Expectations on the season for the Miami Dolphins waffled somewhere between ‘Tua can’t stay healthy third place team’ to ‘Potentially competing for a wild card spot’. Needless to say Tua Tagovailoa and this Dolphins team is blow those expectations out of the water in a big way, and Tagovailoa’s play is accounts for a big part of that success.
Tagovailoa’s career leading up to this point has been shaky to say the least, whether it was dealing with the early parts of his career showing limited production, or the last two seasons where he has shown flashes but has been unable to stay healthy. So far in 2023 Tagovailoa has flipped that narrative on it’s head, looking every bit the ultra accurate and dynamic passer he was coming out of Alabama.
Coming off one of the biggest offensive performances in NFL history, Tagovailoa put up rather modest numbers given the circumstances, with “only” 309 yards and four touchdowns on the day. It certainly felt like he could have easily thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns, but with a game out of hand and head coach Mike McDaniel wanting to experiment in the run game with his shiny rookie running back, the pass game got away from them.
Mike McDaniel is just cooking up filthy play designs for Tua Tagovailoa.
The crowd gasp after the no-look was awesome.pic.twitter.com/esm4cIyGJk
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2023
This is just a blip on how efficient Tagovailoa has been as a passer this season, and in his previous two games he looked every bit as good, including against a intimidating New England team. So far through three games Tagovailoa has thrown for over one thousand yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions, placing him with an astonishing quarterback rating of 121.9 through three games. To this point Tagovailoa has made a definitive statement with his place, placing himself firmly atop of the MVP race as well as putting the Miami Dolphins in prime position to make a Super Bowl run with the best offense in the league.
Tua Tagovailoa played out of his mind Sunday and looks ready to carry this #Dolphins team.
He is playing with extreme confidence. His mechanics are dialed in and he’s throwing accurately and in rhythm.
— Brett Whitefield (@BGWhitefield) September 12, 2023
