Mike McDaniel laughs off viral photo as Dolphins find joy and belief in win over Bills

Audio By Carbonatix

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mike McDaniel's victory lap after his team beat the Buffalo Bills stretched well into Sunday evening.

The Miami Dolphins coach went viral after a picture circled online of someone who looked strikingly like him driving by a popular South Florida beach bar known as a gathering spot for Bills fans.

The image quickly ignited social media chatter that McDaniel had shown up to troll Miami’s AFC East rivals in person after Sunday's 30-13 win.

“That’s why I like the good old days,” McDaniel quipped Monday when asked about the photo. “The throwbacks of yore where you could trust the internet and the images — because that is pretty detailed. I do live in that area, but AI, right?”

So, was it him?

“I live in that area. AI is real,” McDaniel said. “That’s what I got for you.”

Regardless of who was or wasn't there, McDaniel took pride in watching his team celebrate a galvanizing victory — one in which the Dolphins built a 16-0 halftime lead, forced three turnovers and played with a cohesion that has been missing much of the season.

McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver chest-bumped each other on the sideline during the game, players celebrated with laundry bin races afterward, and 59-year-old Dolphins wide receivers coach Robert Prince broke out with a short breakdancing routine during the postgame locker room celebration.

“I think it was an earned celebration,” McDaniel said. “I think you saw a team that was exuberant based upon the execution of something that they knew they held the belief that they could do entirely themselves.”

The Dolphins (3-7) still believe they can turn their season around, and Sunday's game was a reminder of what they can be — if they can find a way to sustain it.

“We’re all delusional, man,” edge rusher Bradley Chubb said. “We know what we can do. And we believe that if we put our minds to it, we can play complementary football like we did. The sky is the limit. It’s not delusional at the end of the day because we know we can do it.”

Because of injuries to their tight ends, the Dolphins have been using veteran Daniel Brunskill as a hybrid sixth offensive lineman/tight end for extra blocking, and it has produced two of Miami's best rushing performances of the season.

After rushing for 141 yards as a team against the Falcons two weeks ago — when they first employed the wrinkle — the Dolphins recorded 197 yards rushing on Sunday, highlighted by 174 yards and two TDs from De'Von Achane.

There were a couple of mistakes on special teams on Sunday that can be cleaned up, including a badly missed extra point by Riley Patterson. Malik Washington also fair-caught a long Bills punt at the 8-yard line.

CB JuJu Brents was excellent in his first start of the season. The third-year player earned the start Sunday with Rasul Douglas sidelined by a toe injury and matched up well with Bills receiver Keon Coleman. Brents finished with five tackles, a fumble recovery and a breakup of a downfield pass by Josh Allen.

CB Ethan Bonner. He has not been able to carve out a prominent role in his three seasons in Miami, even when injuries to other cornerbacks have provided him with an opportunity. When Brents came out of the game in the fourth quarter Sunday, Allen immediately targeted Bonner in coverage against Coleman. The result was a 35-yard touchdown.

LB Chop Robinson is expected to clear the concussion protocol on Wednesday and should be on track to play this week after missing Sunday's game. ... CB Rasul Douglas (toe), WR Dee Eskridge (shoulder), TE Julian Hill (ankle) and S Ashtyn Davis (quad) were inactive Sunday, but McDaniel said he's optimistic about their availability this week.

9-3 — The Dolphins' record in November under McDaniel. Since 2022, Miami is one of just six teams to have nine-plus wins in the month, alongside Kansas City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Minnesota and Baltimore.

The Dolphins travel to Spain, where they will play the Washington Commanders in Madrid on Sunday before heading into a bye week.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL