The Miami Dolphins’ season looked like it was on life support after a brutal 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football back on October 30. That defeat dropped them to 2-7, and the next day, the organization announced it was parting ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier. At the time, it felt like a full reset might be coming - maybe even a coaching change.
But something shifted in South Florida.
Since that low point, the Dolphins have rattled off three straight wins, climbing to 5-7 after a gritty 21-17 victory over the struggling New Orleans Saints on Sunday. And suddenly, the team that looked like it was circling the drain is back in the mix - not just in the standings, but in the locker room, too.
McDaniel’s Grip on the Locker Room Was Never Lost
Despite the noise swirling around Mike McDaniel earlier this season - and there was plenty of it - the Dolphins' head coach never lost the trust of his players. According to reporting from Albert Breer, even as outside speculation painted McDaniel as a coach on borrowed time, those inside the organization saw something different: a team that still believed in its leader.
There were whispers of cultural issues dating back to September, and with no playoff wins in his first three seasons, McDaniel was firmly on the hot seat. On Halloween, it felt like his fate was sealed. But behind closed doors, the Dolphins’ decision-makers saw a coach who still had the locker room’s ear - and that mattered.
In fact, that connection with the players was a major reason why the team didn’t make a clean sweep when they moved on from Grier. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was reportedly a popular figure internally, but the front office chose continuity over upheaval. That decision is starting to pay off.
A Halloween Wake-Up Call
According to veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Halloween wasn’t just about costumes and candy in Miami - it was a turning point. Fitzpatrick shared that the team’s leaders called a players-only meeting that day, delivering what he described as a “tough-love ultimatum.”
The message? This season wasn’t over, and it was time to start playing like it.
“Actually, one of the points that we as leaders of the team came together and wanted to communicate was that we still have a lot of football left, we have a lot of talent on this team, we trust our coaches,” Fitzpatrick said. “And we just had to continue to lean into each other.
And I feel like we’ve done a really good job of that. We just got closer and started executing at a higher level.”
That’s not just locker-room talk - the results have backed it up. The Dolphins have looked sharper, more connected, and more confident over the last three weeks. And while they’re not out of the woods yet, they’re suddenly a team with momentum heading into December.
The Road Ahead
Miami’s next three games will go a long way in determining whether this turnaround has real staying power. They’ll visit the New York Jets (3-9) on December 7, then head to Pittsburgh to face the 6-6 Steelers on December 15. In Week 16, they’ll return home to host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-8).
None of those matchups are guaranteed wins, but they’re all winnable - especially if the Dolphins continue to play with the edge and cohesion they’ve shown since Halloween. As of Monday morning, sportsbooks had Miami as a slight 2.5-point road favorite against the Jets, which says a lot about how quickly perceptions have changed.
What once looked like a lost season has turned into something worth watching. The Dolphins are playing for more than pride now. They’re playing for jobs, for postseason relevance, and for a coach who never stopped believing in his team - and, more importantly, never lost their belief in him.