DC Anthony Weaver Sends Honest Message on Dolphins Defense
The Miami Dolphins‘ nightmare season continued in Week 5 when they suffered a shocking 27-24 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers. The biggest story from this game was Rico Dowdle’s 200-yard rushing performance for the Panthers, which led defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to face some harsh truths regarding his unit.
Entering the season, it was clear that Miami’s defense was short on talent, and through five games, they haven’t looked particularly good on that side of the ball. After watching his team throw away a 17-point lead against the Panthers, Weaver did not hold back when discussing his defense’s performance in their most recent loss.
Anthony Weaver Bashes Dolphins’ Defense
From the get-go, the Dolphins’ defense has been in a tough spot this season. They lost their two starting cornerbacks, Kader Kohou and Artie Burns, to season-ending injuries in July, and a pair of other cornerbacks, Cornell Armstrong and Jason Marshall Jr., have since joined them on injured reserve. Storm Duck is also dealing with an ankle injury that has limited him to just one game, making the situation even worse.
Against the Panthers, though, it was the team’s front seven that was exposed. Dowdle, who was filling in for the injured Chuba Hubbard, has no trouble gashing this group all day long, as Miami simply could not bring him down. Bryce Young did what he had to do against a beat-up secondary, and it resulted in Carolina picking up a surprising victory.
The biggest issue in Weaver’s eyes was the Dolphins’ defense’s inability to tackle throughout the game, especially since that was a point of emphasis for the team throughout the week. When looking back at what he saw from this loss, Weaver kept it real, saying that there were times when he “wanted to throw up” because of the mistakes the team was making.
“That was disappointing,” Weaver bluntly admitted when discussing the Dolphins’ defensive performance in Week 5. “We have an incredibly prideful group, so there are times in that game when you’re watching the tape and you want to throw up, particularly because it’s some of the guys that were making some of the errors, it was just unlike them.”
Dolphins Looking to Bounce Back in Week 6
GettyMIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Miami is continuing to look for any sort of positives to take away from this season, but it continues to get in its own way every time it takes the field. They had no reason to lose to the Panthers, but their defense’s inability to get a stop, combined with their offense stalling out in the second half, resulted in the Dolphins suffering another ugly loss.
It remains to be seen if this team can turn it around and make things better, and their quest to do so won’t exactly be easy in Week 6. That’s because Miami will be welcoming the Los Angeles Chargers to town, and after suffering two straight losses themselves, they will be anxious to get back in the win column. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, and Weaver will surely be hoping to see a better performance from his defense in this one.
Patriots are NFL's first team to 10 wins, suddenly fighting injury bug with a game left before bye
Mike Vrabel hopes the New England Patriots' 26-20 comeback victory over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals was a reminder to his team that even after becoming the NFL’s first team to 10 wins this season, it will need to bring its best every week to keep stacking victories.
“I think that they found a way to win,” Vrabel said. “We’ll have to kind of keep that fine balance of understanding that wins are important, but improving at this time of the year is what’s most important.”
That is especially true for a team that will likely head into a “Monday Night Football” matchup with the New York Giants without two starters on an offense line that has been one of the most stable in the league.
Left guard Jared Wilson limped off in the first series of Sunday’s win with an ankle injury, and rookie left tackle Will Campbell was carted off in the third quarter with a knee injury.
It marked the biggest shakeup this season for the starting group of Campbell, Wilson, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Moses Morgan that has started 11 of 12 games. The lone deviation from that quintet was in Week 4 when Ben Brown started in place of Wilson, who was inactive with ankle and knee injuries.
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Vrabel said Monday that Campbell’s injury would require him to miss some games.
“He won’t be out there this week. It’s going to be a couple weeks,” Vrabel said. “We’ll have to make a decision here on the roster to see how long that will be and go from there. But it’s nothing that’s going to, hopefully, put him out for the entire season.”
The coach was a little more optimistic about the prospects for Wilson, saying his status would be dependent upon how he responds to rehab and practice.
Vederian Lowe replaced Campbell on Sunday, with Brown again taking Wilson’s spot. If Wilson and Campbell remain out for an extended period, the good news is both Brown and Lowe have ample starting experience. Lowe started 13 games at left tackle last season and Brown logged 10 starts at center in 2024 after David Andrews went on injured reserve.
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What’s working
Last season, Maye struggled to find people to throw the ball to. This season, he continues to have his pick of capable pass catchers.
Following tight end Hunter Henry’s seven-catch, 115-yard performance Sunday, the Patriots have had four straight games with a 100-yard receiver. Henry joined wide receiver DeMario Douglas (100 yards vs. Atlanta on Nov. 2), receiver Mack Hollins (106 at Tampa Bay on Nov. 9) and receiver Stefon Diggs (105 vs. the New York Jets on Nov. 13. It's the first time the team has had a 100-yard receiver in four straight games since the 2018 season.
What needs help
The Patriots twice failed to score touchdowns with the ball on the 1-yard line.
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Leading 17-13 in the third quarter, they had a touchdown pass to Henry nullified by an offensive pass interference call on Hollins. Two plays later, on fourth down, Rhamondre Stevenson was stopped on a run short of the goal line.
Ahead 20-13 in the fourth, Maye’s third-down quarterback sneak attempt on the goal line was stuffed, forcing them to settle for a field goal.
