At the beginning of the year, many looked at the last five weeks of the Miami Dolphins schedule (Weeks 10-14) and felt it might be where Mike McDaniel’s team could pull away from the pack. That didn’t happen. Instead, Miami — led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — rattled off a streak of wins and have put themselves #InTheHunt as the final weeks of the season roll along.
A HUGE part of the reason Miami is still playing meaningful football — and honestly, in this situation, entirely — is because of the play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Since his return from a concussion injury that forced him to miss a handful of games, Tua has been damn near perfect, slicing and dicing defenses and keeping Miami in every game he appears in. All of this, despite defenses changing the way they attack the Dolphins offense.
And yes, I know wins aren’t a quarterback stat — but you’re out of your [redacted] mind if you think Tua doesn’t immediately contribute to Miami’s win-loss record. The same way, for example, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow do for their respective teams. Thankfully, you don’t have to take my word for it. There’s visual evidence to prove it.
Here’s a look at the results of the Dolphins’ last five matchups and what Miami’s QB1 has done in those outings.
//Note: If you want to watch (every dropback) from each game, click the FILM link below.//
- Week 10: WIN @ Los Angeles Rams 23-15 | 20 of 28 207 yards, 1 TD, & 1 INT | FILM
- Week 11: WIN vs. Los Vegas Raiders 34-19 | 38 of 36 for 288 yards, 3 TDs | FILM
- Week 12: WIN vs. New England Patriots 34-15 | 29 of 40 for 317 yards, 4 TDs | FILM
- Week 13: LOSS @ Green Bay Packers 17-30 | 37 of 46 for 365 yards, 2 TDs | FILM
- Week 14: WIN vs. New York Jets 32-26 (OT) | 33 of 46 for 331 yards, 2 TDs | FILM
Final Stats over the last five games: 157 of 196 for 1,508 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception.
So what’s my point?
My point is that the Dolphins were always supposed to beat the teams we've watched them beat over the last few weeks — or at least many fans thought so (experts, too). Many even believed they’d lose to the Packers on the road at Lambeau Field. And I personally thought seeing Jordan Love vs. Tua Tagovailoa would break the brains of many and cause unnecessary dialogue, ruining Thanksgiving Day forever!!! Was I right?!
But what many didn’t know, when looking over the schedule back in May, was what the team would do — on the road — against the Houston Texans. A team that not only won the AFC South and hosted a playoff game last year but defeated the Cleveland Browns in convincing fashion, 45-14. That same Texans team — albeit amid a rough five-game stretch — currently sits atop the AFC South with an 8-5 record. Coming off a Bye... Water vs. wine-type stuff.
We all know that Houston’s offense can put up points. And we were told that C.J. Stroud is the second coming of the Messiah. But it’s Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans and that defense that strikes fear in the opposition. Mike McDaniel talked about how tough it will be going against Ryans’ defense, especially for a Miami team that has had questions asked over the last few weeks about whether or not they could compete with the #elite.
“What DeMeco coaches, it doesn’t matter that I know. It’s the nuts and bolts of coaching that actually matters... I know how well-prepared he’ll be. I know to call the game, I know how well-prepared his team will be. They kind of take on his playing mindset just collectively. I remember feeling that when we had our joint practices against them and then you can just see it on tape, the relentless physicality and the connectivity and strain. It’s all real so I know to be prepared based upon my experience with him, and we’ll have our guys tuned up because it’s a challenge but one that we welcome.”
Houston’s defense currently ranks 7th in passing yards and 10th in rushing yards allowed.
And yet, EVERYTHING I just said really doesn’t mean anything.
No one cares what Tua and the Dolphins have done over the last five weeks of the season. It doesn’t matter what teams they’ve beaten or how they’ve done it. At the end of the day, all that matters is what happens today. And if the Dolphins and Tagovailoa want to prove that they can contend in the AFC, any time in the coming years, beating a team that won a playoff game a season ago and had Super Bowl aspirations pre-season is the first step toward greatness.
I believe Tua can do it. After all, he’s shown time and time again what he’s capable of. Unfortunately, it’s Miami’s unstable offensive line vs. Houston’s very good pass rush and Anthony Weaver’s defense that brings me the most concern. And yet again, I ask, can Tua do enough to lift this offense up and overcome the defense’s shortcomings — the way many of the truly #ELITE great quarterbacks have done? I think he can; but then again, I’ve always been a Tua Tagovailoa stan. :)
