Linebacker Jaelan Phillips sat stone-faced at his locker staring into the distance in the wake of a last-minute loss to the Chargers
MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips sat stone-faced at his locker staring into the distance for several minutes in the wake of Miami's 29-27 last-minute loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 12 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Moments earlier, Phillips had Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in his grasp for a sack as the Dolphins nursed a one-point lead with less than a minute play.
But Herbert slipped away to hit a crossing Ladd McConkey, who eluded Dante Trader in open space for a 42-yard gain into the Dolphins red zone.
Phillips could manage few words after Cameron Dicker's game-winning 33-yard field goal, his fifth of the day, sent the Dolphins tumbling to a 1-5 record.
"[Herbert] made a great play," Phillips said. "It was just disappointing."
With the Dolphins' postseason hopes rapidly dissipating, head coach Mike McDaniel said he wasn't worried about his team sticking together after another gut-wrenching loss.
"I'm worried about us getting our football right," McDaniel said. "I think that's the fourth game that we've lost in the final couple of minutes where it's been a one-score game and we haven't come out victorious. So you have to figure that out.
"There's no doubt that there's guys that are hurting from the game that we let slip away."
Dolphins comeback vs. Chargers denied
The disappointment in the Dolphins' locker room was only amplified by the wild swings of momentum late Sunday afternoon.
Early in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles capped a run of 17 unanswered second-half points while stifling the Dolphins offense with -11 total yards and a turnover in the third quarter.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense found life, however, rallying with touchdowns by De'Von Achane and Darren Waller, the latter giving Miami a 27-26 lead with 46 seconds remaining.
Waller's touchdown was a moment of intense celebration for starving Dolphins fans at Hard Rock Stadium, though players said they were well aware of the risk with Herbert on the opposite sideline and Dicker perfect on field goal attempts this season (14-of-14).
"Justin Herbert is a great quarterback and he has great weapons around him," Waddle said. "So there's always a chance [they could go down to score]. But we got all the confidence in the world in our defense to go out there and make stops to help us winning the game."
Dolphins face boos at Hard Rock Stadium
Phillips and the Dolphins' muted response to Herbert's game-winning play contrasted the boos that rained down throughout Sunday's game.
The boos were arguably never louder than when the Chargers intercepted Tagovailoa on a desperation lateral play attempt as time expired in the fourth quarter.
"I think the fans see the times that we've had and the opportunities that we've had to win these games and we haven't," Waller said. "I don't know how much we're giving for them to cheer for at the end of the day.
"They expect a certain brand of Dolphins football and in a lot of ways we're not giving them that right now."
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins left 'hurting' as Herbert, Chargers slip away
Category: Football
