The fifth episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins” premiered on Tuesday night, with a focus on the team’s rebound from its fourth-quarter collapse against the Tennessee Titans and preparation for the New York Jets. Here are the highlights from the episode. ▪ One of the first scenes features Mary Martinez, a teacher at Pinecrest Elementary School, who incorporates the Dolphins into her lessons. In the episode, she speaks to her students about Miami’s loss to Tennessee and the class updates wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s path to 2,000 receiving yards. ▪ The Dolphins’ injury situation is highlighted, noting that as many as nine players could miss the Jets game. Hill, who did not play in the game because of ankle injury, is seen wearing a walking boot as he enters the quarterbacks room to watch film with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. ▪ Coach Mike McDaniel addresses the team the day after the Titans loss to review the game’s film. As they go over the game, McDaniel takes accountability, saying that one of his play calls — a goal-line fade to wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. that fell incomplete — was “trash.” “Yeah, I called some trash [expletive] plays,” he said. That’ll happen. I’m going to learn from that [expletive].” ▪ Wide receiver Braxton Berrios is featured heavily, as one of the players who must step up in Hill’s stead as he plays his former team. The relationship with his girlfriend, Alix Earle, who is a social media influencer, is also highlighted. Earle explains the story behind “NFL Man,” which started as an alias for Berrios, but took off on social media.
▪ There is a spotlight on the friendship between defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler, as well as Sieler’s journey from being cut in Baltimore to becoming a cornerstone player in Miami. Sieler’s wife is shown watching the game in Zach’s hometown of Pinckney, Michigan, as they are near welcoming their first child, and the playful on-field banter between Wilkins and Sieler is also shown.
▪ The episode concludes with a return to Martinez’s class after the Dolphins’ shutout win against the Jets. A whiteboard lists the Dolphins’ regular-season schedule and she writes a “W” next to the Jets game as students are shown wearing Hill’s “Soul Runner” sunglasses.
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