Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The short-staffed Heat were too much for the struggling Pacers

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What’s left of the Pacers stopped by Kaseya Center on the second night of a back-to-back for both squads, and the Heat overpowered them in the fourth quarter after surviving their offensive waves of desperation. Pascal Siakam was gutting everyone in front of him, but he slowed down when the schemes got tighter, and the home crew had a different body at every turn, raining baskets. 

 

It was their highest-scoring game in the lane this year (78) because the Pacers gave as much resistance as a silk vest against 12-gauge slugs. Somehow, the Heat, after winning only four of 12 nights in December, are only a game out of the fourth seed.

 

It’s not exactly a tune-up because Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro were out, but the Heat’s far more talented rotation puts the victory slightly a notch above. Still, those are the outings that build the crew’s confidence, and Nikola Jović badly needed it. 

 

He and Pelle Larsson dissected coverages for a combined 14 dimes against two giveaways. Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. lived in the lane, on cuts and drive-bys. Plus Kel’el Ware had another strong game starting, and was the icebreaker this time, making inside and outside shots. With his strong play, the team will be fine as Adebayo recovers from back soreness.  

 

They got back to gliding in transition while completing the strenuous task of negating Indiana’s attack. Seventeen offensive rebounds also led to the Heat taking 14 extra shots. Their best defensive work came in the fourth quarter, holding them to 22 points on 37.5% shooting.

 

Jaquez attributed the team getting back to the principles applied since training camp, which they got away from when losing eight of nine games.

 

Their record in back-to-backs is 6-4. They also improved to 6-0 in games scoring at least 140 points (142-116).

 

 It’s no surprise that they are as sharp as a spear when they take quick shots while the ball is flowing. Their issue is not being consistent enough to break from the mid-level to the upper tier. Perhaps they can if they get more of the assertive Wiggins, who had 28 points on 75% shooting. He won’t always put up those numbers, but coach Erik Spoelstra believes they are a better outfit with him in attack mode.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat get back over .500 on tour in Atlanta on big nights from Larsson, Wiggins and Powell

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Both teams had to snap out of their funk at some point, going into the game on a combined seven straight losses, and the Heat beat the Hawks to the punch in Atlanta. They avoided falling below .500 thanks to six players scoring in double figures, and Pelle Larsson’s top-grade marksmanship and versatility eclipsed all. 

 

He nailed three trifectas and six shots in the lane, and he was one of the main forces that kept the Heat from stalling as the first quarter ended in a stalemate (32). Coach Erik Spoelstra sang his praises postgame, too, calling his work the glue. 

 

They also got back to playing in the fast lane, scoring 22 points in the open court.

 

Norman Powell was next in contributions, logging 25 points on 56.3 accuracy, with five offerings and seven boards.

 

Props to Jaime Jaquez Jr. for playing as he did before opponents started scheming him out by putting mobile bigs on him. 

 

Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were absent, but the defense, playmaking, and rebounding were back to what they were when the team was hot to start the year. They tied their fifth-highest output in the paint this season (66), and the most eyebrow-raising stat was that eight of them racked up 14 steals to offset their weak 3-point shooting. 

 

Atlanta’s two main threats, Jalen Johnson and Trae Young, got what they wanted at short and long range, but the Hawks registered 19 fewer shots.

 

It couldn’t have been done without Kel’el Ware stepping up. His vertical spacing from the dunker spot was out of reach for Atlanta, and cutting in for tip-ins with a pair of threes produced 16 digits on 70% shooting. 

 

Their record is now 10-5 when scoring at least 120 points (126-111), and it was the second time this year that they had three players make at least nine shots (Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, and Powell).

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Raptors sullied Pat Riley Court, humbling the Heat

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The Heat were dinosaur meat, embarrassing themselves in one of the worst showings of the season at home to the Toronto Raptors. The first omen that it would be a colossal meltdown was when they started making one of 12 attempts, but the outcome was clear when they fell behind double-digits in the third quarter and the team had as much animation as a corpse. 

