Troy Aikman wondered whether the Dolphins even wanted to win.
The ESPN analyst and NFL Hall of Famer questioned Miami’s operation with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa not running a hurry-up operation in the fourth quarter despite trailing by multiple scores in the 28-15 road loss to the Steelers on “Monday Night Football.”
“This is just a bizarre last few series,” Aikman pointed out in the final moments of the game.
“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.”
Miami coach Mike McDaniel, who at one point was expected to be fired during the regular season, had done a decent job righting the ship in recent weeks, but watching his team’s deliberate approach while down in the fourth quarter certainly isn’t the best look.
The Dolphins oddly allowed the play clock to run down inside 10 seconds on multiple fourth-quarter plays while the team was attempting a miracle rally.
“I’m flabbergasted by what we’ve witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins,” Aikman said Monday night. “And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I’ve seen in a long time.”
Miami, which was down 28-3 entering the fourth quarter, did score two touchdowns in the game’s final quarter but those drives were far from quick.
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The Dolphins racked up an insane 10:15 of time possession in the fourth quarter while scoring 12 points after falling behind, 28-3.
Monday’s loss eliminated Miami from playoff contention and now all eyes turn to what should be an eventful offseason for the franchise.
The Dolphins already fired general manager Chris Grier ahead of the trade deadline, and McDaniel will be a name to watch as the next domino to fall as their season comes to a close.
Miami will finish third in the AFC East, ahead of the Jets, and hosts the Bengals in Week 16.
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