Through the first two weeks of the regular season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has firmly put himself in the middle of the MVP conversation.
Heading into Week 3, Tagovailoa is currently the league leader in both touchdown passes and passing yards. At the moment, he has thrown for 739 yards and seven touchdowns.
During the Dolphin's Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, the offense looked solid. Tagovailoa finished with 270 passing yards and one touchdown.
In the following week, Tagovailoa and the Dolphin's offense exploded. After facing a 21-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, they erupted for 28 points, winning the game by a final score of 42-38.
Along the way to their epic comeback, Tagovailoa turned in an all-time performance. He threw for 469 passing yards, six touchdowns, and just two interceptions. His six passing touchdowns were just one short of tying the NFL record.
Over his first two seasons in the NFL, Tagovailoa has shown flashes of potential. When the Dolphins selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, they were looking for their franchise piece. But before this season, he had still yet to show that he was capable of that.
Before the start of the 2022 regular season, Tagovailoa had thrown for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. In 21 career starts, he had a record of 13-8.
But this new version of Tua Tagovailoa seems different. And he could in turn prove to become the playmaker that the Dolphins thought he could be when they drafted him.
If he can continue to play at a level even resembling what he did in Week 2, he could find himself in line for an MVP award.
Here are 2 reasons why Tua Tagovailoa could win MVP
Elite Offensive Weapons
The Dolphins may have given Tua Tagovailoa the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Through just two games, the pairing of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill already seems to be elite, putting on solid showings in each of the first two games.
In Week 1, Waddle recorded just four receptions for 69 yards. But he also found his way to the endzone, recording one receiving touchdown. On the other side, Hill recorded eight receptions for 94 yards.
And then Week 2 happened.
As Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns, Waddle and Hill were the main beneficiaries. Waddle was targeted 19 times, recording 11 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
His counterpart, Hill, also put in a massive day. He finished with 13 targets, going for 190 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
In total, the pair was targeted 32 times, which was nearly all of the passes that Tagovailoa threw. They finished with 22 receptions for 361 receiving yards and four total touchdowns.
With two players both capable of being wide receivers ones, this offense could be elite. And it could allow Tagovailoa to put up big numbers each week.
Offensive-minded head coach
When the Dolphins hired Mike McDaniels to become their head coach, they were looking for an offensive mastermind. And he seems to be exactly that.
Before earning the Dolphins head coaching job, McDaniel spent time with several teams, including both the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers.
During his 15 years spent on NFL coaching staffs, McDaniel has had the opportunity to work with several elite quarterbacks, and some of the best coaches in the NFL including Mike Shanahan. And now Tagovailoa gets to reap the benefits.
In his lone season as the 49er's offensive coordinator, McDaniel clearly had big plans for the playbook. The offense was a big play waiting to happen, trying new things every week. This included incorporating Deebo Samuel at running back when necessary.
With Waddle and Hill in this offense, McDaniel could attempt to find ways to use them out of the backfield. This would add another layer to the offense. Which in turn could give Tagovailoa more chances to produce.
The Dolphins' offense also doesn't seem to be very interested in the run game at the moment. Their rushing leader is Raheem Mostert, who has rushed for just 67 yards. Chase Edmonds is the second-leading rusher with 58 yards. In total, the team has produced just 151 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa has tossed 739 yards, with 11 different players catching passes.
McDaniel seems content leaning on the passing game with Tagovailoa leading the charge. Through the first two games, the Dolphins' offense has produced just eight first downs off of running the ball, compared to 35 coming through the air.
The offense seems destined to be quarterback friendly. And Tagovailoa gets to benefit from this.
The AFC is by far the better of the two divisions. If Tagovailoa can remain competitive while playing against elite teams every week, there will be no doubt that he is a legitimate MVP candidate.
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