First-year Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had been under fire as the 2022 regular season ended after his team lost five of its final six games.

There were even rumors that the Dolphins could fire McDaniel if they missed out on the playoffs. But an ugly Week 18 win over the hapless New York Jets helped avoid that possibility.

Instead, Miami clinched a playoff appearance with third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson under center. Its reward was a road game against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs in which Miami was two-touchdown underdogs.

After falling down 17-0 in the first quarter, the Fins made this a game. They tied it up at 17 before finding themselves down 34-31 late in the fourth quarter. That’s when McDaniel’s in-game coaching came into question.

McDaniel struggled with clock management as Miami was attempting to either tie the game or take the lead. That included an astonishing delay of game penalty on fourth-and-1 from Miami’s 48-yard line with 2:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.