From late October to the end of November, the Miami Dolphins were on a five-game winning streak. Then December hit, and so did a three-game road trip.
The Dolphins traveled back-to-back-to-back to San Francisco to play the 49ers, then to SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Chargers and then to chilly Buffalo to face the red-hot Bills. All three games resulted in losses, moving the Dolphins' record from 8-3 to 8-6. They went from the AFC's No. 2 seed down to No. 7 entering Week 16.
Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said he knew this string of games would be difficult and commented on the disappointing result.
"We know exactly what we ended up doing in those three games. That definitely wasn't the desired outcome," McDaniel said, via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "We knew exactly what the trip was going to be like. We knew what those three games against good opponents -- we knew it was a challenge, and we were kind of excited for that challenge."
Next up for the Dolphins is a game back at home, when they host the Green Bay Packers at Hard Rock Stadium on Christmas Day.
"We love our home venue, but it's not exactly like, 'Oh, finally. We're home,'" McDaniel said. "It's more that we needed another opportunity to play football. It's a bad taste that you want to try to get rid of."
McDaniel plans to use the three-game losing streak as a learning experience.
"We allowed ourselves to utilize every experience because of our intent and our commitment moving forward. If we choose to do it and if we execute everything that we haven't and utilize those experiences, we'll look back and say those were very beneficial."
After the Packers, the Dolphins have two divisional games to conclude the regular season -- heading to Foxboro to play the New England Patriots and then hosting the New York Jets. With all AFC East teams still in the playoff race and close in the standings, these games are crucial for each club.
