"I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed": Troy Aikman rips into Mike McDaniel over questionable game management in Dolphins' loss 

Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins suffered a 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 on Monday night. It was Miami's eighth loss of the season, which meant the team could not qualify for the playoffs.

During the fourth quarter of the Dolphins-Steelers contest, ESPN announcer Troy Aikman ripped into McDaniel for his game management with the timeouts.

"I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins," Aikman said on the broadcast. "And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I've seen in a long time."

Aikman took another dig at McDaniel in the final minute of the game.

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"This is just a bizarre last few series," Aikman said. "They don't go hurry-up. Now they're going hurry-up and calling timeouts. It's just, it's hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they're trying to do."

The Dolphins had been on a good run entering Week 15, having recorded three wins in a row. Miami had to win out to stand a chance of making the playoffs, but McDaniel's team is now out of postseason contention.

The Dolphins hired McDaniel in February 2022. He took the team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. However, this is the second year in a row that the Dolphins will miss the playoffs.

Mike McDaniel's Dolphins will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season

NFL: Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel - Source: Imagn

Mike McDaniel's Dolphins (6-8) will face the Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season on Sunday. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Although the Dolphins are out of the playoff race, McDaniel will want to finish the regular season with a flourish. The Bengals are also out of postseason contention.

Edited by Arnold