The Miami Dolphins could very well be one of the worst teams in the NFL.
That much was confirmed Sunday when the Dolphins lost 31-6 to the Cleveland Browns to fall to 1-6. Only the lowly New York Jets — the Dolphins’ sole victory — have a worse record.
Whether you want to blame the run defense, the penalties or the turnovers, it doesn’t change the bottom line: this team just doesn’t have what it takes.
“Two formulas that generally will equal immediate loss regardless of what you do,” coach Mike McDaniel said of the more than 100 yards in penalties and four turnovers. “A game like this, we didn’t see coming in terms of our prep but you absolutely, with 100% certainty, have to evaluate everything.”
What comes next is unclear. If owner Stephen Ross wants to make changes, then when will they occur? Or will Ross stick it out with the current regime, as he reportedly wants to do?
“I find it very offensive to all parties involved if I’m thinking about having a job,” McDaniel said. “I need to be doing my job. I refuse to spend my time thinking” about potentially being fired.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs off the field after the Cleveland Browns defeat the Dolphins during their NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, October 19, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
Time will only tell, but it doesn’t change how unfortunate it is to be a Dolphins fan in 2025.
RUN DEFENSE IS LACKLUSTER
Quinshon Judkins came in with better per-game rushing numbers than Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
Throw in the stormy conditions that plagued Northeast Ohio and Judkins’ career day was a bit inevitable.
The former Ohio State standout finished with 25 carries for 84 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his scores came in the first half.
Miami, a team that already struggled with tackling, just couldn’t bring down the 6-foot, 220-pound back. Nowhere was that more evident than his first two touchdown runs, when he evaded his fair share of tacklers en route to the score.
PENALTIES ARE KILLER
Penalties are often a sign of an undisciplined football team and the Dolphins had more than double (11) the amount of infractions than the Browns (five).
What’s worse is that many of the Dolphins’ penalties came during key situations. Think back to the Browns’ first scoring drive when two penalties — cornerback Rasul Douglas’ illegal contact and defensive tackle Zach Sieler’s roughing the passer — put Cleveland into scoring range. Fast-forward to their next drive, and Ashtyn Davis’ interception got wiped off the board due to Minkah Fitzpatrick’s pass interference. The very next play: Judkins’ 46-yard scamper.
“We had them dead to rights a couple of times and bailed them out,” edge rusher Bradley Chubb said of the penalties. “That just comes down to discipline.”
In total, the Dolphins’ 11 penalties lost the team 103 yards.
PASSING GAME NONEXISTENT
To say the Dolphins’ passing game was nonexistent would be an understatement.
Tua Tagovailoa complete just 52% of his passes for 100 yards and three interceptions. Jaylen Waddle had one catch. And Darren Waller, who exited the game in the second quarter with a pectoral injury, didn’t even record a target.
Malik Washington led the Dolphins in catches with five for 30 yards. Dee Eskridge added a team-high 45 yards on two catches. De’Von Achane, the lone bright spot in the offense, finished with his 13 carries for 82 yards. He also grabbed three catches for 16 yards.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Dee Eskridge (82) fumbles the ball after getting hit by Cleveland Browns outside linebacker Jerome Baker (17) during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, October 19, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
It’s not like Dillon Gabriel — 72% completion for 116 yards — had a much better day. The rookie just didn’t put the ball in harm’s way as much as the sixth-year veteran did.
Tagovailoa was later pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of rookie signal caller Quinn Ewers. The seventh-round pick completed five of his eight passes for 53 yards.
“Definitely not happy, not proud of where I’m at with my play, with how I’ve gone about things this year,” Tagovailoa said. “I know I got to be a lot better.”
What an ugly, ugly day for the Dolphins offense.
BALL PROTECTION ISSUES
Win the turnover battle, win the game.
The Browns certainly did that, forcing four total turnovers while not committing a single one themselves.
As previously mentioned, Tagovailoa threw three interceptions, one of which Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell returned for a touchdown. Another came when Tagovailoa, already deep in his own end zone, just threw the ball over the middle and landed in the hands of safety Rayshawn Jenkins who took the ball to the Miami 2-yardline. One play later, Judkins had his third score of the day.
The other turnover came courtesy of Dee Eskridge who coughed off the ball on a kick return in the second quarter.
In total, the Dolphins’ four turnovers led to 21 points.
“They’re a really good defense, but I think a lot of it was we shot ourselves in the foot,” Tagovailoa said.
POOR SECOND-HALF EXECUTION
Here’s how each of the Dolphins’ second half drives ended:
Pick-six. Punt. Turnover on downs. Interception. Interception. Punt. Turnover on downs.
Regardless of how poor the defense is, you can’t turn the ball over three times in the second half — let alone any game — and expect to come out on top.
“No person, no player, no coach has their hands clean,” McDaniel said, later calling the game “a step back for how we play football.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM.
C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
