To Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Lighter
It’s wild to see the Miami Dolphins lose three games in a row. It’s wild to see how important Tua Tagovailoa is to this team, as the Minnesota Vikings won 24-16 in Miami with the Dolphins and he reminded the NFL of Tua’s importance. rice field.
The Dolphins haven’t disappeared from the quarterback market for the last few years, even after drafting Tagovailoa with the 5th overall pick in 2020. Miami has expressed interest in trading Deshawn Watson for 2021.
But at this point in the 2022 season, Tagovailoa is clearly the most valuable player. Yes, Tyreek Hill is very important. Tagovailoa lost time due to a concussion he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, but I suggested he might be important enough to help the Dolphins overcome their quarterback challenge. However, Hill is limited in what he can do. Although the receiver has surpassed 150 yards in two of his last three games (and he left the game with 47 yards against the Jets in the 4th quarter), Hill is the Dolphins’ The recent spiral could not be contained.
The latest example occurred in the fourth quarter between the Dolphins and Vikings. Teddy Bridgewater was quarterback. Miami had planned for him to serve as backup to Skyler Thompson, but the team lost Thompson to a thumb injury in the first half. When the Dolphins showed signs of a short life on offense, it left the game to Bridgewater. However, Jalen Waddle spat out a fumble in the open field as the Dolphins trailed midfield by six points. The Vikings scored a few plays later, and the momentum of the game — like Dolphin season — spiraled out of control.
The Vikings running back Dalvin Cook scored a 53-yard touchdown. Then, on the next drive with three minutes remaining, Bridgewater gave the ball again with an interception in a terrible decision. Easy choice. An ugly victory for the Vikings. But still win.
Dalvin Cook Seals Viking Victory Over Dolphins
Dalvin Cook helped the Vikings to a 24-16 victory with a 53-yard rushing TD late in the fourth quarter.
Even with Hill’s 12 catches for 177 yards, the Dolphins scored only 16 points.
Since Tagovailoa’s injury, the Dolphins are 5-1 on 4th down. They were 3-for-3 on fourth down with Tua on the field. That his 4th down Moxie was a defining part of the Dolphins’ identity under a brave, analysis-driven young coach named Mike McDaniel.
Tagovailoa was catching 308 passing yards per game in his first three games and had 193 passing yards per game on September 26 against the Bengals with five minutes left in the second quarter.
He was a monster and a bona fide MVP candidate.
They need to get Tagovailoa back.
This is not to say the Dolphins should rush him back. He suffered a horrific concussion and left the field on a stretcher just a few weeks ago. However, McDaniel indicated that the team was targeting Tua’s return in Week 7. He had cleared NFL protocol and was technically eligible to play this week. decided to give him another week off.
When he returns, he will definitely change the complexion of attack. For the first few weeks, Tagovailoa looked like a major key to his NFL defense. He was beating the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo his Bills, New England He was beating the Patriots (offense questionable but defense still looking solid). As long as the Dolphins’ defense can protect him, Terron on his tackle at left handful of offenses, including Armstead. I need to get it back. They can stop this death spiral. They even go back to the top of the pack in the AFC.
“People will brood over losing,” tight end Mike Geschke said. “I wouldn’t do that.” “We’re not going to let anyone in this locker room do that. We’ve got too much talent. We’ve worked too hard. There’s too much football in front of us.”
Tua’s consistent play seems to have tied this offense together this season.
And that’s wild considering the NFL took him for granted. Certainly, Dolphins fans feel that way about Tagovailoa.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter. @ Macken analysis.
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