Owner Stephen Ross 'really frustrated' as Dolphins, Mike McDaniel fall to 1-4 after brutal loss to Panthers

Ross has expressed his frustrations to McDaniel

By Austin Nivison

Oct 6, 2025 at 5:19 pm ET • 1 min read

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After jumping out to a 17-0 lead against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins fell to 1-4 when they saw that lead melt away into a 27-24 loss. Coach Mike McDaniel is feeling the heat, and he knows owner Stephen Ross is displeased.

"He was really frustrated, just as I was," McDaniel said Monday when asked about his postgame conversation with Ross. "We talked about the challenge ahead to get ready for the Chargers. That was kind of the extent of it."

McDaniel entered the 2025 season on the hot seat, and it hasn't gotten any cooler with his team occupying third place in the AFC East. The Dolphins' only win to this point came against the winless New York Jets.

Sunday's matchup against the Panthers looked like a more favorable one, but Miami got carved on the ground as Carolina rushed for 239 yards en route to scoring 27 of the game's final 34 points.

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Talking about how the Dolphins can get the season back on track in short order, McDaniel said there has to be an urgency from the coaching staff to the players as it pertains to correcting the issues they see on film.

"The bottom line is you have no time to waste," McDaniel said. "There can be no egos involved. It has to be a collective mission to correct things, and it has to be urgent with no time to waste. The responsibility is mine to hold and bear. I have a locker room and a coaching staff I believe in for a reason. We'll collectively move forward, and that's kind of the biggest thing. Guys have to spend little to no time pointing fingers."

With the Los Angeles Chargers on deck, McDaniel said it's time to stop talking about making those corrections and start implementing solutions on the field.

"It's frustrating because there is a lot of talking, and we need to major in doing," McDaniel said.