running game that averaged a meager 1.4 yards per carry (14 attempts for 19 yards).
The Dolphins’ run defense remains abysmal. Rico Dowdle, Carolina’s No. 2 running back, had 23 carries for 206 yards, a 9.0 average.
“If you can’t get it right during the game, they will continue to do the least risky thing,” McDaniel said of teams running the ball down Miami’s throat. “It’s not how you win football games in this league. We have to figure that out immediately. I’ll start on the plane.”
Speaking more on the poor run defense, McDaniel said “what I was frustrated with was we had similar issues at the start of the Jets game and we tightened up considerably.” That didn’t happen Sunday.
“We need guys playing on the same page. You don’t give up that many line of scrimmage yards unless you’re uncoordinated in certain ways. If play calls need to change for that to occur, [we will]. It can’t continue to go on like this. It’s already gone on too long.”
McDaniel suggested it wasn’t an effort issue.
“If I see guys less tenacious [on tape review], I’ll have a gigantic problem,” he said.
McDaniel said one positive is “there was no splintering” among players.
“Losses are tough, but who really cares? We deserve to feel terrible. No one cares about our feelings.”
Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25) pressures Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the first half of their NFL game at the Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Matias J. Ocner [email protected]
Two Dolphins were injured during the game: Linebacker Tyrel Dodson left with a head injury; CBS said he sustained a concussion. Cornerback Cornell Armstrong left with a hamstring injury.
McDaniel said running back Jaylen Wright was inactive because Miami needed extra bodies on defense and special teams. “Had a great conversation with him this morning,” McDaniel said, adding that he practiced well last week.
Here’s my column on more Dolphins personnel missteps coming to light on Sunday.
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 4:48 PM.
Barry Jackson
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.