 

The Raptors controlled the pace by making the Heat check the ball in often and getting back quickly. They also wrecked their half-court offense and permitted them only eight trifectas in 30 attempts. 

 

Guarding Scottie Barnes was their biggest problem. He accessed the lane at will, scoring nine of his 10 baskets there. After him, it was Sandro Mamukelashvili’s four 3-pointers that broke their spine. 

 

It was also the second time this season the hosts scored below 100 points, and neither starter made 50% of their shots. They had eight of the team’s 17 turnovers.  

 

They’ve lost eight of their last 10, and there seems to be no antidote as the team has fallen to .500 (15-15). Norman Powell said postgame that players have not run some of coach Erik Spoelstra’s play calls during the losing streak (3). He said that they are a young team that has to focus on the details, but it’s on the veterans- him, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo- to fix it.

 

Bam Adebayo turned into Dennis Rodman on offense, playing with little confidence.  Kel’el Ware failed to follow up on last game’s bright spots, and he only played 21 minutes. Their best player was Jaime Jaquez Jr. off the bench with 21 points on 0n 56.3% shooting. 

 

The result had Spoelstra stunned:“I don’t know. This is not what I would’ve predicted. I thought we were ready.”

 

But they were lifeless, and it came after he challenged them to have a higher level of effort when they lost to the Knicks on Sunday. 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Coach Steve Kerr should make an adjustment after Draymond Green quit on the Warriors in Monday’s win over the Magic

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Coach Steve Kerr erroneously said the team needed Draymond Green after he quit on them in the win over the Orlando Magic. A tense chat between them started it, and while the once-upon-a-time two-way star was out of the picture, the team outscored their visitors 54-26 the rest of the way. 

 

Green said at the post-game press conference that his exchange with Kerr was getting too hot, so he thought it best to “remove” himself. While that strategy is sound for a multitude of situations, it is not when you are in the trenches with the team. He didn’t think it could get better, but it would have if he just sat there, swallowing his pride.

 

Also, when he was asked how frustrated he was with his play- a watered-down eight points, six rebounds, and five assists for the season- he cited his one turnover on Monday as evidence for playing well.

 

Consider how they were prosperous against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, with him only playing eight minutes due to an ejection. It would only be natural for the background players in line to hope he keeps surrendering minutes, so they get the opportunity for a larger payday. 

 

Maybe someone could get away with that behavior if they were a star, but not a role player—much less, one who is age 35 and past his prime. Don’t forget it was Green who said in November that it didn’t feel like everyone was committed to winning, and it was him who showed a commitment to himself on Monday. 

 

After all the years of catching back talk and defending him for actions that hurt the team, it’s a wonder how Kerr hasn’t gotten sick of him to the point of telling an executive to trade him. Green and Stephen Curry are tight, so it would have affected the latter somehow, but he would probably get over it if they got a player back who was more of a threat.

 

Kerr is the one who is largely responsible for how Green has been enabled to stink up the joint and act like a savant because he’s been so soft on accountability. This time, he should have Green come off the bench for his impudence. It would give Jimmy Butler added chances to make plays in the starting unit, and he puts exponentially more pressure on a defense. 

 

Green’s list of priors is too extensive to highlight every detail, but he became more trouble than he was worth, one could argue, six years ago, starting with his alienation of Kevin Durant by calling him a “bitch” publicly. His worst offense was in 2022, when he heartlessly cold-cocked Jordan Poole, ruining the harmonious environment of the defending champions. 

 

For years he has been their “emotional leader,” but the messaging counts for less when one can’t be counted on. He might never accept he isn’t what he used to be, but Kerr has to.

 

Mike McDaniel Should Not Return as the Dolphins Head Coach

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There was once a time where the Miami Dolphins had the NFL’s best, most innovative offense. There was once a time where everyone wanted to play for Mike McDaniel and all those enjoyed his silly, goofy press conference answers. The outfits, the sprinting off the field into the locker room, and the joy that Miami’s head coach had.

