Sunday in Seattle wasn’t just the Miami Dolphins‘ third straight road loss, dating back to last season.
It was the third straight time Mike McDaniel’s richly talented offense scored fewer than 20 points on the road.
That’s not nearly good enough in a league that structurally prioritizes offense.
But the Dolphins’ issues away from Hard Rock Stadium are not a new phenomenon under McDaniel.
Miami Dolphins Offense Toothless Away From Home
McDaniel’s offense — which is predicated on motion, communication, timing, and trust — simply hasn’t functioned at a high level in hostile environments, except for a few rare occasions.
Plays come in too slowly. The pre-snap operation gets disjointed. Players look confused. And once the ball snaps, the offensive line routinely allows free rushers due to missed assignments.
The stats are pretty conclusive.
Since the start of the 2023 season, the Dolphins have averaged 6.9 fewer points and 63.1 fewer yards per game on the road, managed a full yard less per pass, and given up sacks 45.1% more frequently than they have at home.
Their third down efficiency goes down (36.7% to 42.3%), and their offensive line’s sack rate goes up (7.4% from 5.1%) after plane rides.
The @Seahawks D has shut down all SEVEN 3rd down conversion attempts today 😳
📺: #MIAvsSEA on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/tGOhyvLgfR— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
All of that is bad news for the Dolphins, particularly since they are on the road for eight of their final 14 games,
“I think we have to handle the road better, and that starts with me,” McDaniel said. “But then that continues throughout everyone. I think that the crowd was rocking and we looked as though it was the first time in a hostile environment.
“And so that’s a fast lesson that you have to learn from and get better or you are not going to expect any differing results moving forward.”
Certainly, not having Tua Tagovailoa conduct the orchestra hurts. But no matter the quarterback, the Dolphins aren’t going to beat anyone by committing 11 penalties, as they did on Sunday.
And they’re definitely not going to beat anyone going 1 of 12 on third down, 0 of 4 on fourth down, and scoring a total of three points on two red zone trips.
“First game on the road, certain things happen,” said Dolphins tackle Kendall Lamm. “Especially in this type of environment. Seattle has one of the best home field advantages in our league. It’s been documented over time.
“But at the same time, it just boils back down to preparation, really locking in. Just because this was the first doesn’t mean that this has to be the standard for every other game. You learn from it, see what you can do better and keep it moving.”
Tyreek Hill, who is on pace for his lowest season yardage output since 2019, added: “We’ve got a great team that’s willing to correct some of the things we aren’t doing right. I think that’s the biggest thing, and we’ll get there. … We’ll have a captains meeting on what needs to be changed and be back to the drawing board Monday night.”