DETROIT, Mich.— Down by two scores Sunday to the team with the worst record in the NFL, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel found opportunity against the Detroit Lions.
The Dolphins had come back – or held on late – to win three one-score games prior to Sunday, and their ability to do so in Week 8 vindicated one of his core philosophies: There’s opportunity in adversity.
“That’s exactly what it is,” McDaniel said. “I don’t think you win this game if you don’t go through stuff. That’s why I believe, and I think our team believes that there’s no such thing as adversity, more that it’s opportunity to learn from a situation so that you can progress moving forward. I don’t think the goal of any game is really perfection -- it’s more growth.”
“This game, we were able to come out with a victory because of certain things that we’ve gone through in the past weeks.”
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns in one of the best performances of his NFL career. In Week 2 he threw 469 yards and six touchdowns in a 21-point comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, although he also was picked off twice.
“These guys, they’re not the Ravens, they’re the Detroit Lions,” Tagovailoa said. “We’ve got to take these guys on the same way we take everyone on, just have to focus on whatever that play entails for us and execute one play at a time.”
The Dolphins took advantage of an exploitable matchup against a Lions defense that entered the game giving up the second-most yards per game in the NFL. But Miami started in a 14-0 hole after Detroit scored on its opening possession, recovered a fumble and scored again.
That forced fumble was one of just two stops the Lions managed Sunday. Miami scored on its next five possessions before punting midway through the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins’ 476 yards of offense marked the third time they’ve surpassed 400 yards this season after doing so just twice in 17 games last year.
Their ability to pick up yards in a hurry, erase deficits and shift momentum this season has left them feeling confident.
“I feel like we’re confident enough to know nothing is out of reach with the type of offense that we have and the offensive weapons that we have,” wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “We’re confident that we can come back, and it’s finally going to click.”
The confidence is easy to understand. Miami is third in the league in passing yards per game (292.5) and sixth in total yards per game (380.6). Wide receiver Tyreek Hill leads all receivers with 961 yards and Waddle is fourth at 727.
That confidence might not have been there in 2021, when the Dolphins notched one comeback victory — erasing a 17-7 first-half deficit in a 31-24 win over the New York Jets.
Last season’s team was not equipped to win a shootout; this year’s version enjoys them.
“I mean, that’s what this league wants, man. It’s an offensive game,” Hill said. “That’s why people want to view the game, because scoring, long drives, scoring points, fast players, touchdown celebrations and all that, man. As an offense, we love being on the field. We love moving the ball up and down the field. It was just fun.”