You won’t find this anywhere in the record books.

They don’t keep records on this. How could they? What would the label be? Most bizarre five days in Miami Dolphins history? Greatest number of gut punches taken and lived to tell about it?

Call it whatever you like. Just reflect back to noon Sunday, Sept. 8, when the grills weren’t the only things fired up at Hard Rock Stadium. It wasn’t that long ago. Really. Try wrapping your head around the hope that was when the Dolphins’ season kicked off compared to the despair of an emptying stadium as the scoreboard clock hit 0:00 late Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills.

We thought it was bizarre when we saw images of Tyreek Hill handcuffed. Then someone turned up the bizarre meter when we discovered Calais Campbell was, too.

If we only knew the worst was yet to come.

More: Tua Tagovailoa's latest concussion wrenching for Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel

Where do the shellshocked Dolphins go from here?

Let’s start with morsels of good news. We all could use that now, along with a few more cups of coffee. It wasn’t lost on coach Mike McDaniel as he addressed reporters via Zoom on Friday morning and acknowledged the daunting challenge plopped on his lap.

“None of it’s lost on me and the motivation to press through difficult times when — shoot, I hate disappointing our local sports writers and seeing people dejected after the game,” he said. “I hate fans that spend all this money to go to these games and have all the expectations. … A lot of people can do this job when things are going awesome. There’s a lot of people. I think it’s important that when you sign up for it, that you recognize that as a leader, it actually only matters when times are tough.”

Breather before Miami Dolphins' next game is so welcome

At least the Dolphins don’t play again until Sept. 22. A blessed mini-bye, if you will. The only bonus of playing on Thursday night. Also, the Dolphins are entering the soft part of their schedule, a time to pad the win column total before a tough home stretch to rival last year’s.

Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s defense is giving up an average of 257 yards per game. Two games barely qualifies as a sample size, but enjoy the fact that 257 would have led the NFL last season. So there is that.

The next assignments are at Seattle, vs. Tennessee, at New England, bye week, at Indianapolis and vs. Arizona. It’s doubtful the Dolphins will have Tua Tagovailoa available for all of them because of his concussion; the question is whether he’ll be in uniform for any of them. All those games, then, amount to varying degrees of toss-ups.

Ending Dolphins' 24-year drought won't be easy

OK, now for the reality check.

Two recurring themes of the preseason were 1) The Dolphins were determined to be the bullies, not the bullied; and 2) That little matter of the 24-year drought without a playoff win.

If ever there was a night to come out swinging, Thursday night was it. The nemesis Buffalo Bills were in town. They’re the guys who — according to one of the Dolphins’ very own, safety Jordan Poyer — love looking down on the Dolphins. Instead of flexing muscle, the Dolphins looked meek, lethargic, unable to grab the prize before them. Tagovailoa’s concussion didn’t lose this game. A lack of ball security and moxie did.

It’s a recurring theme for the Dolphins. Pick any barometer you like — record vs. playoff teams, record vs. teams with winning records, record in prime time — and the numbers are grotesque. (They’re 2-8 in prime time since 2022, for example.)

They’re already in the red when it comes to the 24-year drought. It’s certainly not unsurmountable — not after two weeks — but because the Dolphins usually are significantly better at home than on the road, securing a home playoff game is their best path to postseason success. Waiting for them after the Arizona game is a Nov. 3 date at Buffalo, which now becomes all but imperative if the Dolphins are to dethrone the Bills for the AFC East title and earn a home playoff game. Enough said.

Late-season schedule does Dolphins no favors

The home stretch mirrors the potholes in 2023, when they limped home 2-4 before getting frozen out in Kansas City on wild-card weekend. In addition to the Bills, Miami has to play at Green Bay on Thanksgiving, at Houston and vs. San Francisco.

It’s more than that, though:

• The Dolphins have played eight quarters of football and sleep-walked through six.

• GM Chris Grier found amusement at those who doubted the offensive line. The OL isn’t so amusing now.

• The Dolphins desperately needed a dependable WR3 to take heat off Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They don’t have one. Odell Beckham Jr. was signed to fit the role even though the Dolphins knew he was dealing with an injury. And he’s still dealing with an injury.

• The hole left by Christian Wilkins’ departure is as big as the one James Cook ran through on that 49-yard touchdown run.

• How much is that hamstring leaving Jalen Ramsey hamstrung?

Look, it’s only mid-September. History is filled with teams written off in October and even November that came alive in December.

Maybe Tagovailoa will be healthy sooner rather than later.

Maybe those five days aren’t an omen, but an outlier.

Maybe we could all use a quiet weekend so our heads quit spinning.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa hurt, 5 bizarre days to start season for Miami Dolphins