Tua Tagovailoa successful in NFL debut
The Miami Dolphins weren’t expected to do a whole lot in 2020, with most fans ready to write off the season after the team dropped their first two games of the year to division rivals the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Since their 0-2 start though, the Dolphins have won four of their last five and now sit with a respectable 4-3 record – 1.5 games behind AFC East leaders Buffalo.
Despite winning two straight games prior to their bye week, the Dolphins had announced that they would be starting rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. While Fitzpatrick had been playing well and was winning games, the franchise wanted to see what they had in the quarterback they selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“We feel like through practice meetings and walk-throughs that he’s ready, and that’s how we’re going moving forward,” head coach Brian Flores said of the move when the decision was announced, via ESPN. “[Fitzpatrick] has done a great job. … It’s not an easy decision for me or us as an organization, but we felt like for the team now and moving forward, this is the move we needed to make.”
The decision seemed to be the right one though, with the Dolphins stomping past last year’s Super Bowl finalists the Los Angeles Rams 28-17. While Tagovailoa threw for under 100 yards, he still had one passing touchdown and more importantly, no interceptions. The rookie was able to manage the offense while the defense and special teams got the job done on their end.
“I don’t think I played to the standard of what this offense is capable of. There were certain plays where I could have stepped up and made the right throw, made the right decision. But it’s good that we still came out with the win,” Tagovailoa said following the game. “Thank God we’ve got a good defense.”
While Tagoviloa wasn’t necessarily too impressed with his performance, the Dolphins won an important game and he showed signs of potential. With Miami possessing two first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft thanks to a trade with the Houston Texans, the organization needs to be sure they have secured their quarterback for the future. He will certainly get another opportunity to start going forward following his performance on Sunday as the team looks to help the youngster continue to grow and develop.
“We won. We won the game. It’s a team football game. It’s not a one-man show. He made enough plays for us to win the ballgame,” Flores said of Tagovailoa. “Collectively, if we don’t play well in one phase, we have to pick each other up. It’s his first NFL game against a real good defense. You got to take that into account, as well. But the rest of the team picked him up, and we got the W.”
Miami now turns their attention to the Arizona Cardinals who they will play in week nine of the NFL campaign. It will likely be Tagovailoa’s first start on the road, with the Cardinals hosting Miami at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.
