Dolphins close to elite but close isn’t good enough | Schad

FRANKFURT, Germany – It was third down and the game was on the line, with about a minute left to play, and we were in Germany, but the Chiefs contingency was so, so loud.

Tua Tagovailoa had Cedrick Wilson, he had him for a completion to keep the game alive, but he and his receiver were on different pages and the pass hit the turf.

“It was my fault. It was my fault. It was my fault,” Tua said after the Dolphins’ 21-14 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. “Miscommunication there.”

But Miami coach Mike McDaniel blamed himself, saying he could have done a better job of preparing the players for the situation.

As McDaniel explained, Tua signaled to Cedrick, but the receiver understood it to be another route. What a missed opportunity. What a wasted opportunity.

Yet again.

The scoreboard will show that Miami lost by only seven points to the defending Super Bowl champions.

Miami missed the chance to seize its moment

Close? Yeah, I suppose. But close, in this instance, close is not good enough.

Elite? Well, almost. But yes, the Dolphins need to beat the elite to be considered elite.

And it’s not happening.

The Dolphins entered this game 6-2 and the Chiefs 6-2, as well.

But the way in which Miami lost – self-inflicted wounds, mistakes – is most disconcerting.

Just consider how the game ended.

It was now fourth down. Miami still with a chance to tie and Travis Kelce had been contained and Taylor Swift was nowhere to be found.

It was fourth down and the game was on the line and it was perfectly set up for Tua to make a lifetime memory for himself, his team and the fans.

Botched snap. Fumble. Game over.

What happened on the Dolphins’ botched snap?

It was a bit off center from Connor Williams, for sure.

But maybe Tua should have had it. It did hit his hands.

McDaniel said there could have been various factors. Well, listen to Tua.

“I’m always going to blame myself,” he said. “I’ve got to catch the ball.”

The Dolphins had driven to the Chiefs’ 31-yard-line. But the ball was turned over there.

“You never want a game to end like that,” Tua said. “We had one-on-one matchups.”

“It’s painful,” McDaniel said, as he took to a podium in Frankfurt.

There were too many mistakes, once against a formidable opponent, once again on the road. There was a false start by Chase Claypool, an illegal shift by Wilson, an intentional grounding by Tua, a holding by Williams, a holding by Austin Jackson, and a very critical fumble by Tyreek Hill.

“We have to be able to find a way to not shoot ourselves in the foot,” Hill said.

Tyreek Hill doesn’t get the win vs. Chiefs

Hill was a game captain, facing his former team more than 4,000 miles from home. But he had a terrible moment at Deutche Bank Park.

Only 33 seconds before halftime, Hill was hit by Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie at the Chiefs’ 37-yard line, and fumbled.

“I did’t even have a chance to make a move,” Hill said. “They did a good job.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) fumbles late in the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The ball was picked up by safety Mike Edwards, who lateraled to safety Bryan Cook, who then ran 59 yards for a score.

Miami trailed 21-0.

“There’s a lot from this game,” McDaniel said. “It’s going to be hard for me to sleep.”

It appeared the route might be on. But Raheem Mostert suggested to McDaniel that they attack the edge on the ground more, and it worked.

And Wilson caught a long pass from Tua.

And surging Bradley Chubb sacked Patrick Mahomes and Zach Sieler recovered and all the momentum swung in Miami’s favor.

This was a chance to make a statement. But no such statement was made.

Dolphins know the perception that’s out there

“It’s frustrating, for sure,” Chubb said. “We want to win these big games.”

The Dolphins have beaten the Chargers, Broncos, Giants, Panthers and Patriots (twice). OK, that’s nice.

But they’ve also lost at Buffalo, at Philadelphia and (essentially) at Kansas City on German soil. Make no mistake. This was one of those road games in which the noise and the play clock were a problem for the Dolphins.

That’s happened too often.

Everyone takes responsibility. Everyone is working to correct the correctables.

But at some point here, it has to happen.

The Dolphins have to win a big game, on the road, against a power opponent.

Miami was just a 1.5-point underdog to the Chiefs here, a reflection of how much talent the club is perceived to have – in Vegas and beyond.

Instant takeaways as Miami Dolphins’ rally comes up short vs. Chiefs in Germany

To their credit, McDaniel and Miami players understand that the Stephen A. Smiths and Colin Cowherds of the world are going to continue to identify Miami’s championship aspirations as “fraudulent.”

Until they pull one of these off.

“If you want to change the narrative, change the narrative,” McDaniel said.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on social media platforms @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins loss to Chiefs in Germany only 21-14 but key mistakes foil effort