But that time has long past and as the results don’t back up the character, Miami can’t afford to partially clean house again, it is time to clear the house completely. The stats back it up, the results back it up, and the lack of growth in four years back it up.

It was reported before Sunday’s blowout loss to the Bengals that Mike McDaniel was expected to return and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not. And while the first half Sunday provided some hope, the Dolphins same issues persisted and the team ultimately quit on coach, the ultimate sign that change is necessary.

So, let’s look at these claims and find the evidence to back them up.

The Dolphins Can’t win in the Cold.

December and January have been where the Dolphins fall apart in the McDaniel era 7-13.

The Dolphins had lost 13 games in a row in games in sub 40 degrees dating back to 2016.

The Dolphins Can’t Beat Good Teams.

3-15 against teams above .500

Mike McDaniel Fails to make Halftime Adjustments.

4-23 when trailing at halftime

The Dolphins are always late out of the huddle.

There is no statistic I could find yet this is another fatal flaw. Miami constantly mismanages the clock and comes out of the huddle late forcing the Dolphins to take ill-advised timeouts/penalties.

Mike McDaniel Can’t win without Tua.

3-10 with QBs other than Tua

Mike McDaniel is Not Good at Challenging Plays

4-21 with replay challenges

These blatant flaws are just the surface, dig deeper and ask why was Jaelan Phillips playing so late in the blowout victory when he tore his Achillies, why couldn’t the Dolphins hold on to their late lead against the Titans, and why couldn’t the Dolphins adjust as the league began to figure out their offense.

Simply put it is coaching, the Dolphins have a talented roster and have for multiple seasons –albeit there have been flaws and injury troubles– but there was never a reason for two back-to-back losing seasons when the team believed their Super Bowl window was open.

While McDaniel could still be the coach next season, the Dolphins can’t continue the half measure wipeouts. Mike McDaniel needs to go, along with his staff, Grier can’t be the only one to blame for the failed rebuild.

While the Dolphins search for all the answers, the fans will be patiently waiting as Miami should look for the answer in the franchises 15th head coach.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jalen Brunson’s onslaught was too much for the Heat in New York

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Surviving Jalen Brunson’s rampage is like a raft trying to stay afloat throughout a storm in the middle of open water, and the Heat were tipped over and lost in the waves. He had a season high of 47 points. 

 

New York was the hottest team in the East going into the game, and they buried 20 3-pointers, 10 coming in the corners. The Heat soiling themselves at the line also prevented any chance of a prosperous trip into Madison Square Garden. 

 

The season series is over, split at 2-2, and the Heat have gotten exposed in seven of their last eight outings. Yet the snowball effect started earlier, losing at home to the Cavaliers D-team on Nov. 12.

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra said that “you can’t leave anything to f-ing chances,” and said New York’s will to win is something the Heat are still trying to develop. 

 

Jalen Brunson filleted schemes, getting where he wanted, but the Heat’s desperation was palpable early and five of them combined for seven trifectas in the first quarter. Kel’el Ware’s movement through the lane on cuts also pushed them to a 37-30 lead. 

 

A drought had to happen to the visitors at some point, and it did in the second, yet they kept from bleeding out as Brunson pushed his output to 27 points, and Mikal Bridges made four 3-pointers. The Knicks took a four-point lead at halftime while scoring 11 points on the break and 22 in the lane. 

 

Then Ware made a pair of deep shots and scored from the dunks spot, plus Norman Powell discharged 19 third-quarter points on drive-bys and 3-pointers, keeping the crew within reaching distance. 

 

But the Heat started to fall apart in the fourth despite Ware and Powell being their biggest threats.  They didn’t get enough from Bam Adebayo, who never got in a rhythm with fewer touches, and the closest they got late was within two digits. Yet Brunson, Josh Hart and Bridges closed the curtain with free throws, a layup and a trey.  

 

They lost 132-125 after getting slaughtered in the half-court, and their transition attack was thwarted again. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was their only reserve to log a field goal in the second half. 

