MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel named Tyler Huntley the starting quarterback for Week 5 against the Patriots at a press conference Tuesday, despite the team’s ongoing offensive struggles and his underwhelming first start in a 31-12 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.
It was a rough night for Huntley, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 96 yards in his first start since joining the Dolphins. On the bright side, he was able to add 40 yards on the ground and scored a rushing touchdown.
Despite his efforts, Huntley struggled to connect with Tyreek Hill, including a first-quarter fumble when a dropped pass was ruled a backward pass after review.
Huntley later underthrew Hill on what could have been an 80-yard touchdown and overthrew him on a 77-yard attempt in the third quarter.
The Dolphins’ offensive woes continued against the Tennessee Titans, as they managed just 184 total yards.
Of those, 85 came during their lone touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, breaking a 10-quarter touchdown drought.
Miami converted only 2 of 12 third-down attempts, extending their poor streak of just 3 conversions in their last 24 attempts over the past two games.
McDaniel acknowledged the frustration of fans when speaking to the media on Tuesday: “I don’t take the struggles lightly, but I would be dishonest if I didn’t expect this. When people jump off the bandwagon, it’s because we gave them reason to.”
The Titans defense dominated, holding the Dolphins to just 16.7 percent on third-down conversions and 33.3 percent on fourth downs. McDaniel attributed the issues to poor execution under pressure: “It’s not something that’s coordinated, it’s just a lack of execution when the lights are on. We have to clean that up.”
On the injury front, McDaniel noted progress for both Bradley Chubb, Cam Smith and Terron Armstead, with hopes of increased participation in the coming weeks. He also said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is also “recovering well” and will be reassessed after the team’s bye week in Week 6.
McDaniel also confirmed that EDGE defender Jaelan Phillips will not be available in Week 5 after being ruled out with a knee injury in the Titans game.
He is also “opening the practice window” for Smith and Odell Beckham Jr. on Wednesday.
Miami will now look to avoid going 1-4 when they face the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.