'Hard Knocks' shows Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel rallying team after loss to Bills cost Miami No. 2 seed

Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and is available to stream on Max until the end of the Dolphins’ season.

The start to the Miami Dolphins’ season was spectacular. They were 5-1 in their first six games and had multiple players racking up big numbers left and right.

However, all good things must come to an end, and for the Dolphins, a loss in their regular-season finale cost them the possibility of home-field advantage in the playoffs.

All the Dolphins needed to do was win their last game of the season, and then the AFC East was theirs after already clinching a spot in the postseason. But they fell, 21-14, to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, and Miami went from holding the No. 2 seed to dropping down to the No. 6 seed. Now, the Dolphins will be facing off against the Chiefs in Kansas City during Super Wild Card Weekend to try to make it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

The eighth episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins shows how head coach Mike McDaniel taking time to sit down with his team after the game and reminding them of what it takes to be great and win.

“Yesterday was hard as f— to deal with, and in times like this, it either makes or breaks you,” McDaniel said. “And I want to rip the bandaid off because here’s what you got to know. Our intent is to be great. Well, inherent in that s— is difficulty. Like you literally have to have difficult s— to be great. The reason why we’re frustrated is because we have high expectations that we’ve created. We created that s—. No one said, ‘Oh, the Dolphins are X, Y and Z.’ No, they did not actually, so our mindset collectively has no time for anything else, but getting to the point where we’re best equipped to do that s— and we’re doing it as a team. We are in this together, earning it.”

The Fins roster is full of superstars, and this team still has plenty of potential as it faces its next endeavor. Whether it was Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert or Tua Tagovailoa putting up stellar numbers, the Dolphins were soaring this year before the injury bug bit.  

Nonetheless, the playoffs are approaching in just a few days, and the Dolphins must put aside the disappointment from their last regular-season matchup as they look to what is ahead of them. They might not be at home, but they are still fighting for a chance at the Super Bowl.