 

Spoelstra wasn’t interested in moral victories after the game, but there is one: Ware had 28 points on 73.3% shooting, with 19 rebounds, including six offensive. He is becoming one of the team’s top players, which should make organizing the starting lineup interesting going forward.

 

Quinn Ewers showed promise but also threw two interceptions in his first start at quarterback for the Dolphins.

Pressure Point: Ewers shows promise, but Dolphins in full retreat under McDaniel

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Quinn Ewers’ coming out party started out promising Sunday for the Miami Dolphins and their rookie quarterback.

Then the focus on a quarterback switch got broadsided by the bigger question hanging over a franchise in disarray.

Never mind, for a moment, who the future at quarterback for the Dolphins may be. We’ll get back to that, but first, what about the coach?

Does octogenarian owner Steve Ross really want to see more of what transpired in Sunday’s 45-21 stomping at home by the Bengals — an opponent that came in 4-10 and eliminated from the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Six days after allowing touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in a brutal loss at Pittsburgh to get dealt out of the playoffs, the Dolphins gave up 35 points over five drives spanning the late second quarter to the early fourth.

NFL Insider: Ross likely to retain Dolphins coach McDaniel

Meanwhile, the rumor mill of those supposedly in the know has Ross still sold on coach Mike McDaniel and expected to retain him for a fifth season in 2026.

If that decision was yet to be set in stone, it may have crumbled as the Miami defense did in a baffling third-quarter collapse for the second week in a row.

Earlier Sunday on “NFL GameDay,” Ian Rapoport reported that “From everything we understand, McDaniel is expected to return next season. He has strong support from [Ross], and there’s a real belief within the organization that McDaniel can make this work. McDaniel also believes the best way forward is with Quinn Ewers as his starting quarterback … but it raises serious questions about Tua Tagovailoa’s future in Miami.”

Ewers’ first start showed promise, but it’s inconclusive whether will prove to be on overachieving Brock Purdy or a backup at best like Skylar Thompson, to invoke two other quarterbacks drafted in the seventh round.

Ewers showed poise. He had touch on his passes and made several clutch throws to Darren Waller and Jaylen Waddle.

“The moment wasn’t too big” for Ewers, was the consensus of McDaniel, and the CBS announcing crew.

Oddly, McDaniel said afterward that he has to look at tape to know for sure, though he has in his mind that Ewers will start again next week.

Too soon for verdict on Ewers as Dolphins QB

Huh? What is there to mine from the final two weeks of the season other than further evaluation of what they may or may not have in Ewers, who has only had a couple of practices with the first-team offense?

So what, would it make sense to switch back to Tagovailoa, who they will try to unload in the offseason, or go with Zach Wilson, who they clearly won’t re-sign?

Ewers, the former Texas Longhorn, led the Dolphins on two lengthy touchdown drives in the first half, the second one giving them a short-lived 14-10 lead. Then he threw two interceptions in the third quarter. Defensive pass interference could have been called on the first pick.

Instead, the Dolphins had one drive unravel after horrendous offensive pass interference penalty against rookie receiver Theo Wease Jr. — it appeared he was trying to avoid contact with a defender — that negated a 32-yard gain by De’Von Achane off a screen pass.

Nonetheless, success in the NFL is often reflected in how a player and team responds to adversity. As often the case, the Dolphins shrank in the moment.

The very next play, tight end Greg Dulcich fumbled after a reception. In short order, the Dolphins were buried under an avalanche of mistakes and inept — or was it disinterested? — play.

Dolphins assured of second straight losing season

No surprise, they are now 4-23 under McDaniel after trailing at halftime. But, as seen repeatedly, the Dolphins don’t just fail, they gravitate to humiliation.

Capping the Bengals’ fifth consecutive touchdown drive was Mike Gesicki, the former Dolphins tight end, making a leaping catch in the end zone and performing his trademark Griddy dance at Hard Rock Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Miami offense was being stymied by the Bengals’ 32nd ranked defense, led by Al Golden, the former University of Miami coach whose tenure on the same field was forgettable and regrettable.

