Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left the Dolphins’ 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday with an injury, leaving questions under center as Miami clings to playoff contention with one regular-season game remaining.
— Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel isn’t willing to blame injuries for the team’s 23-21 loss Sunday to the New England Patriots, despite four starters being ruled out prior to the game.
Terron Armstead, Xavien Howard, Bradley Chubb and Tua Tagovailoa each missed Sunday’s loss, with backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater also leaving the game in the third quarter with a finger injury.
It seemed like a microcosm of the Dolphins’ season, during which they’ve endured season-ending injuries to four starters. Miami’s first-year coach declined to call it a challenge to his team’s roster depth, however.
« I don’t really look at it in that way just because I trust the players that we have in the locker room, » McDaniel said. « We’ve won plenty of games with guys rising to the occasion and stepping in for starters that weren’t available. … It feels in the moment like we are having to adjust lineups more frequently than I can remember.
« Whether that’s the case, I know one thing: there’s not anybody in the locker room that is asterisking this loss because they know deep down that we were capable of getting the job done, and we didn’t.
