Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tyler Huntley will continue as the interim starting quarterback.
The Dolphins coach added, on the other hand, that Tua Tagovailoa’s recovery process from a concussion is going well.
Barring any unforeseen events, Tua will return for the Dolphins against the Arizona Cardinals on October 27, just after the four-game rest period required by the NFL for cases of concussion.
The coach said the victory over the Patriots gave the Dolphins relief and put an end to 24 days of suffering. He added that the challenge now is to correct the team’s flaws.
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Miami (2-3) beat the Patriots (1-4) 15-10 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, snapping a three-game losing streak.
“There are many things that need to be improved, but I still think we have made a step forward.”
This season, the Dolphins were thought to be strong contenders and their own players have expressed that the goal this year is to advance far in the playoffs, especially with such a potent attack with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
After the debacle against the Buffalo Bills came the nightmare. Tua suffered a concussion and will be subject to a four-week protocol in the NFL for such cases.
Hill and Waddle didn’t work out with Tua’s replacement, Mostert missed three-plus games with an injury and Achane entered the concussion protocol after being hit in the first half of the game against the Patriots.
Instead of having a phenomenal campaign, the Dolphins have an offense that has scored 60 points in five games, a dozen on average per outing. The ground attack has been fatal and McDaniel himself admitted it.
Against the Patriots, there was a big improvement with Jaylen Wright rushing for 86 yards and Mostert for 80.
“You have to put a lot of emphasis on fundamentals and technique. You have to give credit to the offensive line that opened up space on Sunday. I think the rushers will carry the team on their shoulders.”
McDaniel added that having Mostert back is a very positive thing, but at the same time regretted Achane’s injury.
He highlighted Huntley’s performance in his second game leading the Dolphins’ offense. “This win will have a huge impact on Huntley in terms of calming down,” McDaniel said.
After the win over the Patriots, Huntley felt elated, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
The Dolphins also have a bye week coming up, and then they face the Indianapolis Colts. They will therefore have two valuable weeks to prepare.
Huntley said the offense’s mistakes must be corrected, and fouls and lack of coordination must be avoided. He stressed that once all of that is overcome, the offense will look very different.
Tackle Terron Armstead, returning from injury, was optimistic about the team’s performance.
“We have seen an improvement in terms of technique, performance, alignment, and assignments,” the tackle explained. “We need to clean up the mistakes to speed up our level and become a real team.”
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, meanwhile, said the group has not yet reached the level everyone wants.
“This is something we must keep in mind when working during this week when we don’t have a match. We must make corrections on both the individual and collective side.” The Dolphins have had to make some adjustments in recent days.
Jaelan Phillips, a valuable piece on defense, will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury suffered in a fall against the Tennessee Titans last week.
Third-string quarterback Tim Boyle was released and then signed to the practice squad. He was activated Sunday for the game against the Patriots. Also activated was wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Now at least the Dolphins can work with the calm that only victories produce.