Just as Tagovailoa’s performance regressed this season, the whole team has been on a downward slide since blowing a 14-point lead in the final three minutes at Tennessee on Monday Night Football in December 2023.

They came into that game 9-3 with the inside track on winning the AFC East. Since then, they are 16-20 and have clinched their second consecutive losing season.

They are approaching the end of their 25th season without a playoff victory with uncertainties about the quarterback and general manager for next season — the latter will inherit a mess of top-heavy contracts and little room to operate under the salary cap.

Still, we are led to believe that owner Steve Ross still has unyielding belief in McDaniel as coach, which is baffling.

Hall of Famer Warner critical of McDaniel’s play design

The benching of Tagovailoa and ascension of Ewers as starter evoked lots of commentary and debate over the past week. None more revealing than Kurt Warner’s Studyball analysis of Tua’s last start. Check it out on YouTube.

In a 53-minute film study, the Hall of Fame quarterback presented an in-depth examination of every Dolphins passing play in last Monday Night’s 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

Warner’s premise: “I wanted to go back and break down the game to see how much of the struggles were on Tua. Did he play bad enough to warrant a benching after winning five of the previous six games?”

He examined the blocking and the receiver’s routes, and as well as how Tagovailoa reacted as the plays unfolded.

Most interesting were Warner’s comments about the design of the patterns that receivers ran. On many of the plays they weren’t, in his opinion, set up in a way to stress the defense and provide Tua with an open receiver to throw to.

On those plays, Warner showed how the play could have been designed to achieve those objectives.

Warner’s conclusions are more of an indictment of McDaniel’s play design than Tua’s play as quarterback.

It certainly wasn’t an endorsement for changing quarterbacks while keeping the coach.
Warner ended the video by saying, “You tell me, did he make a couple of bad decisions? Of course he did. Bad interception. Almost threw another interception when the defensive lineman popped out. But for the most part, did you see a bunch of guys running wide open? Did you see a scheme that was giving him a bunch of opportunities that he didn’t take advantage of?

“Again, I understand, there are a bunch of factors on why he’s not playing, and not just based on this game. But I hate it. If I was a quarterback and I had just won five of six, and now all of a sudden we lose one game, and it’s that game with those plays out there on film, and you bench me, I wouldn’t be a very happy camper today.”

The TV cameras did show Tagovailoa smiling and celebrating on the sideline after the Dolphins’ second touchdown Sunday.

Maybe he was genuinely happy for his teammates. Or, perhaps he was envisioning the day he returns to Hard Rock Stadium in an opposing uniform and embarrasses his former team.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat fall apart in the fourth quarter in Boston

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Team Green was too mean, shooting down the visitors with a cascade of 3-pointers. Derrick White (9) and Sam Houser (5) were the main culprits of the Heat’s destruction, and the Celtics’ first six baskets of the fourth quarter were all treys.

 

It’s now six losses in the last seven outings, and their run-and-stun offense was disabled again. Of all the absences, which include Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, the latter’s affected them the most. Mitchell’s dribble penetration and precise passing are stabilizing forces the team cannot lack.

 

Their only bright spots were that Kel’el Ware set a career-high in made triples (6) and was a powerhouse on the glass, showing he’s ready for more. Rookie Kasparas Jakučionis also made five 3-pointers with four assists against one turnover in his first career start.

 

Jaime Jaquez Jr., who doesn’t usually start, struggled early then had a stronger second half, making four deposits in the lane. But Bam Adebayo had a subdued performance, and Norman Powell possibly damaged the rim with all his missed 3-point attempts. The bench was abysmal, too, scoring 27 points on a scant 32.1% shooting.

 

The Celtics schooled the Heat, playing fast, scoring 210 points per 100 transition plays, good enough for the 100th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. On top of that, the Green held them to 36 points in the lane, which was 18 points below their average.

 

The Heat lost 129-116 after getting outscored by 10 in the fourth. Ten of Boston’s 13 field goals in the frame were triples, which was double the Heat’s.

