Miami Dolphins: Like It Or Not, Tua Is The Answer

For the Miami Dolphins, it looks like even the naysayers are finally coming around. There might be a few dragging their feet to get on the bandwagon, but most Dolphins fans are starting to realize the same thing. The team is far better with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa under center. Miami is sitting at 5-3 in the middle of their division but they were the one team to make a significant move at the trade deadline. Doing so has caught the attention of most experts who favor the team’s tip toward a Super Bowl contender.

At the start of the season, there was so much talk about whether or not Tua was the guy in Miami. The answer is yes, 100%. It doesn’t matter if you think Tua Tagovailoa is an elite quarterback. It doesn’t matter if you think (insert QB here) is better than the Dolphins’ QB. Rattle off all the stats and objections you want. Like it or not, Tua is the leader of the Miami Dolphins

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Of course, the extreme naysayers will talk about how the Buffalo Bills weren’t at 100% on defense when the two teams played, but neither were the Dolphins. You can talk about how they got blown out by the Ravens until that miraculous comeback, but you still have to execute mistake-free football for that to happen. “He could have thrown like 6 picks against the Steelers”, but he didn’t. Teams making mistakes are how opponents win football games. A sloppy day that still turns into a W is still a W. “But he only beat the Lions” as if he didn’t complete 80% of his passes with 3 TDs and no INTs.

Check your stat sheet and regurgitate it back all you want, the most important stat is wins. But if you want stats, let’s dive in. In his first season, Tua threw 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions on 9 starts for the Miami Dolphins. Three of those picks were in his final start of the season against the Buffalo Bills in which the Dolphins were getting blown out and forcing the ball downfield. Last year was a bit rockier but Tua still threw fewer interceptions than touchdowns at 16-10 with an often hurt or inconsistent receiving group. This year he’s bounced back with 12 TDs to 3 INTs.

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Taking care of the football often equals wins. Not only is Tua Tagovailoa out here taking shots downfield with a strong receiving group, but he’s also taking care of the football. That’s why the Miami Dolphins are 11-2 in Tua’s last 13 starts although one of the two losses gets an asterisk since he left the game with an injury. In his short career, Tua is already winning 2 out of every 3 games. You don’t have to have the best quarterback on the field when he’s putting Ws on the board. Stat hounds might not like it, but Tua Tagovailoa gives the Miami Dolphins the best chance to win football games.