Mike McDaniel’s crucial 4th-down call helps Dolphins topple Bill Belichick, Patriots

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Mike McDaniel showed no fear, even with Bill Belichick on the opposing sideline.

He was prepared for the game-changing moment that propelled him to victory in his head-coaching debut against arguably the greatest coach in NFL history.

And instead of basking in the glory, he’s humbly ready to move onto Week 2.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found receiver Jaylen Waddle over the middle for a 42-yard touchdown to take a commanding 17-0 lead at halftime, which fueled a 20-7 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The Dolphins' offense was staring at fourth-and-7 from the New England Patriots’ 42-yard line with a 10-0 lead and 24 seconds left before halftime. And McDaniel had just the play to liven up a lackluster season opener with some flair.

“I had a couple thoughts in mind,” McDaniel said. “You try to prepare yourself so it’s not the first time you’re in that scenario.  And that does come up at the end of half, so I had a couple thoughts.”

Several Dolphins players said McDaniel’s play call showed some guts, especially against Belichick of all coaches.

Star Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill said McDaniel would need a wheelbarrow to carry his – ahem – fortitude around.

“A lot of guys take pride in what they do around here and they really look up to Mike as a role model, and so far he’s done a great job teaching us how to be pros, leading us in the right direction and creating moments for us to be a closer team,” Hill said.

McDaniel weighed his options for the crucial play that flipped the game in Miami’s favor. The Patriots just lost their starting safety Adrian Phillips to a ribs injury on the previous play. So McDaniel’s coaching staff had some extra time to ponder the decision as the New England’s medical staff was on the field.

Punter Thomas Morstead, a Dolphins newcomer after 12 seasons with the Saints, said he and kicker Jason Sanders were waiting at the edge of the sidelines for their cue to go in.

If McDaniel sent his kicker out for a 59-yard field-goal attempt, it might be out of his range. Sanders’ career long is 56 yards. He could have made itbut he also could’ve squandered three points and given the Patriots' good field position for a shot to narrow their deficit.

“We were just at the fringe of Jason’s range,” McDaniel said. “You can push the envelope, but the flip side is you miss it and you’re a first down away from giving up points.”

Not an ideal scenario, but the Patriots had no timeouts remaining. So, the Dolphins knew New England would’ve had a difficult time moving the ball had they got the ball back.

McDaniel also could have erred on the side of caution. Certainly, his predecessor Brian Flores would have made this decision: To run the play clock all the way down, take a 5-yard penalty for delaying the game, then punt the football away.

That would have been safe, secure and downright boring.

Those words surely don’t describe McDaniel, the quirky offensive mind who got his start as an intern under Mike Shanahan in Denver, and as a trusted assistant for Kyle Shanahan in Washington, Atlanta and San Francisco.

“I think there’s a lot of coaches that would not have made that decision,” Morstead said. “Fourth-and-(7) felt pretty aggressive, but I don’t think anyone can question the call with the result.”

Tagovailoa’s best pass of the day was the touchdown to Waddle, who ran so fast past Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and safety Kyle Dugger that they collided into each other as he trotted into the end zone for 25 yards, untouched.

“I know Mike had confidence in us that when we did call that play, we were going to make it work,” said Tagovailoa, who improved to 4-0 against Belichick — the best win percentage for any quarterback against the six-time Super Bowl champion.

Tagovailoa finished 23 of 33 for 270 yards and a touchdown, while Hill led all players with eight catches for 94 yards in the first win for McDaniel, who was hired after Flores was fired and filed a lawsuit against several teams and the NFL this offseason.

Dolphins edge rusher Melvin Ingram scored a 2-yard touchdown, recovering a fumble forced by safety Brandon Jones, who led all players with 11 tackles, while Sanders added two field goals in the win for Miami.

The Dolphins have won five of six over Belichick and the Patriots at home. Miami will visit Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (1-0), while the Patriots visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) next week.

But the play call that led to their decisive, divisional victory gave the Dolphins even more confidence in their coach.

Terron Armstead, a former Saints left tackle now with the Dolphins, echoed the same sentiment.

“That’s a gutsy call in your first game as head coach,” Armstead said. “Against Bill Belichick no less.”

Despite the riches of the moment, McDaniel preferred not to solely take credit for the decision and his first win.

Dolphins defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler poured Gatorade all over McDaniel — he says, against his will — to celebrate the moment.

“It was a very, very cool moment against my wishes,” McDaniel said.

“They just showered me in Gatorade and made it about me, which I know for a fact it’s not. The team celebrated together, just being happy for the direction we’re going in.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolphins' Mike McDaniel makes crucial call to top Belichick, Patriots