 

The Heat badly need to get it together as they’ve dropped to 15-13 because somehow, as dull as they’ve been, they are only two games out of the third seed. Their offense needs a tweak since they’ve shown too many holes when they can’t go 100 miles per hour and need to be in the half-court.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat start three-game road trip with a win in Brooklyn

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The Heat ended their five-game losing streak and held the scrappy Nets to 96 points in Brooklyn, tying their season best for contained opponent scoring. But it came at a tougher challenge than anticipated. 

 

They went big with Kel’el Ware next to Bam Adebayo in the main rotation, which was more common at the beginning of the year, and it helped them outrebound their opponents by eight. 

 

If one didn’t know any better, they might think that absences to Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Pelle Larsson contributed to them tying their fourth-lowest scoring game of the season. But that wasn’t the case. Adebayo, Dru Smith and Davion Mitchell blanked 10 3-pointers. Although Adebayo had 17 rebounds, and the three of them guarded like madmen.  

 

The crew rode the wave of Ware plus Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s rim attacks, and Norman Powell’s outside shooting. That was enough to offset Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Clayton carrying the Nets. 

 

The Heat started the fourth quarter ahead by four points and managed to get away despite shooting 33% in the restricted area for the period. They also benefited from Brooklyn’s poor off-ball execution and their inability to be a factor from deep. 

 

The Heat even gave rookie Kasparas Jakučionis seven minutes of action in his second stint of the season, and Ware was notably one of the closers in the game. The team pushing the lead to double digits made coach Erik Spoelstra comfortable with giving Adebayo more rest. 

 

It’s concerning that their transition attack was eradicated to 47th percentile (123.1 points per 100 plays) and their pace was 5.58 points below its average. They struggle when opponents exude equal hustle. Yet, to their credit, they won in a style that isn’t preferred, similar to a brawler having to rely on more technical skills to get a victory. 

 

The Heat’s record improved to 15-12 and to 5-8 on the road. They are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth seed and 1.5 games out of third place in the East.

 

The next two are in Boston on Friday and New York on Sunday. 


Tua Tagovailoa failed again to deliver a season-saving win for the Dolphins in a 25-18 drubbing by the Steelers.

Pressure Point: Enough of Tua, time for Dolphins to see what Quinn Ewers can do

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The best that can be said about the Miami Dolphins’ putrid performance in Pittsburgh (try saying that ten times fast) is the fantasy that they were actually in playoff contention can be mercifully flushed.

Monday night, in their most important game of the season, the Dolphins froze up in yet another frigid failure in December.

The 25-18 drubbing administered by the Steelers confirmed the inevitable: Miami’s drought without a playoff win will hit the quarter century mark before the end of the month.

More than that, it showed that in four seasons of Mike McDaniel as coach and six years of Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, nothing has changed.

No progress. No hope left for this season. Zilch.

Only one thing is left to accomplish in the final three games of this latest of lost seasons. Find out what they have in rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Tagovailoa falls short as franchise quarterback

If he’s not a viable option, the Dolphins will need to start looking elsewhere for their quarterback of the future, asap.

Because it’s not Tagovailoa. He’s not getting better, he’s gotten significantly worse this season.

Asked about giving Ewers an audition now that the Dolphins are eliminated from playoff contention, McDaniel handled the question about as poorly as he did with the game plan against the Steelers.

“Yeah, I think it would be very irrational, shortsighted if I even tried to tackle that option,” he said. “I think I have to look at the tape. I’ll move on from there.”

What he’ll see on the tape is another failure of Tagovailoa to deliver what a franchise quarterback must with the season on the line.

It was a very Tua-like performance, producing a stat line totally misaligned with how he played.

It featured another bad interception — his league-leading 15th — to end an early drive into Steelers territory. Later, when he tried to scramble for a first down that would have kept another drive going, his slide came up short.

Tagovailoa outplayed by 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers

In the third quarter, when the game got away from the Dolphins, the Tua-led offense produced minus-20 yards. It was the least productive quarter of McDaniel’s tenure.

