The traumatic collapse of another season of Miami Dolphins football met a merciful end days after time officially expired on the field, with the last episode of Hard Knocks documenting the team's final finger losing its grip on the campaign. Miami's funereal 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night felt like a formality, as did HBO's coverage days later.
One might say HBO accorded the Dolphins the ultimate honor by putting as little effort as possible into its season finale as the Phins themselves did. A tip of the cap for the hospitality, if you will.
The final episode of Hard Knocks felt thrown together at the last minute — much like the Dolphins' locker room, ravaged by injuries and studded with hastily assembled replacements in the waning days. The show presented discombobulated storylines and disjointed topics, exhibiting scant tact in building up to the fact that the Dolphins were about to play the biggest game of the season and, possibly, the franchise's most consequential contest of the past two decades.
You could almost sense HBO's relief that the Dolphins' Hard Knocks campaign was over, even if it meant giving up content and ratings.
A similar feeling was certainly shared by Dolphins fans, who were ready to end the pain and suffering. As the final month's schedule loomed in December, many harbored a nagging suspicion that this was how the script would end.
Taylor Swift can’t even see Travis Kelce through the window 😂 pic.twitter.com/Lxjy3vcue4
— Robert Chavez (@_ChavezRobert) January 14, 2024
Cold in More Ways Than One
The theme of Hard Knocks' final episode was simple: frigid conditions. The contest against Kansas City would be the coldest ever for the Dolphins, foreshadowing an offensive performance that couldn't have been any colder and stiffer if random people off the street started at wide receiver for the visiting team.With Miami's loss to Kansas City and the Detroit Lions winning their first playoff game since 1992, the Dolphins now stand as the franchise with the longest playoff-win drought in the NFL.
Beyond the weather, much of the Hard Knocks season finale focused on Tyreek Hill's first return to Kansas City since the Chiefs traded him to Miami two offseasons ago. That, and the little-known girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some country singer.
Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't want so much Taylor Swift with our Hard Knocks. But with the way the Dolphins ended 2023-24, the new players who just joined the roster to replace a bevy of injured starters, and the effort the team put forth on the field, we can't blame the HBO crew for cramming in as much Swift time as they could.
Tearful Goodbyes
The final scenes were filled with tears and goodbyes: tears from head coach Mike McDaniel, who expressed regret over not doing a better job, and goodbyes from players, many of whom, such as defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, are unsure if they'll ever wear a Dolphins jersey again.Heading into the offseason, the Dolphins have many more questions than answers, including whether the team should lock up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa long-term.
In his fourth NFL season, Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards, the first Dolphins player to do so since Dan Marino. But given his nearly nonexistent presence in this week's episode, it's fair to wonder whether hundreds of millions of dollars should be spent on a leader who all but disappeared while on the biggest stage.
Let's all hope that stage doesn't include HBO or Hard Knocks next year.
