The Miami Dolphins opened the 2025 campaign with questions already swirling around their direction, and two weeks in, those questions have only grown louder.
Head coach Mike McDaniel entered the year on the hot seat, and his grip on it looks increasingly unsteady after a pair of losses that paint a troubling picture of a team losing its identity.
Week 1 was nothing short of a disaster.
Miami didn’t just lose to the Daniel Jones-led Colts in Indianapolis -- they were embarrassed. Falling behind 30-0 before finally scraping together a late touchdown in a 33-8 rout, the Dolphins looked like a team completely unprepared to compete in all three phases. It was a game that was supposed to be an early test of how the squad would respond to an offseason filled with doubts, but instead, it only confirmed them.
The Week 2 loss to New England was at least more competitive, but it doesn’t mean that it was encouraging.
Miami allowed 33 in their home opener, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa bouncing back from a turnover-filled opener to throw for 315 yards. On the surface, that should be viewed as progress. Dig deeper, though, and the same issues remain: the Dolphins are no longer built to overwhelm opponents with speed, and the defense can’t consistently get stops.
It's almost time to hit the panic button on Dolphins' disastrous start to 2025
It wasn’t that long ago that Miami thrived on its ability to stretch the field and hit defenses with explosive plays, a hallmark of McDaniel’s early days with the franchise. Tyreek Hill was the ultimate weapon, a wideout who tilted coverages and created nightmares for defensive coordinators. But those days seem like a distant memory.
Hill’s impact has waned, whether because of age, health, or simply the fact that defenses have adapted. Without his game-breaking threat, Miami looks ordinary on offense.
The defensive side of the ball is equally concerning.
The Dolphins haven’t been able to keep opponents under control, surrendering 66 points across their first two games. It’s one thing to lose shootouts when you’re still capable of hitting home runs on offense; it’s another when you can’t stop anyone and your explosiveness has dulled.
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That’s the combination that buries seasons before they can ever get started, and ultimately forces change within an organization's brass.
And then there’s the schedule.
Miami doesn’t have time to regroup with a soft opponent -- they’re headed to Buffalo on a short week for Thursday Night Football. The Dolphins haven’t won in Orchard Park in nearly a decade, and with the Bills playing with confidence, it’s difficult to imagine Miami suddenly finding its footing against the reigning MVP in Josh Allen.
An 0-3 start feels all but inevitable, and if that happens, the whispers about McDaniel’s job status will only grow louder.
There’s a certain truth in the NFL: teams that lose their identity rarely recover quickly.
The Dolphins once scared defenses with speed, creativity, and relentless pressure. Now, they’re searching for answers in all phases, with a head coach who appears to be running out of them.