The Miami Dolphins avoided a Week 13 meltdown, edging the struggling (2-10) New Orleans Saints 21-17 at Hard Rock Stadium. While the win may have given Miami a boost, the path to securing it was far from smooth.

Early momentum, late stagnation, and unnecessary pressure moments turned the game into a tense battle for survival, which once looked like a blowout through halftime, when the Dolphins were leading 16-0. A key narrative entering the matchup centered around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa facing skepticism due to Miami’s inconsistent offensive finishes this season.

Tagovailoa ended the night with 157 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception, a risky deep ball floated into double coverage right after the Miami defense created a turnover. Even after earning the win, the quarterback refused to deflect criticism, choosing instead to absorb it.

“It definitely starts with me, starts with my performance with how I distribute the ball, how I operate the guys,” Tagovailoa said via Dolphins Wire. “When I'm able to distribute the ball well, the [offense does] well, and the run game helps with that. So as I said, that starts with me.”

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That accountability resonated in the locker room because Miami’s late scoring drought directly challenged his leadership narrative, even if the film says others deserve the finger-pointing. Tagovailoa finished 12 of 23 passing for 157 yards, adding no rushing impact.

The Saints' defense forced constant movement, collapsing Miami’s protection and bringing him down for four sacks. Despite the loss, the Dolphins are looking sharp to move up from (5-7) if they hold serve before traveling to the Meadowlands for a Week 14 matchup with the (3-9) New York Jets.

However, the Dolphins still need a string of wins to push toward postseason contention, but Tagovailoa’s willingness to take the bullet for a game Miami almost dropped might be the turning point that steadies what comes next.