During the Miami Dolphins’ 34-31 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Game on Sunday, head coach Mike McDaniel faced some criticism for a significant delay of game penalty on fourth down on the team’s last drive. The blunder ruined the Dolphins’ bold attempt, considering they started the game as 14-point underdogs. Miami running back Jeff Wilson Jr. scored early in the fourth quarter, setting up a nail-biting finish to the AFC rivalry game.

Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson was attempting to lead the team down the field with 4:13 remaining in the game against the Bills in the AFC wild-card game. Thompson and the Dolphins were on the 48-yard line when the confusion began. Thompson threw for 220 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in his playoff debut. The Dolphins were held to just 42 rushing yards in the loss.

McDaniel told reporters after the game that he was told the Dolphins had a first down, but by the time he understood it was fourth down, he couldn’t get a play call in before the flag was thrown. “There was some communication that we’d gotten first down,” he said. “So then we were deploying a group of players for the 1st-and-10 call. Then it was articulated that, no, it was fourth down … I had gotten conflicted information that it was a first down; I don’t really know exactly who it was from.”

Miami will be disappointed with how its season ended, but it should approach the summer optimistic about the future. The Dolphins overcome a rocky 2022 season to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, indicating that the team is on the right track.