The Miami Dolphins are in dangerous territory. Not just because they’re 0-3, but because they’re in a position they never expected to be in after putting together a team that should be contending in the AFC. The biggest problem is they have a quarterback that simply can’t win them games.
Tua Tagovailoa tossed what ended up being the game-sealing interception, in a season to forget for him. At this point, you have to wonder if he’s the answer they wanted him to be. They need him to be the difference in close games and Buffalo was proof they need to re-think their stance with Tagovailoa. He’s not the only problem of this team, but he’s certainly the biggest and if things don’t change, the Dolphins will continue to struggle.
Dolphins get more questions than answers from Tua Tagovailoa after close loss to Bills
What makes the Tagovailoa situation worse than what it seems is that he finished Thursday night’s game with less than 150 yards, despite throwing the ball 34 times; that’s unacceptable. If you want to look even deeper, half of his completions on Thursday night were behind the line of scrimmage. It’s a blessing to have weapons that can create plays in space, but this is the NFL. The one time his team needed him to put the ball downfield, he threw a bad interception, costing the game.
He’s obviously had some plays downfield, including the touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, but at the end of the day, the plays downfield are few and far between. They have to rely on him to be the difference in close games. If you look at the rest of the quarterbacks in his draft class, of the five quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds, he’s by far the worst.
Joe Burrow has already played in a Super Bowl, Justin Herbert, while struggling to win in the postseason, has proven to be a true franchise quarterback, Jordan Love is on the verge of turning the Green Bay Packers into an NFC contender and Jalen Hurts has been to two Super Bowls, won a Super Bowl and won Super Bowl MVP.
Tagovailoa doesn’t even have a win in the playoffs yet. This season doesn’t feel like that will change either. He can’t be taken seriously if he can’t elevate this team. In a way, you can’t be mad at Hill for having his tantrums on the sideline.
The Miami Dolphins need more from Tua Tagovailoa than he can offer
Thursday night’s game wasn’t a step in the right direction for the Dolphins, rather a beaming red alarm. This team isn’t in a position to win right now and they’re being held up by their quarterback. Since they’ve drafted Tagovailoa, they’ve been disappointing. It feels like they’re at a point where they may not ever reach the point they want to.
The loss to the Bills was a sign of how far behind they are and how dim the future looks. That starts with Tagovailoa. Miami is expecting him to be something he’s not. While he’s not necessarily costing them games, the big thing is he isn’t winning them for Miami. The Dolphins weren’t necessarily supposed to beat the Bills, but they were in a position to win and Tagovailoa should have played better. The fact that he didn’t means this team will continue to look for answers in all the wrong spots.
When it comes down to it, Miami is only as good as Tagovailoa is. Right now, he’s not good, while that could change, there’s not a lot of confidence that it will. Thursday night was proof that if things don’t get better, the Dolphins will continue to lose.