Dolphins Fall Flat in Crucial Fourth Quarter, and Questions Surround McDaniel’s Late-Game Decisions
With the playoffs on the line and the bright lights of Monday Night Football shining down in Pittsburgh, this was supposed to be a defining moment for the Miami Dolphins. Instead, what unfolded in the fourth quarter was a puzzling mix of missed opportunities, questionable clock management, and a lack of urgency that left fans-and even the broadcast booth-scratching their heads.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t about the Dolphins losing a tough road game to a gritty Steelers team. It was about how they lost.
Down by two scores heading into the final quarter, Miami still had a shot. Time was tight, but the door wasn’t closed.
That’s when the confusion began.
Rather than shifting into hurry-up mode and attacking the clock, the Dolphins played as if they had a full four quarters ahead of them. They huddled.
They took their time at the line. They let the play clock wind down over and over again.
And all the while, the seconds ticked away-seconds that could have been used to mount a real comeback.
Even Troy Aikman, calling the game from the booth, couldn’t hide his bewilderment. “This is just a bizarre last few series,” he said.
“They don't go hurry-up. Now they're going hurry-up and calling timeouts.
It's just, it's hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they're trying to do.”
And that was the story of the night. The Dolphins didn’t quit, but they didn’t fight like a team with their season on the line, either. When they finally did pick up the pace-burning timeouts to preserve the clock-it felt like a contradiction to the way they had handled the previous drives.
Aikman didn’t hold back: “I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins. And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I've seen in a long time.”
The Dolphins did manage to put together two touchdown drives in the final quarter, but even those were marred by a lack of tempo. Every second mattered, yet Miami seemed content to let the clock melt away. There was no sense of desperation, no urgency that you’d expect from a team fighting for its postseason life.
And that’s where the spotlight turns to head coach Mike McDaniel. His offensive creativity has been a breath of fresh air in Miami, but Monday night raised real questions about his in-game management when the pressure is at its peak.
The Dolphins needed a spark. Instead, they got a slow burn that fizzled out far too soon.
Credit to the Steelers, who came in with a clear plan: stop the run and force Tua Tagovailoa to beat them through the air. It worked.
Once Miami’s ground game was neutralized, the offense struggled to generate explosive plays. Tagovailoa had moments, but not enough of them-and not fast enough.
Miami finished with just 15 points against a Steelers defense that had been vulnerable in recent weeks. That’s not going to cut it in December, especially in a game with playoff implications. And now, the Dolphins find themselves in a precarious position, with their postseason hopes slipping through their fingers.
The frustration from fans was palpable-whether they were in the stands, on social media, or watching from home. This wasn’t about a lack of talent. It was about execution, urgency, and decision-making when it mattered most.
In a game that could’ve been a statement, the Dolphins instead delivered a head-scratcher. And with the season hanging in the balance, that’s the kind of performance that lingers.