Seconds before the pivotal play in what became their third straight win, Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff realized there was an issue with the headsets and worried their defenders hadn’t received the play call.

McDaniel started to call a timeout.

“At the last second, a couple coaches on the headset said, ‘No, he got the call! He got the call!’ and so then I walked back,” McDaniel said. “So I was aware of the issue. I was not aware that T-Dot (linebacker Tyrel Dodson) called his own defense.”

The defense did not actually receive the call because of the headset issue. Dodson, who typically gets the call from the sideline in his helmet receiver, made his own and lined up his teammates ahead of the New Orleans Saints’ game-tying two-point conversion attempt.

“That’s a Mike linebacker (@tdots25) that’s prepared, and a defense that believes in him.”

Mike McDaniel details the @MiamiDolphins‘ game changing defensive play. pic.twitter.com/Q2IJlwmNu0

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2025

Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick then intercepted and returned quarterback Tyler Shough’s pass intended for receiver Devaughn Vele nearly 100 yards to score two for Miami and give the home team a 21-17 lead that held as the final score.

McDaniel said the “conviction” that the defense showed on the play had the staff believing that Dodson did ultimately get the call.

“That’s a mike (middle) linebacker that’s prepared and a defense that believes in him,” McDaniel said.

Largely due to the result of that play, the Dolphins won their fourth game of their past five to improve to 5-7 after starting 1-6.

Miami can credit defense for the turnaround. Through Weeks 1-7, the unit ranked 29th in the NFL, allowing 27.3 points per game. In Weeks 8-13, the defense allowed 16 points per contest — fifth in the league.

Fitzpatrick credited the unit for sticking together through the dismal start to the season.

“We weren’t pointing fingers,” he said. “We weren’t worried about other guys. We were all worried about what we could do better, what I could do better. Everybody kind of took on that personality.

“We uplifted each other when we made mistakes, and we really focused on just getting better.”