Then, after gray-beard Aaron Rodgers led the Steelers on four consecutive touchdown drives for a 28-3 lead, Tagovailoa padded his stats in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh’s prevent defense.

The pair of late touchdown passes to Darren Waller served only to raise the question, why didn’t they get the big tight end involved when the game was still in question?

Asked what went wrong with the passing game, McDaniel said, “I think passing, a lot of times people squarely put focus on the quarterback. I think there’s several times tonight, one in particular stands out, where I think he was about to make the right read, and we had our [primary receiver] fall over.

“I thought Darren [Waller] made a ton of plays at the end. Should have got him involved earlier. There’s a lot of things. Ultimately it hasn’t been good enough. I think that hurt us tonight.”

Aikman ridicules Tagovailoa, Dolphins offense

While McDaniel was reluctant to heap blame on Tagovailoa, the CBS announcing crew didn’t hold back. Referring to the interception and other questionable throws, analyst and former quarterback Troy Aikman said, “It’s a little bit of a head scratcher. Those type of throws, you’re not quite sure what he’s seeing or not seeing.”

What we’ve seen all season is a quarterback with very little mobility making poor choices and unable to make a throw with the zip needed to connect downfield.

The interception came on an underthrown ball for Jaylen Waddle that floated like a wobbly duck while Asante Samuel Jr. maneuvered for the pick.

Tua’s pocket presence has also diminished. Typically, he looks once, twice, then finding nobody open and feeling the walls collapsing on him, he starts running around like someone with his hair on fire searching for a blanket to smother it.

He was sacked four times Monday. Yet, Tua’s numbers (22 of 28 for 253 yards and 113.2 passer rating) belie the reality of what transpired in another missed opportunity to break out of the narrative that has haunted this franchise for 25 years.

Dolphins flop again in prime-time chill

Here are the numbers that matter: the Dolphins have lost their past 14 games with the temperature under 40 degrees, including the past six with Tua; they are 4-13 in primetime under McDaniel.

As is often the case, it was more than a defeat, it was a prime-time embarrassment. It had Aikman repeatedly ridiculing the Dolphins’ lack of urgency and overall strategy in the fourth quarter.

It had two former Dolphins contributing to their demise. Defensive back Jalen Ramsey had a rare sack. Tight end Jonnu Smith took a handoff out of the backfield and ran 14 yards untouched for Pittsburgh’s final, in-your-face touchdown.

Realistically, the Dolphins season was sunk by the 1-6 start that was as dismal as the numbers indicated.

Give them credit, they didn’t pack it in at that point. They responded admirably, improved in several parts of their game and played themselves into respectability.

But let’s face it, that surge of five wins in six games was a mirage. The only quality win was the rare rout of the Buffalo Bills at home.

All that’s left of 2025 is to look to the future. That should start with giving Ewers a chance to show if might be a viable alternative. The seventh-round draft pick from Texas made some tantalizing throws in a mop-up opportunity against Cleveland.

Certainly, McDaniel and the offensive coaches have seen a lot more of Ewers from months of practice. But only game action can tell the full story.

Tagovailoa’s contract straps Dolphins under cap

Unfortunately, the Dolphins are bound to Tua by a contract that has already cost Chris Grier the general manager’s job. Realistically, they are probably stuck with him at least through 2026.

Improvement by the defense and offensive line as the season progressed suggests that the Dolphins don’t need a total roster blowup. There is talent to work with, and the current rookie class has shown promise.

The Dolphins are in a salary cap bind for 2026, due in large part to Tagovailoa’s contract.

But just because they are on the hook to pay him an ungodly amount doesn’t mean they have to play him if there is a better option on the payroll. The final three games can shed light on that possibility.

No doubt most Dolfans have seen enough of Tua for this sorry season.

I’m totally Tua-ed out.

Question is, will McDaniel and the front office have the good sense to pull the switch for the final three games? Will owner Steve Ross demand it?

All we are saying is give Quinn Ewers a chance.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.