Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel could use some good fortune.

In fact, McDaniel could use a one-year turnaround similar to Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni’s one-year turnaround.

To be blunt, McDaniel, who has been blessed with more talent than most coaches in Dolphins history, hasn’t done a good job taking advantage of his bounty. It seems logical to think that McDaniel must be better in 2025, or he’ll be fired.

McDaniel has a 28-25 record (.528), including an 0-2 mark in the playoffs and a 4-16 mark (.200) against playoff teams.

His teams have disappointed and underachieved.

The Great Experiment is failing.

McDaniel must change the culture of his team, and change its fortunes against the best teams on its schedule.

It’s all connected.

The Dolphins regularly get pounded by the best teams on their schedule, which prevents them from getting a home playoff game, which prevents them from winning a playoff game.

Many have questioned the wisdom of owner Steve Ross for keeping McDaniel, even after extending his contract last summer.

The pressure is on.

Sirianni can relate.

Sirianni, who recently led the Eagles to a dominating 40-22 win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, was the butt of NFL jokes as recently as Week 6.

He was caught yelling at Eagles fans after a narrow 20-16 home victory that raised Philly’s record to 3-2.

Combine the disappointing record with the viral video of that shouting match, and add the soul-sucking momentum of the Eagles losing six of their final seven games in 2023, including a 32-9 first-round road playoff loss to Tampa Bay, and things were bleak for Sirianni.

He bounced back in a big way.

McDaniel can do the same.

McDaniel doesn’t have to win a Super Bowl to keep his job, but a playoff win would go a long way toward ensuring he returns for 2026.

A mere playoff appearance probably won’t be good enough.

I still think the Dolphins can win a Super Bowl with McDaniel.

The same goes for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

But let’s focus on McDaniel returning for 2026.

Ross must set a baseline for what McDaniel must do to return.

Sirianni, who was making his second Super Bowl appearance, removed all doubt about his return.

To me, McDaniel must win a playoff game, at least, to keep his job.

Perhaps hiring Bobby Slowik, the ex-Houston offensive coordinator, as senior pass game coordinator is a step in the right direction.

At first glance, however, it seems Slowik’s presence is complicating the process by adding another voice.

If Slowik takes some of the midweek load off of McDaniel’s shoulders, something coaches Andy Reid and Zac Taylor, who have both made Super Bowl appearances, said is essential, his presence is a huge positive.

If, on the other hand, Slowik reassures McDaniel everything he’s doing offensively is OK, that injuries and poor guard play are to blame for everything that afflicts this offense, then his presence only deepens the bog.

Ideally, Slowik can figure out why the best teams have shut down the Dolphins’ offense for the last two years.

During the past two seasons Miami has gone 2-10 against playoff teams, with Tua totaling 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Neither wide receiver Tyreek Hill nor fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has a 100-yard receiving game against a playoff team in the past two years.

The Dolphins have averaged a measly 17 points per game (actually 16.8 ppg) during that 12-game span.

In the three-year McDaniel era, the Dolphins have been outscored by playoff teams by average score of 29-20.

This goes way beyond Hill and Waddle being jammed at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the timing of the short and intermediate passes, and then facing the two-high safety look to take away the deep passes.

This also goes beyond scapegoating the two starting guards for the ills of the offense.

This gets to the Dolphins’ offense having one way of winning, and that’s with Hill.

Over the past two years the Dolphins are 11-0 when Hill has 100 or more receiving yards and 7-16 (.304) when Hill has 99 or fewer yards receiving.

This gets to the Dolphins, for three years, having a run game that’s lacking in third-down, short-yardage, goal-line and red-zone situations.

Oh, and the run game also hasn’t run between the tackles very well.

Slowik must help McDaniel diversify the offense.

Slowik must take much of the midweek game-planning burden off McDaniel so McDaniel can focus on bigger issues, such as culture or securing a home playoff game or the run game or winning on the road or beating playoff teams or winning in December and January.

All things considered, McDaniel needs a small miracle to save his job.

Sirianni was in a similar situation as recently as Week 5 of the regular season and it worked out great for him.

McDaniel doesn’t need to pull a Sirianni.

But McDaniel must miraculously be much better than he’s been the previous three years.

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