The Miami Dolphins struggled with costly errors in Tua Tagovailoa's return, ultimately falling to the Arizona Cardinals 28-27 on a game-winning field goal by Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland. This loss marks their fifth in the past six games.
Last week, Miami Dolphins’ QB1 shared some candid insights regarding his health and future after experiencing his fourth concussion in five years.
Tua Tagovailoa firing back at his critics
This Wednesday, he fired back at some of the criticism aimed at him following a mishandled shotgun snap with center Aaron Brewer against the Cardinals on Sunday, which led to a safety in the Dolphins' narrow one-point loss.
“It’s as simple as catching the ball in the gun. But I would say I’m a pretty good shortstop. I have pretty good vision. I have pretty good hands,” said the Dolphins quarterback.
“Yeah, I’d like to see a lot of other people go in the back there and try to catch that ball too. I mean, you’ve seen it. It wasn’t Brew’s best and Brew knows he can get it better, but it wasn’t my best as well. But I’m just saying to give perspective, you know, it’s not as easy as what it looks like, sitting down on your couch, eating chips,” he continued via a video posted in X (formerly Twitter) from Ari Meirov.
The Cardinals regained possession after the free kick, driving down the field to score a touchdown on a 22-yard pass from Kyler Murray to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. Although their two-point conversion attempt failed, Miami held onto a slim 20-18 lead.
Miami responded with another scoring drive, extending their lead to 27-18 on a six-yard touchdown run by Raheem Mostert.
The Dolphins’ offense struggled to close out the game in the fourth quarter, as their drive stalled at Arizona's 47-yard line with 5:01 remaining. Despite picking up two first downs and gaining 23 yards over eight plays, they couldn’t advance any further and were forced to punt.
Tagovailoa's strong return not enough for a Dolphins win
With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 2-5 on the season. They’ll now prepare for a tough road matchup next week against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills.
Tua Tagovailoa played a strong game against the Cardinals, though he was credited with three fumbles (none of which were lost) in Week 9. This included the contested shotgun snap, which came in fast and high but still made contact with his hands.
The 26-year old’s other two fumbles occurred on a strip-sack and a mishandled snap under center. Reflecting on the third fumble, he admitted, “That was just my fault.”
The Dolphins entered the game boasting the NFL's top pass defense, having permitted over 162 passing yards to just one quarterback, Geno Smith, throughout the entire season.
However, whenever the Cardinals needed a crucial play, a pass to Harrison or McBride came through for them. The Dolphins' defense struggled, failing to record a sack or force a turnover. Despite generating considerable pressure, they couldn't bring Murray down all afternoon.
Mistakes like these could prove especially costly against a Buffalo Bills team boasting a +11 turnover differential and a track record of defeating Tagovailoa in seven of eight matchups. The Dolphins enter as six-point underdogs, facing a road challenge in a stadium where they haven’t tasted victory since 2016.
“All I know you gotta find a way to beat them regardless of what that looks like. And that’s what throughout those eight times that I’ve played them in the seven that we’ve lost, that’s just been the recipe for it. We just couldn’t find a way to do that. So, here’s another opportunity for us to do that,” Tagovailoa said.
