As the Miami Dolphins prepare to face the New England Patriots this Sunday, they are coming off of an impressive 34-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend. With the Dolphins in the quest for the playoffs, star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa spoke Wednesday about the projection of the team and their current state.
In Wednesday's press conference, Tagovailoa would cite that player-only meetings have “helped push the envelope on what we want to do as a team” since the team is currently on a two-game winning streak, according to Joe Schad. He would echo the same sentiments after the victory to Las Vegas as getting back their rhythm was vital.
“I think coming back it’s more so how can we get back into our rhythm as an offense, finding that rhythm, whether it’s in the run game, the action game, the pass game, whatever that looks like and just protecting the ball,” Tagovailoa said via the team's transcripts. “Not trying to force things if it’s not there. We’ve got good enough players to where if we get them the ball in space, we like our chances. That’s sort of been the mindset coming back. And really pocket presence as well. If guys want to drop eight or if they want to bring pressure, just feeling that out. If I still have time in the pocket, just moving subtly, things like that.”
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa on the team getting back into rhythm
There is no doubt that when Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel tried in all his power to keep the ship afloat. However, the team had a 2-4 record when the quarterback came back and dropped two crucial games to the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills, but Tagovailoa admitted that it would be “week-to-week” in getting their groove back.
“I think it’s a week-to-week thing,” Tagovailoa said last Sunday. “We’ve just got to build off of what we can learn from this week. We move forward. We see what the next opponent is and things that we can do to get better to give us the edge to win that next game. And we’ll continue to move forward. I don’t think anyone can play their best game essentially. But you try to minimize the amount of mistakes that you have in games. So I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”
However, there is no doubt that Miami is building momentum by the week as they have a very winnable game against the Patriots up next, but they have to make sure not to look ahead.
“I would say any time you can get a win in the NFL, it’s a momentum builder for your team, for the locker room, for the organization,” Tagovailoa said. “It always feels better when your body is hurting after a win than a loss. I would say we’re looking forward to New England next week. We’re going to enjoy this game and move forward.”
At any rate, the Dolphins are currently 4-6, which puts them second in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills as they look to keep their season alive as the season moves forward. It's vital to take care of the winnable games like Sunday against New England.
