MIAMI GARDENS — When coach Mike McDaniel spoke to his Miami Dolphins in the locker room after their 22-20 win last Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys that clinched a playoff berth, he wanted to get a point across that his team still has much more to accomplish.
“We ain’t celebrating yet,” McDaniel said, in video released by the Dolphins, with a censored expletive interjected.
Miami, 11-4 for the first time since 1990, indeed has so much ahead of it.
Beating the Cowboys was just an appetizer. The games only get bigger from here on.
Next Sunday’s New Year’s Eve game at the Baltimore Ravens could very well be for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and the Dolphins would clinch the AFC East before the regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills with a win in Baltimore. Should the division still be up for grabs after Week 17, it comes down to that game either Jan. 6 or 7 at Hard Rock Stadium against Buffalo — or that game could seal playoff seeding if Miami clinches before facing the division rival.
“You want to be playing the best football teams in December and January,” McDaniel said in a Monday web conference with reporters. “You want to be going toe to toe with them, earn victories, and so, to do that, we’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to play the Baltimore Ravens this week.”
Although the Dolphins weren’t paying attention to outside narratives highlighting their 0-3 record against winning teams before downing the Cowboys, it can catapult Miami to have earned such a victory as it dives into this pivotal stretch.
“I think that this past week does help the team, just in general, because you’re finding out about yourself deep down that you’re capable of beating any team,” McDaniel said. “It doesn’t hurt to be able to find a way to win against a team that was equally as desperate. That game meant a lot to both teams. Whenever you win games like that, it helps for, ultimately, what you’re trying to do.”
What’s also helpful is McDaniel has instilled a mentality in his team of respecting all opponents, so the approach has been unwavering, regardless of outside perception of opponent.
“The bottom line is there’s a purpose with approach in each and every week with the utmost regard because, down the stretch of the season,” McDaniel said, “you don’t want it to be, all of a sudden, we turn up and now we’re going to try. You try to train that, try to train how you’re going to approach end-of-the-season games early in the season.”
The Dolphins truly are consistently locked in on the here and now. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill didn’t even know beating the Cowboys meant Miami clinched a playoff berth until he looked up at the Hard Rock Stadium video board following the win and reacted to learning the news during an NFL Network interview.
On the outside, the Cowboys win was one that provided validation that Miami can hang with the top dogs — something that was still a question to observers but not bothering the team internally.
“It means we won our 11th game,” McDaniel said after the game. “It means that the team isn’t crazy for feeling the way they feel.
“It’s a win against a really good team that is tough to beat, just in general, that has playoff experience for the last several years. But then it’s like, awesome, check that box, let’s get as healthy as we can, and let’s go play the Baltimore Ravens.”
The Dolphins crushed narratives both as a team and individually. They entered 0-3 against winning teams this season before quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the winning drive against the Cowboys (10-5) — in a December game, no less. The winning field goal off the foot of Jason Sanders came after he connected on three field goals from beyond 50 yards, an area where the Miami kicker had been criticized.
But don’t tell either of them that this was about knocking down barriers outsiders put on them.
“I don’t think anyone is necessarily worried about what anyone else is saying outside of the guys in the building,” Tagovailoa said after the game. “The confidence, I mean, everyone has confidence in each other and themselves. I don’t think winning these games do anything more or anything less.”
Said Sanders: “That’s all noise. People don’t realize how hard it is to win every Sunday. So whether it’s a lesser opponent, every game is going to be just as difficult.”
