MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins have led in the second half of each game during the past three weeks.

And yet, when the final buzzer sounded, the result has been the same: a single-digit loss. Each loss has come about rather differently, however, it appears to follow a very similar formula, according to coach Mike McDaniel.

“The tonality, now that we have a three-game pattern, is definitely a focus on how we finish collectively as a group,” McDaniel said Monday, roughly 24 hours after the Dolphins suffered a 30-27 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Dolphins often struggle with mental mistakes that ultimately come back to hurt them in the end. The subtle missteps have been an issue all season but even more so after consecutive losses to the Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. That, more than anything, has contributed to their 2-6 record that already has fans and analysts alike punting on the season.

“We got close but close doesn’t really count,” McDaniel said. “It was a tough pull to swallow but not the type of pill that tells you to take your foot off the pass. Albeit, it was a heartbreak, it was more validation that we are much better than our record is. But our record is what it is.”

Take the losses to the Bills and Cardinals, for example. Yes, their respective kickers — the Bills’ Tyler Bass and Cardinals’ Matt Prater — deserve credit for knocking in game-winning fields, but it’s impossible not to remember the penalties and poor play on both sides of the ball that ultimately contributed to the loss not to mention Raheem Mostert’s costly fumble, the second in three games.

“This past game, going against a really good quarterback that was able to find some success in the second half, I thought the team had more resolve,” McDaniel said.

In the Bills loss, the Dolphins had the opposing offense deep in their own territory on third-and-14 with the score tied at 27 with less than a minute left. Then Robinson got a neutral zone infraction to make it third-and-9. Then Jordan Poyer drew an unnecessary roughness call after making helmet-to-helmet contact with Keon Coleman while trying to make a play on the ball. Just like that, the Bills had a first down near midfield. Seven plays and a 61-yard field goal later, the Dolphins once again find themselves down with mere seconds left on the clock.

Throw the late game collapse in with the offense’s inability to score a touchdown from the Buffalo 11 late in the third quarter and the loss just stings a bit more.

“You leave yourself vulnerable anytime you leave the strike zone,” McDaniel said of the Poyer penalty, later adding, “there was a couple of plays offensively that maybe a field goal is a touchdown and a couple plays defensively where we [should] get off the field but in critical situations that we kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”

Against the Cardinals, the Dolphins had a few opportunities to win it — even with the third quarter safety that cost them a precious two points. Up 27-25 with less than seven minutes left and the ball at midfield, the Dolphins had three plays to try to get a first down to extend the game. Not only did Miami gain just a single yard, they stopped the clock with roughly five minutes left thanks to an incomplete pass.

The Dolphins would punt to the Cardinals, who would use the entire clock to drive 73 yards for a game-winning chip shot. Even with an offensive holding pushing the Cardinals back 10 yards, they still managed to take advantage of defensive matchups and move the ball downfield.

“We had a situation where both sides of the ball had a chance to win it and they didn’t,” McDaniel said.

Similarly, the Colts loss had several missteps at the end. The second half was a disaster — two fumbles, a missed potential game-tying field goal and an injury to then starting quarterback Tyler Huntley — yet the Dolphins still a chance at the end. Down 16-10, Miami just needed Tim Boyle, a man who is 0-9 in games where he has thrown a pass, to lead the team to a touchdown drive. It’s safe to say that didn’t happen.

“The common denominator is [we haven’t been] winning those last couple of drives,” McDaniel said.

For a team that had playoff aspirations before a Tua Tagovailoa concussion seemingly derailed the season, these little missteps have been the difference between 5-3 and 2-6. Whoever coined the phrase “football is a game of inches” truly wasn’t lying.

“Every little thing does matter and regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be,” McDaniel said, “they are our circumstances.”

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