Mike McDaniel Reacts to Tua Benching Buzz, Dolphins' Elimination from Playoff Picture

After the Miami Dolphins' playoff hopes officially ended with Monday's 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike McDaniel didn't sound like he is ready to bench Tua Tagovailoa going forward despite his struggles.

McDaniel acknowledged to reporters following the loss that the passing game "hasn't been good enough," but there were "multiple" factors that contributed to those issues beyond Tagovailoa:

"Everybody has to do better. I have to coach better. A lot of times, people squarely put all the focus on the quarterback. Several times tonight, he was about to make the right read, and we had our eligible [receiver] fall over.

"It has to be better for us to be able to win games when you're not owning time of possession or controlling the game on the ground. That limits you a ton. It's not up to standard. The Steelers had a good plan early. They knew where we were trying to attack."

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As for the loss itself, McDaniel said he was "supremely disappointed" with the outcome, but remains confident they will come out playing strong in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"My expectation is we are going to bounce back no matter how much [this loss] hurts," he said."

Tagovailoa's box score line doesn't look bad, finishing 22-of-28 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Within the context of the game, though, it was not nearly as effective.

The Dolphins were trailing 28-3 through three quarters and Tagovailoa had 65 passing yards.

His first-quarter interception to Asante Samuel Jr. was on a pass that was severely underthrown to Jaylen Waddle on an out route where it just looked like he couldn't get any zip on the ball.

Tagovailoa's QBR was 12.2 against the Steelers. For comparison, Jalen Hurts' QBR in his five-turnover game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 14 was 27.3.

Samuel's interception gave Tagovailoa a league-high 15 for the season, all of which have come against zone defense.

There have been times this season when benching Tagovailoa was being bantered about, but McDaniel has always stood by his quarterback. He previously dismissed the talk following a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.

Miami doesn't have any financial incentive to sit Tagovailoa for the final three games. His contract already includes $54 million in guaranteed money in 2026. The 27-year-old is unlikely to have much trade value because of the money he still owed.

Unless McDaniel just wants to see what backup quarterback Zach Wilson can do, it seems like the Dolphins are content to just ride things out with Tagovailoa and make a decision about his future in the offseason.

This marks the second consecutive season that the Dolphins have missed the playoffs. They are 14-17 since the start of 2024 after going 20-14 in McDaniel's first two years as head coach.