MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill on the field in a game for the first time this preseason, the Miami Dolphins didn’t waste any time giving their fans a glimpse of what they’ve been anxiously awaiting.
Tagovailoa chucked a pass deep down the middle of the field on the first play of the game and Hill raced in between two defenders and made a diving catch for a 51-yard gain.
The connection set the tone for the Dolphins to close out the preseason with a 48-10 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. The scoring output was the most for the Dolphins in any game since 2002 and most ever in a preseason game.
While the big play came against the Eagles’ defensive reserves as coach Nick Sirianni chose to sit his starters, it showed what Hill promises to bring to the Dolphins offense this season.
During training camp, Tagovailoa and Hill have connected on multiple big chunk plays in practice with many coming on quick slants or crossing routes where the latter used his blazing speed to break away from defenders.
This play showed what could happen if Tagovailoa can deliver the ball more on target downfield to make such plays happen. According to NextGen Stats, Tagovailoa’s pass traveled 46.5 air yards even though it took Hill’s elite closing speed to make the grab.
NextGen Stats had Hill’s speed on the route at 21.72 mph, which was the fastest recorded in the NFL this preseason.
The two would connect again on the following play when Tagovailoa rolled out and found Hill on an out route for a 13-yard gain. Those would be the only two catches Hill would make as he exited the game after one drive.
Two plays later, Tagovailoa rolled out again and found River Cracraft for an 8-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
Last year, Tagovailoa’s 30 pass attempts traveling 20 yards or more were only the 28th most in the NFL, placing him right near the bottom among starters and leading to questions about his arm strength. The Dolphins signed Hill to a four-year, $120 million deal in the hopes that pairing Tagovailoa with such an elite talent would lead to plays such as the one they made Saturday.
Tagovailoa would remain in the game for two more drives, which ended with a 55-yard field goal by Jason Sanders and a 1-yard touchdown run by Sony Michel.
Tagovailoa completed 6 of 7 passes for 121 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Last week, he went 6 for 8 for 58 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Other notables
— Among the other bright spots was the Dolphins’ running game which found more traction — albeit against Philly reserves.
Miami running backs totaled 203 yards on 35 carries (averaging 5.8 yards per carry) led by Gerrid Doaks’ 11 carried for 67 yards.
— Although Teddy Bridgewater followed at quarterback once Tagovailoa exited the game, Skylar Thompson continued to put up solid numbers in his preseason snaps.
Thompson threw three touchdown passes and completed 7 of 10 attempts for 103 yards and no interceptions. Bridgewater went 4 for 10 for 74 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
For the preseason, Bridgewater has completed 14 of 30 passes for 193 yards. Thompson has completed 36 of 48 passes for 450 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
It’s unclear if the Dolphins will keep three quarterbacks on their roster after the final cuts to 53 players are made on Tuesday.
— Safety Elijah Campbell made the play of the game on defense when he intercepted Eagles’ backup quarterback Reid Sinnett and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown with 5:22 left in the second quarter. Campbell is in a battle to land one of the team’s safety spots with undrafted rookie Verone McKinley III.
— Lynn Bowden, another player on the bubble, caught a short pass from Thompson and navigated his way to the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown with 5:19 to go in the fourth quarter.
— Preston Williams muffed a punt with 13:18 left in the third quarter which led to the Eagles’ first score of the game - a 26-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.
— Rookie linebacker Channing Tindall, the Dolphins’ fourth-round pick out of Georgia, and Sam Eguavoen each had a sack.
— While Hill made his debut, the Dolphins still held out five other starters, including cornerback Xavien Howard and tackle Terron Armstead. Fullback Alec Ingold and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle also did not play.
