Tua, McDaniel Ripped by Fans as Ravens Beat Dolphins Behind Lamar's 4 TDs in Return

The Miami Dolphins' dreadful season continued on Thursday with a 28-6 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson returned after a three-game absence (hamstring strain) and completed 18-of-23 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns, including two to tight end Mark Andrews in the first half.

Tight end Charlie Kolar and wide receiver Rashod Bateman caught touchdown passes in the second half.

Derrick Henry led an efficient run game with 119 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins were able to move the ball on offense in the first half. In fact, Miami out-gained Baltimore 226-109 through two quarters.

However, the Ravens led 14-6 at halftime because the Dolphins couldn't avoid self-inflicted wounds and missed opportunities, including Tahj Washington's lost fumble on the Dolphins' own 18-yard line, Larry Borom's false start on 4th-and-1 from the Ravens' 12-yard line, Riley Patterson's ensuing missed field goal from 35 yards out and a turnover-on-downs after the Dolphins had 4th-and-2 from the Baltimore 13-yard line.

The Ravens' offense sprung to life after halftime, with Jackson engineering touchdown drive on their first two possessions. In between, the Dolphins lost seven yards on a three-and-out. After all that, the Ravens led 28-6 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter, allowing Baltimore to cruise to victory from there.

A fantastic defensive effort that forced three punts and created two fourth-quarter turnovers (a fumble caused and recovered by Marlon Humphrey and an interception by Malaki Starks) helped that cause.

With that, the Dolphins suffered their third blowout loss in their 2-7 season. The season got off to a terrible start after a 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, and it hasn't gotten any better.

The low point was perhaps a 31-6 at the 2-6 Cleveland Browns on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Week 7. However, Miami showed signs of life the following week in a 34-10 road win at the Atlanta Falcons.

The Dolphins came back to Earth on Thursday, and now questions about the franchise's future shine even brighter.

Before the game, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport stated that head coach Mike McDaniel's job status was "firmly up in the air."

"Safe to say Mike McDaniel's job status is firmly up in the air," Rapoport said.

"On the hot seat, as they say. I do not sense anything imminent from owner Stephen Ross, who likes him, believes in him and has invested in him. But here is how McDaniel is going to be judged. How do the players respond? What is it like in the locker room? Do they keep playing for him, or do they not, and can you see it? That is going to determine whether he keeps his job."

McDaniel enjoyed success in his first two seasons, leading the Dolphins to playoff appearances both times. He's an offensive mastermind who helped transform Miami into a powerhouse on that side of the ball, with the Dolphins notably scoring 496 in 2023 (second-most in the NFL). However, Miami went 8-9 last year before this season, which will assuredly end with a losing record outside the playoffs barring a miracle.

And then there's quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who leads the NFL with 11 interceptions. Tagovailoa just threw for four touchdowns against the Falcons, but he couldn't lead the Dolphins into the end zone on Thursday. He entered the week 19th in quarterback rating and 22nd in QBR, per Pro Football Reference.

Tagovailoa has showed amazing promise in the past, leading the league in quarterback rating in 2022 and passing yards in 2023. However, he's struggling through a below-average season relative to his peers.

Fans and analysts provided their thoughts on the Dolphins' head coach and quarterback.

It doesn't get any easier for Miami, which will now host reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the 5-2 Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 9.