MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are 1-0. They erased a 14-point deficit to get there and captured the win in dramatic fashion. And now they have division rival Buffalo coming into their stadium for an early season showdown on Thursday night.
In ordinary times, this is what Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel would have been talking about on Monday.
These are not ordinary times.
The big story in the NFL on Sunday — wide receiver Tyreek Hill placed in handcuffs and seen laying face down on a street adjacent to the stadium hours before the season opener, along with defensive lineman Calais Campbell also briefly handcuffed after he attempted to intervene — remained the big story on Monday. Hill and Campbell both played and had an impact in the 20-17 win over Jacksonville, and teammates made no secret of how fellow players rallied around one another upon learning of the incident.
“I would venture to guess that one of the favorite parts of being in the NFL and being on an NFL team is that we are able to immerse ourselves into something that’s a tangible goal, that you have some control over,” McDaniel said Monday, clearly emotional at times. “I think a lot of times, it’s therapeutic to be in the process of NFL game week, a Thursday night division opponent. There’s a lot of very constructive things to think about. Sometimes, that can be our greatest gift, that gift of supreme distraction.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Monday that an investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the incident “will answer questions” while noting that it already has become part of a long national dialogue on the use of force by police.
The Dolphins played through the enormous distraction to beat the Jaguars. The distraction will linger into Thursday, without question. McDaniel was deeply bothered Sunday by the incident, as would be expected, and those feelings hadn’t changed Monday.
“It’s been hard for me not to find myself more upset, the more I think about it,” McDaniel said.
That said, he liked what he saw Sunday on the scoreboard and in the locker room.
“Super proud of teammates being teammates,” McDaniel said. “And super proud of our guys understanding the civic responsibility of a platform and intending to do right by it.”
What’s working
The defense. Lost in the shuffle of everything else Sunday was this: Jacksonville had six possessions in the second half. Of those, four ended with punts, one ended on downs and the other ended with a fumble on the brink of the end zone. And in the fourth quarter, it was lights out — the Jaguars ran 11 plays and netted eight yards.
What needs help
The rushing game. Miami’s offense wasn’t sharp in Week 1 and still reached 400 yards, which speaks to how high-octane that unit is. But 81 yards on 25 rushes — a 3.2-yard-per-play average — and five of those runs going for negative yardage isn’t good enough.
Stock up
Leadership. The day could have gone completely awry when Hill and Campbell arrived at the stadium shortly after being handcuffed, and the 14-0 hole that Miami dug for itself in the first half didn’t help matters. QB Tua Tagovailoa went on an uncharacteristic rant at halftime, lighting a fire under the offense. And the way players spoke up to support Hill likely will only make the locker room closer.
Stock down
Discipline. Miami led the NFL with 103 penalty yards on Sunday, the Dolphins’ most in their last 102 games including playoffs. (The last time they had more was Dec. 31, 2017, against Buffalo, when they had 145 penalty yards.) Granted, 40 of those yards came on a pass interference call by Jalen Ramsey that set up Jacksonville’s first touchdown. But nine penalties for however many yards isn’t part of a sustainable winning formula.
Injuries
Ramsey didn’t show any ill effects from a hamstring issue that derailed him leading into Week 1. And Hard Rock Stadium went bonkers when Jaelan Phillips — back from his Achilles tendon tear — was introduced as one of the starters.
Key numbers
4 — The Dolphins are one of four NFL teams to start 1-0 in each of the last four seasons, joining New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. (The Saints have started 1-0 in six consecutive seasons.)
80, 63 and 39 — Those were the three longest plays in Sunday’s game, all of them passes by Tagovailoa and each going to a different receiver. There was the 80-yard touchdown to Hill, a 63-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle and a 39-yarder to De’Von Achane.
Next steps
It’s a short week, with the Dolphins playing host to the Bills on Thursday night.
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