MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins have won five straight games and in first place in the AFC East Division standings.
It's enough for the NFL to warrant moving Miami's Dec. 11 game at the Los Angeles Chargers to a prime-time slot on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
But first-year head coach Mike McDaniel isn't making much of it to his team.
"I think of avoiding reality and entering into delusions is dangerous," McDaniel told reporters Wednesday when asked how he's managing expectations for his players.
McDaniel said being flexed to a Sunday night game wasn't one of the goals set by the team in the offseason.
"I think you acknowledge it and that's something that the players should be proud of," McDaniel said. "That means the players have decided that they want to make the most out of all the talent that they have and they're committed to doing, and so it's a credit to them for sure. But at the same time, it is next week, so if you worry about next week against a team like we're facing, you will be humbled fast. So I think it's important to acknowledge, but it's also just something."
This is the first time Miami has been flexed into a "Sunday Night Football" game in franchise history. Miami beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 on a Sunday night in October earlier this season.
The Dolphins will spend the next three weekends on the road, beginning Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers. They'll face the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. on WPTV.