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.
