INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wants his top offensive playmakers more involved.
The Indianapolis Colts made sure Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had no chance to make a difference Sunday.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel prepares to call for a time out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle warms up before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle throws the ball to fans in the stands as he warms up before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill stretches out before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley (18) hands off to wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The speedy Hill was limited to one catch for 8 yards and one carry for 5 yards while Waddle caught only one pass for 11 yards in yet another underwhelming performance by the league's lowest-scoring team.
“I think every (opponent) goes with that objective, because they know how good they are,” McDaniel said after the 16-10 loss. “They (defenses) have acknowledged sometimes that they’ve minimized their involvement by certain things they can do in their game. However, this game, I didn’t see that. So, you have to continue to problem solve. Sometimes you think that you have solved the problem, and then you find out you haven’t.”
The Dolphins (2-4) certainly didn't find many fixes Sunday.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley left in the third quarter after injuring his throwing shoulder, the latest chapter during a season the Dolphins have already used four quarterbacks. Huntley was still trying to get acclimated to his hometown team's playbook during last week's bye and when he left Tim Boyle replaced him.
With De'Von Achane, Raheem Mostert and Huntley leading the way on the ground, the Dolphins rushed for 188 yards. But aside from connecting with Jonnu Smith seven times for 96 yards and one score, they struggled through the air and Mostert lost a fumble that Indy (4-3) converted into its only touchdown of the game.
The result: Miami scored only 10 points against a defense that started Week 7 ranked near the bottom of the league in total yards, yards passing and yards receiving.
“I think they were phenomenal all game. They’ve really looked at their role in an expansive way and have been trying to do whatever they can to win the football game,” McDaniel said, referring to Waddle and Hill. “It was frustrating this game because I didn’t anticipate some of the game shaping out that way. I have to find a way, specifically when they're doing their jobs at a high level. They were very involved in the run game in blocking, and contrary to popular belief, they do play every play."
It hasn't just been the receivers, though.
Miami also committed six penalties, lost the turnover margin, missed a 54-yard field goal that would have tied the score at 13 with 5:14 to play and couldn't rally with Boyle leading the final drive before turning the ball over on downs.
One solution would be activating quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from injured reserve Monday, something McDaniel declined to address following the game. The quicker solution would be developing a game plan that gets Hill and Waddle back in sync.
“They’re one of 11 in terms of not just passes — sometimes they’re limited to requiring a lot of attention and emphasis from the defense, which gives other guys opportunities,” McDaniel said. "But we have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I need to find ways to get them involved.”
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel prepares to call for a time out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle warms up before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle throws the ball to fans in the stands as he warms up before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill stretches out before the start of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley (18) hands off to wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Kamala Harris on Sunday summoned Black churchgoers to turn out at the polls and got a big assist from music legend Stevie Wonder, who rallied congregants with a rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song."
Harris visited two Atlanta area churches as part of a nationwide push known as “souls to the polls." It's a mobilization effort led by the National Advisory Board of Black Faith Leaders, which is sending representatives across battleground states to encourage early voting.
After services, buses took congregants straight to early polling places.
At both churches, Harris delivered a message about kindness and lifting people up rather than insulting them, trying to set up an implicit contrast with Republican Donald Trump's brash style. With just 16 days left until Election Day, Harris is running out of time to get across her message to a public still getting to know her after a truncated campaign.
“There is so much at stake right now,” she said at the Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro. “Our strength is not based on who we beat down, as some would try to suggest. Our strength is based on who we lift up. And that spirit is very much at stake in these next 16 days.”
Wonder led the crowd in singing his version of “Happy Birthday" to the vice president, who turned 60 on Sunday. When he was done, she appeared to choke up, saying, “I love you so much.”
Wonder grinned and said “don’t cry" before telling the crowd how important it was for people to get out and vote.
“We’re going to make the difference between yesterday and tomorrow,” he said.
Harris later said that she “had to check off a whole big one” on her bucket list because of Wonder singing her a birthday song, which prompted the singer to spring up and lead the congregation in a quick verse of ”Higher Ground."
Pastor Donald Battle said of the election: “Georgia's gonna be the state that turns it for the vice president.”
“Souls to the Polls” as an idea traces back to the Civil Rights Movement. The Rev. George Lee, a Black entrepreneur from Mississippi, was killed by white supremacists in 1955 after he helped nearly 100 Black residents register to vote in the town of Belzoni. The cemetery where Lee is buried has served as a polling place.
Black church congregations across the country have undertaken get-out-the-vote campaigns for years. In part to counteract voter suppression tactics that date back to the Jim Crow era, early voting in the Black community is stressed from pulpits nearly as much as it is by candidates.
In Georgia, early voting began on Tuesday, and more than 310,000 people voted on that day, more than doubling the first-day total in 2020. A record 5 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Earlier Sunday, the Democratic presidential nominee attended New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, where the congregation also sang “Happy Birthday.”
New Birth Pastor Jamal Bryant called the vice president “an American hero, the voice of the future” and “our fearless leader.” He also used his sermon to welcome the idea of America electing its first woman president, saying, “It takes a real man to support a real woman.”
“When Black women roll up their sleeves, then society has got to change,” Bryant said.
Harris referenced scripture as she promoted the importance of loving one's neighbor, and then drew a contrast to the current political environment.
“In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told the congregation. “The true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”
One congregant who got a hug from Harris was 98-year-old Opal Lee, an activist who pushed to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.
Harris is a Baptist. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. She has said she’s inspired by the work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and influenced by the religious traditions of her mother’s native India as well as the Black Church. Harris sang in the choir as a child at Twenty-Third Avenue Church of God in Oakland.
Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, attended church in Saginaw, Michigan, and his wife, Gwen, headed to a service in Las Vegas.
Also Sunday, Harris sat for an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton and was asked about the idea that she might see her support slipping among Black men — some of whom might be reluctant to vote for a woman for president. Former President Barack Obama suggested that might be an issue during a recent campaign stop for Harris in Pittsburgh.
Harris said she had garnered support from many key Black male leaders, adding, “there’s this narrative about what kind of support we are receiving from Black men that is just not panning out in reality.”
On Monday, she will campaign with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Attendees sing "Happy Birthday" as Stevie Wonder performs for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris' birthday during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
An attendee holds a campaign fan before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees listen as Stevie Wonder performs "Redemption Song" during a church service and early vote event with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
An attendee holds a campaign fan before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris looks on as Stevie Wonder sings "Happy Birthday" to Harris during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees listen as Stevie Wonder performs "Redemption Song" during a church service and early vote event with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris reacts as she is surprised by campaign staff with birthday decorations on Air Force Two before departing Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, en route to Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn, Martin, Pool)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, speaks with Stevie Wonder after he sang "Happy Birthday" to Harris during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens as Stevie Wonder performs "Redemption Song" during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The congregation prays for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, top center, at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris attends a church service New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The congregation prays for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, top center, at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees clap as Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The congregation prays for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, top center, at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves to the congregation as she arrives to speak at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A protester, center, demonstrates as Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees listen during a church service at New Birth Baptist Church before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and pastor Jamal Bryant arrive at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, greets attendees as she arrives at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees sit during a church service at New Birth Baptist Church before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks, in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Attendees sing during a service at New Birth Baptist Church before democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks, in Stonecrest, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris high-fives people in the crowd after speaking at a campaign event at Lakewood Amphitheatre, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at a campaign event at Lakewood Amphitheatre, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Lakewood Amphitheatre, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Lakewood Amphitheatre, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
