Mike McDaniel entered the 2025 NFL season as the betting favorite to be the first head coach fired. Now that the Miami Dolphins have lost the first three games of the year, the calls for McDaniel’s job are getting louder. But will be fired this weekend? Or will the Dolpins keep him on for at least another week or two?
Dolphins Lose Again As Seat Gets Hotter For Mike McDaniel
The 42-year-old coach has quickly fallen out of favor in Miami. After qualifying for the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the team while featuring one of the most dynamic offenses in the league, the Dolphins had a significant regression in 2024.
There was hope that McDaniel could turn things around in Year 4, but it was known that he would be on the hot seat.
#Bills QB Josh Allen is now:
• 8-0 on Thursdays.
• 8-0 at home vs. the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/RCJmyTpZuB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2025
The start of the season has done nothing to help his case. An embarrassing loss in Week 1 was followed by critical mistakes and poor defense in Week 2, and losses to the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots dropped the Dolphins to 0-2. They were then faced with a road game on a short week, as they took on the mighty Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
After showing promise in the first half, the Dolphins eventually fell apart late. After the score was tied at 21 in the fourth quarter, Miami committed backbreaking penalties and Tua Tagovailoa threw a late-game interception that sealed the loss for Mike McDaniel and company.
Will The Team Make A Move This Weekend?
Will the Dolphins’ front office and ownership move to make a firing this weekend? According to reports before Thursday’s game, his job should be safe for at least another week. Miami is apparently not quite ready to fire McDaniel, as it is a bit too early in the season to make a drastic change.
Since Mike McDaniel took over in 2022, Miami is 3-14 against teams that entered the game with winning records compared to 25-12 against teams entering the game .500 or worse.
The Dolphins have lost 8 straight regular-season games against teams that entered with winning records,… pic.twitter.com/oFx0sdFkb0
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 19, 2025
But that stance might not last long, especially if the Dolphins lose in Week 4 against the New York Jets. It will be a Monday Night Football contest, the second-straight prime time game for Miami, and losing two straight divisional games on a national stage could force their hand.
Mike McDaniel now has a regular season record of 28-26 as head coach of the Dolphins. His team is 0-2 in its pair of playoff appearances.
