Dolphins finding out how valuable Tua Tagovailoa really is
By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer
It's wild to see the Miami Dolphins lose their third straight game. It's wild to see just how important Tua Tagovailoa is to this team. The Minnesota Vikings reminded the Dolphins and the NFL of Tua's importance with a 24-16 win in Miami.
The Dolphins did not take themselves out of the quarterback market over the past few years, even after drafting Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in 2020. The Dolphins checked in on Tom Brady on multiple occasions — a pursuit that led to a tampering scandal — and Miami showed interest in a trade for Deshaun Watson in 2021.
But at this point in the 2022 season, Tagovailoa is clearly their most valuable player. Yes, Tyreek Hill is enormously important. And I suggested that he might even be so important that the Dolphins can overcome their quarterback conundrum, with Tagovailoa missing time due to a concussion he suffered in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. But Hill can only do so much. Even with the receiver eclipsing 150 yards in two of the past three games (and he left the game in the fourth quarter when he posted 47 yards against the Jets), Hill has been unable to hold off a recent spiral for the Dolphins.
The latest example came in the fourth quarter between the Dolphins and the Vikings. Teddy Bridgewater was at quarterback. Miami had planned for him to serve as backup to Skylar Thompson, but the team lost Thompson to a thumb injury in the first half. That left the game to Bridgewater, who made good use of Hill in the fourth quarter, when the Dolphins showed brief signs of life on offense. But Jaylen Waddle coughed up a fumble in the open field as the Dolphins crossed midfield down six points. The Vikings scored a few plays later and momentum in the game — like the Dolphins' season — spiraled out of control.
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook scored a 53-yard touchdown. Then on the following drive with three minutes left, Bridgewater gave the ball away again with an interception on an awful decision. Easy pick. Ugly win for the Vikings. But a win nonetheless.
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Dalvin Cook helped the Vikings pick up a 24-16 victory, breaking loose for a 53-yard rushing TD late in the fourth quarter.
Even with Hill putting up 12 catches for 177 yards, the Dolphins could muster only 16 points.
Since Tagovailoa's injury, the Dolphins have been 1-of-5 on fourth downs. They were 3-of-3 on fourth downs with Tua on the field. That fourth-down moxy was a clear part of the Dolphins' identity under the gutsy, analytics-driven young coach in Mike McDaniel.
Tagovailoa had 308 passing yards per game in the first three games and had 193 yards when he left the game against the Bengals on Sept. 26 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
He'd been a monster — and bona fide MVP candidate.
They need Tagovailoa back.
This isn't to say the Dolphins should rush him back. He suffered a scary-looking concussion and left the field on a stretcher just a few weeks ago. They need to give him as much time as he needs for recovery. But McDaniel indicated that the team is eyeing a Week 7 return for Tua. He has cleared the NFL protocol and was technically eligible to play this week. The team elected to give him another week of rest.
When he does get back, he is sure to change the complexion of the offense. In the opening weeks, Tagovailoa looked like the master key to NFL defenses. He was beating up the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots (whose offense has been suspect but whose defense looks as solid as ever). So long as the Dolphins defense can protect him — as they've seen injuries to a handful of their top offensive linemen, including left tackle Terron Armstead — Miami should jump back into relevance. They can stop this death spiral. They might even return to the top of the pack in the AFC.
"People are going to dwell on the losses. I’m not going to do that," tight end Mike Gesicki said. "I’m not going to let anyone in this locker room do that. We’re too talented. We’ve worked too hard. We’ve got too much football in front of us."
It seems that Tua's solid play was what made this offense cohesive this season.
And that's wild considering how much the NFL was taking him for granted. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. Surely, that's how Dolphins fans feel about Tagovailoa.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the 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 at @McKennAnalysis.